Compare the2026 Kia EV6VS 2026 Subaru Solterra

Both the EV6 and Solterra have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EV6 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Solterra’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the EV6 and the Solterra have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia EV6 is safer than the Subaru Solterra:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia EV6 is safer than the Subaru Solterra:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the EV6, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 3.4% less likely to roll over than the Solterra, which received a four-star rating.

The EV6 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Solterra’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV6 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Solterra. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Solterra ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

There are over 24 percent more Kia dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the EV6’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

The EV6 has more powerful engines than the Solterra:

The EV6 can travel longer on a full charge than the Solterra on a full charge:

The EV6 stops shorter than the Solterra:

For better traction, the EV6 GT-Line e-AWD’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Solterra (255/45R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The EV6’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Solterra Premium’s standard 60 series tires. The EV6 GT-Line e-AWD’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Solterra Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EV6 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Solterra Premium.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV6’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Solterra (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the EV6 is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Solterra.

The EV6 Wind e-AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Solterra Touring pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The EV6 Wind e-AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Solterra Touring (26.1 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .69 average G’s).

The Kia EV6 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Subaru Solterra.

The EV6 has 5.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Solterra (103 vs. 97.5).

The EV6 has .2 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, 3.7 inches more rear legroom, 8.4 inches more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Solterra.

The front step up height for the EV6 is 1.3 inches lower than the Solterra (16.6” vs. 17.9”). The EV6’s rear step up height is 1.2 inches lower than the Solterra’s (16.8” vs. 18”).

The EV6 has a larger cargo volume than the Solterra with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 23.8 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the EV6’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Solterra doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The EV6 offers up to a 2300 lbs. towing capacity. The Solterra has no towing capacity.

The EV6 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Solterra uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The EV6 GT-Line has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Solterra doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The EV6’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Solterra’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The EV6’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Solterra’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Kia EV6 has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the Solterra Limited/Touring.

The EV6 GT-Line’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Solterra Limited/Touring’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

The EV6 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Solterra doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The EV6 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023. The Solterra has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV6 as the 2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Solterra has never been chosen.

The Kia EV6 outsold the Subaru Solterra by 21% during 2025.