Compare the2025 Kia SeltosVS 2025 Chevrolet Trax

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Seltos are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Trax doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Seltos is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Chevrolet Trax, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Seltos	Trax
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-21 MPH	-11 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	-5 MPH	-3 MPH

The Seltos offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Trax doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Seltos’ standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Trax doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Seltos and Trax offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Seltos S/EX/X-Line/SX has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Trax’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The Seltos’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Trax doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Seltos and the Trax have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

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

	Seltos	Trax
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	112	183
Neck Injury Risk	22.2%	28.8%
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	38.4%	39.7%

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Seltos is much safer than the Trax:

	Seltos	Trax
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD

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 Seltos is safer than the Chevrolet Trax:

	Seltos	Trax
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	79	171
Chest Movement	1 inches	1.2 inches
Abdominal Force	167 lbs.	288 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	177	378
Spine Acceleration	63 G’s	68 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
HIC	227	464
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	54 G’s
Hip Force	620 lbs.	733 lbs.

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

Warranty

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

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

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Seltos’ engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Trax’s camshafts. If the Trax’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Seltos has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Trax’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Seltos second among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Trax isn’t in the top three.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 7 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (146 vs. 137) than the Trax’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Seltos X-Line/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 58 more horsepower (195 vs. 137) and 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 162) than the Trax’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Chevrolet Trax:

	Seltos 4 cyl.	Seltos X-Line/SX	Trax
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	6.9 sec	9.9 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	4.2 sec	3.5 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	15.4 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.5 MPH	91.2 MPH	78.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Trax (28 city/34 hwy vs. 28 city/32 hwy).

The Seltos has a standard locking fuel door. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Trax. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Kia Seltos X-Line/SX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Trax.

The Seltos has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Trax doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Seltos AWD’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Trax:

	Seltos AWD	Trax
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.8 inches

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Trax:

	Seltos	Trax
70 to 0 MPH	160 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Trax LS/LT’s standard 60 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Seltos AWD has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Chevrolet Trax has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Seltos AWD has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Seltos AWD flat and controlled during cornering. The Trax’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Seltos has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Trax doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Seltos S AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Trax ACTIV pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Trax ACTIV (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Seltos’ turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Trax’s (34.8 feet vs. 38 feet).

Chassis

The Seltos is 6 inches shorter than the Trax, making the Seltos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Seltos has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 7 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Trax.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Seltos’ rear seats recline. The Trax’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Seltos has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Trax with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 25.6 cubic feet). The Seltos has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Trax with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 54.1 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Seltos EX AWD/SX’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Seltos’ power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Trax doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Ergonomics

The Seltos S/EX/SX/X-Line’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control. The Trax’s driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

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 Seltos’ available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Trax’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The Seltos’ optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Trax doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Seltos SX keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Trax doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Seltos S/EX/X-Line/SX has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Trax doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Both the Seltos and the Trax offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Seltos has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Trax doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

With standard voice command, the Seltos offers the driver hands free control of the radio and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Trax doesn’t offer a voice control system.

Compared to the Chevrolet Trax, the Kia Seltos eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Seltos, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chevrolet Trax isn't recommended.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its October 2023 issue and they ranked the Kia Seltos SX higher than the Chevrolet Trax ACTIV.

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