2023 Kia Seltos Remains a Value-Packed Bargain

Not every model year change involves a midcycle facelift or a new generation replete with whiz-bang goodies. Some are merely incremental improvements on a model, adjusting prices for inflation while adding a small feature here and there. That’s the case with the 2023 Kia Seltos, which is largely unchanged for the 2023 model year.

Kia this week announced pricing for the 2023 Seltos subcompact SUV. The automaker changed very little about the Seltos in the model year shift, improving the car’s noise reduction and adding some additional driver aids to lower trims. Now, the base Seltos S will receive rear blind spot collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic alert in both front- and all-wheel-drive variants.

Given the minor adjustments, it’s no surprise that the Seltos’ price hasn’t changed all that much, either. The Seltos S is only $100 more than last year in both FWD and AWD flavors, while the prices for the LX, Nightfall Edition and EX variants went up $250. The highest bump belongs to the range-topping SX, which sees a $260 price increase. The destination charge also went up, from $1,255 to $1,295, adding a little bit more to every window sticker. You can see a full rundown of 2023 pricing in the chart below.

2023 Kia Seltos pricing

Model	2023 MSRP	2022 MSRP	Net Change
Seltos S FWD	$22,890	$22,790	$100
Seltos LX AWD	$22,840	$22,590	$250
Seltos S AWD	$24,390	$24,290	$100
Seltos Nightfall Edition AWD	$27,040	$26,790	$250
Seltos EX AWD	$26,140	$25,890	$250
Seltos SX AWD	$28,340	$28,080	$260
Destination Charge	$1,295	$1,255	$40

The Seltos S, LX and EX all come with a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4 gas engine producing 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, which routes to the wheels by way of a continuously variable transmission. Nightfall Edition and SX variants spice things up a bit with a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 that makes 175 hp and 195 lb-ft. On those cars, the CVT gets swapped out for a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. FWD variants are rated at an EPA-estimated 29 mpg city and 35 mpg highway, while AWD Seltos models earn 27 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.

In our review of the 2021 Kia Seltos, which is essentially the same car as what’s seen here, we found it to be a lovely little runabout. We enjoyed its clever aesthetics and massive complement of standard tech, which gives us a whole lot of value in a small package.