If you’re in the market for a subcompact SUV, there are plenty of options. But if you find yourself stuck between the 2021 Jeep Renegade and the 2021 Kia Seltos? Well, you’re going to want to stick with the Kia Seltos. Let me tell you why.

The 2021 Kia Seltos outranks the Renegade in these key areas

If you’re shopping for a new compact SUV, Consumer Reports offers some of the best data out there. Unfortunately, that data shows that the 2021 Jeep Renegade is facing some pretty major struggles. According to Consumer Reports, this year’s model earned a 37 overall score. Break that down and the Renegade scored a dismal 56 out of 100 in Consumer Reports’ road test. It was also given a disappointing one out of five predicted reliability rating, along with a one out of five predicted owner satisfaction rating.

As for the 2021 Kia Seltos? It fared significantly better. Unlike the Renegade, this year’s new Kia Seltos earned a 63 overall score from Consumer Reports. It also did much better than the Renegade in road tests and earned a 72 out of 100. This year’s model is expected to be more reliable than the Jeep Renegade and earned a three out of five predicted reliability rating. Seeing as the 2021 Kia Seltos earned a higher predicted owner satisfaction rating, odds are you’ll like it more than the Renegade too. 

The 2021 Jeep Renegade got disappointing safety ratings

The 2021 Jeep Renegade struggled in crash safety tests too. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Renegade disappointed in small overlap front: passenger-side crash tests. The Kia Seltos, on the other hand, did just find in this particular test. 

The 2021 Kia Seltos also earned higher safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). While the NHTSA gave the Renegade four stars in both front driver and passenger side tests, the Kia Seltos earned a five-star front driver side rating and a four-star front passenger side rating. The Renegade also earned a lower overall side star rating. According to the NHTSA, it’s also at a much higher risk of rolling over than the Seltos. 

The 2021 Kia Seltos is standard with an unbeatable warranty

It’s no secret that all Kia models come with a pretty unbeatable warranty. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that this year’s Seltos is standard with a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty program, which includes a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty, and a 5-year/100,000-mile limited anti-perforation warranty. The 2021 Kia Seltos is also standard with roadside assistance coverage for five years or 60,000-miles, whichever comes first.

Unfortunately for the 2021 Jeep Renegade, its warranty isn’t quite as extensive. Instead, this year’s model is standard with a 5-Year/60,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, and five years or 60,000-miles of roadside assistance coverage.

There’s really only one reason to choose the 2021 Jeep Renegade

In the end, there’s really only one reason to choose the 2021 Jeep Renegade over the 2021 Kia Seltos. If you plan to do some serious off-roading, the 2021 Renegade is obviously the better pick. While the Kia Seltos may outrank the Renegade in several areas and does come standard with a pretty stellar warranty, it’s the Jeep Renegade that comes from a long line of trail-proven SUVs.