The 2021 Kia Seltos is having a pretty stellar week. Earlier this week, it was named a winner in two categories of Kelley Blue Book’s ‘2021 Best Buy Awards.’ It not only earned the top spot in the ‘Best New Model’ category, but Kelley Blue Book also named it as the ‘Best Buy’ in the subcompact SUV segment. But what is it about the 2021 Kia Seltos that has Kelley Blue Book so enamored with it? Is it its spacious interior? Or is it its unbeatable price tag? Perhaps it’s a little bit of everything. 

Kelley Blue Book says the 2021 Kia Seltos is the whole package

As it turns out, there’s a lot to like about this subcompact SUV. As Kelley Blue Book put it, it’s basically the whole package. It offers the perfect balance of substance, space, and style, and doesn’t come accompanied by an outrageous price tag. In fact, with a starting price of around $22,000, Kelley Blue Book reports that the 2021 Kia Seltos is an “undeniably good value.” It’s no wonder then that Kelley Blue Book tapped it for not one, but two different awards this year.

The interior of the new Kia Seltos is one of the most spacious in its segment

A subcompact SUV that has a ton of space to offer? I know. It sounds like an oxymoron. But hear me out. According to Kelley Blue Book, the 2021 Kia Seltos offers the most rearseat legroom in its segment. With 38-inches of legroom, Kelley Blue Book reports that the Seltos’ second-row offers just as much legroom as a full-size sedan. Another bonus for rearseat passengers? Reclining second-row seating.

Don’t worry though. It’s not just its second-row that has a ton of space to offer. Its cargo area is plenty spacious too. According to Kelley Blue Book, the Kia Seltos boasts best-in-class space for cargo behind the second row. Try folding down those second-row seats, and you’ll see that available cargo space swells to an impressive 62.8 cubic-feet, which is also best in its class.

Even the lowest-priced model comes stocked with safety features

And if a wealth of space doesn’t have you convinced that the 2021 Kia Seltos deserved more than one ‘Best Buy’ award? Kelley Blue Book reports that one of the most impressive aspects of this year’s model is its comprehensive selection of standard and available safety features. Opt for even the base Kia Seltos, and you can expect to find safety features like lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian detection, and automatic high beams.

If the Seltos’ standard safety features don’t inspire enough confidence, it’s also available with a long list of other safety features. Consider a higher trim level for safety features such as adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, and safe-exit assist. It can also be had with highway-driving assist. 

All in all, the Seltos’ many safety features have earned it a four out of five star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also gave the 2021 model some pretty high marks in its own crashworthiness tests. 

The 2021 Kia Seltos really does offer unbeatable value

As Kelley Blue Book put it, the 2021 Kia Seltos is more than a compact SUV that’s able to check off all the necessary boxes. Sure, its interior is spacious. It offers plenty of cargo space too. And when it comes to safety features? The 2021 Kia Seltos is designed to put your safety first. But in the end, it’s the 2021 Kia Seltos’ price that really seals the deal. With a base price of $21,990, it’s hard to beat all that the 2021 Kia Seltos has to offer. It’s no wonder it earned both the ‘Best New Model’ title and the ‘Best Subcompact SUV’ title.