Comparison: 2024 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos

The 2024 Hyundai Creta, and its Kia counterpart, the Seltos, are two of the most popular and successful SUVs in India right now. When a person thinks about buying a new midsize SUV in the Rs. 10 to 20 lakh price range, the pair of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos is almost guaranteed to be on the list of candidates. 

Comparing the two cars up close yields a more complex answer than simple rebadging. While they do share the same engine, gearbox, and even the platform, Hyundai and Kia have made the cars in such a way that they complement each other. Let’s check out how the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos compare.

2024 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Dimensions

Since we all already know that the two cars share the same platform, they are quite similar in dimension. But they are not identical either.

The Kia Seltos, despite being a sibling to the Hyundai Creta, gets a bigger body overall in all three dimensions. Compared to the Hyundai Creta, the Kia Seltos is 35 mm longer, 10mm wider, and 10 mm taller. That means extra space for the passengers inside the Seltos. Both cars have identical wheelbase, boot space and ground clearance, so you can pick from either of the two if these parameters are more important to you. However, you cannot ignore the small but significant extra room inside the Seltos, as even the slightest difference goes a long way during longer trips.

Though both SUVs are quite adequately sized, the Kia Seltos gets an edge in all three size departments. It offers a slightly larger cabin, meaning more space for you and your passenger on the inside and a bigger, more commanding road presence on the outside.

2024 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Engine & Transmission

You might have expected that the Creta and the Seltos would offer the same performance since they are identical on paper. However, even with the same engine and transmissions, you will find subtle differences between the two when they are on the road. We would advise you to take a thorough test drive of both the Creta and Seltos to find the SUV best suited for you.

Both the Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos come with three engine options. The first one is a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine. The power and torque these cars get with this engine are plenty enough for city driving and even highways in most cases. You can pair this engine with either the 6-speed manual or the iMT (clutchless manual) gearbox. The second engine option is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol 4-cylinder that fares best for people wanting a lot more oomph from their car when they press the throttle. This turbo-petrol gets only the 7-speed DCT in the Creta. But the one in the Seltos gets the 7-speed DCT as well as the 6-speed iMT.

Finally, there’s the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated CRDi diesel engine that gets a 6-speed manual and 6-speed AT in both the Creta and Seltos. Additionally, it gets a 6-speed iMT for the Seltos as well. Mileage-wise, the Creta comes out as a slightly more efficient option (slightly being the keyword here) when compared to the Seltos. The Seltos claims an ARAI mileage of 17.0 to 17.9 km/l for the petrol engines, whereas the Creta claims 17.4 to 18.4 km/l for the same. In the diesel variants, the Seltos should deliver about 20.7 km/l, which can be better or worse because the Creta claims 19.1 to 21.8 km/l.

Both SUVs are mechanically similar enough to safely ignore the subtle differences if that’s not your primary concern. Here, the winner between the two can be either, depending on the factors we consider. If you want more choices in the transmissions on offer with the engines, the Seltos should be your pick. If you want to squeeze that extra little fuel efficiency out of your SUV, the Creta comes out on top.

2024 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Features and Comfort

Both Hyundai and Kia have loaded their SUVs with a plethora of features that make them quite lucrative options in their segment. The 2024 Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos both come packed with all the obvious equipment, like a wireless infotainment system, rear AC vents, multiple driving modes, a panoramic sunroof, and cruise control. But both of them also come equipped with some of the most premium features like ventilated seats, electrically adjustable seats, and connected car features.

Now, although they share a lot of things in common, including the features list, some unique features have made their way into one of them and not the other. The 2024 Hyundai Creta makes use of 17-inch alloy wheels for its top model, while the top variant of the Kia Seltos comes with 18-inch alloys, which are also the largest in the segment. The Seltos also features a Heads-Up display that the Creta lacks.

Here, the comparison yields very close results for both cars, with the Kia Seltos coming out as slightly more feature-packed than the Hyundai Creta. However, unless you care for those specific two or three features in the top trim, you can easily choose either one of them based on other factors.

2024 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Safety Features

The safety of a new car is one of the most important things you can look for. The recent iterations of the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos have been successful models overall but not the safest. However, Hyundai and Kia seem to have worked in this area because we can see a lot of basic and advanced safety features in both SUVs as standard. Hyundai has prepared the Creta for the Bharat NCAP crash test, but we have not gotten a result yet, so we’ll have to wait to find that out.

Yet, the extensive list of safety tech in the two SUVs will certainly impress most, if not all, prospective buyers considering one of these for their new purchase. Both SUVs deploy safety tech like ABS, EBD, Traction Control, Stability Control, a 360-degree camera, and auto headlamps. Moreover, the Creta and Seltos also have Hill Hold Assist, six airbags, and Level-2 ADAS in their arsenal to ensure maximum safety. At the same time, you will have to make do without Hill Descent Control in both SUVs.

That’s all the common stuff covered, now onto the differences between them. There’s not much to mention here, only an extra thing or two that one car has over the other. On one hand, the Kia Seltos has rain-sensing Wipers that the Hyundai Creta lacks. On the other hand, the Hyundai Creta’s lower automatic variants have the AutoHold feature, while you can only find it in the top auto variant of the Kia Seltos.

Here, you can easily choose either one of them without batting an eye since both are pretty similar to each other in the safety department. Objectively, it seems like Hyundai and Kia have taken the safety of their new cars seriously by equipping multiple safety features and six airbags as standard in all variants.

2024 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Prices & Variants

Like most other things, the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos share a lot in common regarding the variants and their pricing as well. Both SUVs cover the Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh range across their variants, so there is a lot of room for people with different budgets to get a particular variant of the Creta or Seltos.

The Hyundai Creta comes in 4 main variants along with 3 subvariants. The base variant E, being the most affordable, comes with the least amount of features, but it surprisingly includes stuff like front & rear armrests, a rear AC vent, C-Type USB chargers, and an extensive list of safety tech as standard. The EX trim adds electrically adjustable ORVMs, an 8.0-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and some exterior finish for the additional money. The upper-mid S variant offers some essential features such as a rear parking camera, m LED headlamps, cooled glovebox, and cruise control as well as a sunroof and automatic & iMT transmission options for the S(O) variant. The top-level SX variant comes with some premium features such as alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch infotainment system, dual-zone auto AC, and keyless ignition. The SX Tech and SX (O) subvariants take things even further and bring ADAS, Ventilated seats, a Bose Premium sound system, diamond-cut Alloy wheels, and electric seat adjustment among other things.

The Kia Seltos similarly offers a surprisingly decent number of features in its most affordable model. The base HTE variant includes things like a rear AC vent, front & rear USB C-Type charging ports, and iMT transmission for the Diesel engine. The HTK and HTK+ come out as value-for-money variants for the Seltos thanks to features like an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, steering-mounted audio controls, and a rear parking camera. The HTK+ is packed with some important features like a smart key with remote ignition, cruise control, electrically foldable ORVMs, Alloy wheels, Auto A/C, rear defogger and a rear wiper. The HTK+ variant with the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine also comes with an electric panoramic sunroof. The HTX and HTX+ add alloy wheels, connected car features, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone auto AC, a 10.25-inch digital cluster, a 10.25-inch infotainment system, and ventilated seats among other things. Finally, the top-level GTX+ and X-Line variant brings level 2 ADAS, 360° camera, rain-sensing wipers, electric parking brake, and an 8.0-inch heads-up display among multiple interior and exterior colour choices to the table.

Comparing the two SUVs will display the Kia Seltos as a more feature-rich option compared to the Hyundai Creta, especially for the mid-tier variants. The Hyundai Creta may be an objectively good option, but the Seltos gets more stuff inside for the same price.

2024 Hyundai Creta vs Kia Seltos: Summary

There you go, the 2024 Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos may appear to be the same SUV from an overview of their specs, but they excel at different things and make it easier to choose between one of them depending on the needs of the buyer.

If you prefer a more comfort-oriented option with a premium feel, a bigger brand name, and a luxurious interior, you should check out the Hyundai Creta first. On the other hand, you should consider the Kia Seltos if you fancy an SUV with a sportier driving experience, flashier exterior, and futuristic interior cabin layout & design.

Other than that, both SUVs have an updated look, plenty of engine and transmission options, tight pricing, and standard safety features aplenty. Hence, regardless of which one you pick, it is difficult to go wrong with either one of them.