Toyota Yaris Cross vs Kia Seltos

The Toyota Yaris Cross starts from $31,790 before on-road costs, while the Kia Seltos opens at $31,250. That makes the Kia Seltos the more affordable entry point by $540.

Once you factor in stamp duty, registration, CTP insurance, and dealer delivery, expect to add roughly 8-12% on top of the RRP depending on your state. That puts estimated driveaway prices in the ballpark of $34,969 and $34,375 respectively.

Over 5 years, the running costs favour the Toyota Yaris Cross by roughly $4,420 in fuel alone.

Both the Toyota Yaris Cross and Kia Seltos hold a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. Adult occupant protection scored 86% for the Toyota Yaris Cross and 85% for the Kia Seltos.

Where the two diverge is in active safety technology. The Toyota Yaris Cross packs more ADAS features with 6 out of 10 key systems fitted, compared to 5 in the Kia Seltos.

Both include the essentials: autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, a reversing camera. Airbag count is 8 in the Toyota Yaris Cross and 6 in the Kia Seltos.

The Toyota Yaris Cross features a 8-inch touchscreen paired with a 7-inch digital dash, while the Kia Seltos gets a 8-inch display. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across both.

The Toyota Yaris Cross uses a 1.5L 3-cyl Hybrid producing 85kW and 141Nm of torque, sent through a cvt to a FWD layout. It covers the 0-100km/h sprint in 9.8 seconds.

The Kia Seltos responds with a Petrol making 110kW and 180Nm, paired to a automatic driving the front wheels. It gets to 100km/h in 9.2 seconds.

The Kia Seltos has the clear power advantage at 110kW vs 85kW. In the real-world sprint, the Kia Seltos is 0.6s quicker. For most buyers, the way each car feels day-to-day matters more than outright acceleration.

The Toyota Yaris Cross measures 4,180mm long on a 2,560mm wheelbase, 205mm shorter than the Kia Seltos at 4,385mm (2,630mm wheelbase). The longer wheelbase on the Kia Seltos generally means more rear legroom.

Boot space is 390L in the Toyota Yaris Cross and 468L in the Kia Seltos, giving the Kia Seltos a 78L advantage.

For towing, the Kia Seltos leads with a 1,100kg braked capacity vs 400kg. That 700kg difference matters if you regularly hitch up.

Based on 15,000km of annual driving, fuel costs roughly $1,083/year for the Toyota Yaris Cross and $1,967/year for the Kia Seltos. That is a $884 annual difference in favour of the Toyota Yaris Cross.

Estimated annual total: $1,083 (Toyota Yaris Cross) vs $1,967 (Kia Seltos). The Toyota Yaris Cross saves you roughly $884 per year in total ownership costs. Use our Fuel Cost Calculator to estimate based on your driving.

Warranty: 5 years / 999,999km (Toyota Yaris Cross) vs 7 years / 999,999km (Kia Seltos). The Kia Seltos has longer coverage.