What Kia says about Soul trailer towing

The 2025 Soul owner's manual says the same thing in two places. The Trailer towing section reads: We do not recommend using this vehicle for trailer towing. The Vehicle load limit section repeats it on the Towing capacity line.

This guide uses the 2025 Soul manual with the 2.0 MPI gasoline engine and intelligent variable transmission (IVT). Other model years can differ, so check the manual for your vehicle.

Need to tow? See our Sportage towing guide and Seltos towing guide.

Soul load limits

From the Vehicle load limit section and the Gross vehicle weight table of the 2025 Soul owner's manual on Kia's owner's manual site, read November 12, 2026.

The manual says the vehicle load limit is on the Tire and Loading Information label on the driver's door, and that the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is shown on the certification label on the driver's door sill. For size and cargo space, see our Soul dimensions guide.

How to tow a Soul after a breakdown

If emergency towing is necessary, Kia recommends having it done by an authorized Kia dealer or a commercial tow-truck service. The manual's towing service guidance for the Soul:

• Wheel dollies or a flatbed are recommended.
• The manual says front-wheel-drive vehicles can be towed with the rear wheels on the ground (without dollies) and the front wheels off the ground. When a tow truck does not use dollies, the front of the vehicle should be lifted, not the rear.
• If a loaded wheel or suspension part is damaged, or the front wheels are on the ground, use a towing dolly under the front wheels.
• Do not use sling-type equipment; use wheel lift or flatbed equipment. Do not tow it backwards with the driven wheels on the ground.
• Do not tow a Soul with the IVT with four wheels in contact with the ground, except for the short emergency towing described below.
• It is not designed to be dinghy towed (with four wheels on the ground) behind a motor home.

Without wheel dollies, the manual says to set the ignition to ACC, shift to N (Neutral) and release the parking brake. If your Soul has side and curtain air bags, keep the ignition in LOCK or ACC while it is being towed.

Emergency towing with the tow hook

If a tow service is not available in an emergency, the manual says the Soul may be towed for a short distance with a cable or chain secured to the emergency towing hook at the front or rear. Key precautions from the manual:

• Tow only on hard-surfaced roads, for a short distance and at low speed, with the wheels, axles, powertrain, steering and brakes in good condition.
• A driver must be in the Soul to steer and brake, with no other passengers. Turn the ignition to ACC and release the parking brake.
• Expect to press the brake pedal harder than normal and to use more steering effort.
• Use a towing strap less than 16 ft. (5 m) long with a white or red cloth about 12 in. (30 cm) wide in the middle, and always pull straight ahead.
• Do not use the hooks to pull the Soul out of mud, sand or other conditions it cannot drive out of on its own.
• In this emergency tow with all four wheels on the ground, tow only from the front, in neutral, at no more than 10 mph (15 km/h) and less than 1 mile (1.6 km). If IVT fluid is leaking, a flatbed or towing dolly must be used.

After any tow, our service team at Michigan City Kia can check your Soul.

Michigan City Kia service hours

From the service department hours in Michigan City Kia's website structured data, November 12, 2026. No Sunday service hours are listed. Holiday hours can differ.