The Kia Soul is a fun, distinctive little car with a roomy front cabin and a personality all its own. What it doesn’t have is an easy interior to mount a phone in. The dashboard is dominated by a large decorative circular disk that’s more design statement than practical surface, the center vents have a protruding lip that gets in the way, and the cup holders sit too far back to be useful for mounting anything. It takes a bit more thought than the average car, but every generation of Soul has at least one mounting location that works well, and several that work great.
We’ve tested and researched the options across all three Soul generations so you don’t have to start from scratch. Below you’ll find what works, what to avoid, and which specific mounts are worth buying depending on which Soul you drive.
| Mount | Best For | Years/Trim |
|---|---|---|
| VANMASS Strongest Suction Mount | Windshield, all phones, most reliable overall | All generations, 2010 and newer |
| OQTIQ MagSafe Suction Mount | Dash or windshield, iPhone with MagSafe | All generations, 2010 and newer |
| SYNCWIRE MagSafe Vent Mount | Center vents, iPhone with MagSafe | All generations, 2010 and newer |
| Course Motorsports DirectFit | No-drill factory-style mount, any phone | 2014 to 2019 (2nd gen) only |
A Quick Note on Kia Soul Generations
There are three generations of the Kia Soul: the 1st gen (2010 to 2013), the 2nd gen (2014 to 2019), and the current 3rd gen (2020 and newer). The interior layout changed meaningfully between generations, so a mount that fits one may not suit another. The windshield and vent locations we recommend below work across all three generations since they don’t depend on the dashboard shape. The one exception is the Course Motorsports DirectFit mount, which is purpose built for the 2nd gen only.
The Windshield: Your Most Reliable Option
Despite the dashboard challenges inside the Soul, it has a perfectly good windshield, and that makes a suction cup mount the most consistent option regardless of which generation you own. A windshield mount gives you a stable hold that doesn’t rely on the shape of the dash, full rotation for portrait or landscape orientation, and a clear line of sight if you position it correctly. The lower corner of the passenger side windshield is the ideal spot in most states, since it keeps the phone out of your direct line of sight while still being easy to glance at.
For a simple, reliable windshield setup, the VANMASS Strongest Suction Mount is a strong pick. It uses a heavy duty suction cup rated for well over 80 pounds of holding force, paired with a telescoping arm and a 360 degree ball joint, so you can dial in the angle no matter where you mount it. The cradle works with any phone, with or without a case, which makes it a safe choice if you switch phones often or share the car with someone who has a different device. It also includes a vent clip attachment in the box, so if you decide later that the windshield isn’t the right spot for you, you’ve already got a backup mounting option without buying a second product.
If you carry an iPhone with MagSafe, the OQTIQ MagSafe Suction Mount is worth a look as well. It uses a gel based suction cup that grips the windshield or a smooth section of dash, combined with a magnetic head that snaps your phone into place instantly. A dual axis damper arm keeps the phone steady over bumps instead of sagging or drifting out of position, which is a common complaint with cheaper magnetic mounts. Worth noting: this mount holds your phone magnetically, but it is not a wireless charger, so don’t expect it to top off your battery while you drive. Non-MagSafe phones can still use it with the included adhesive metal ring, though MagSafe iPhones get the cleanest experience since there’s nothing extra to attach.
Air Vent Mounts: Workable, With One Caveat
The center vents on the Kia Soul have a lip just below the vent opening that can push a phone forward if you’re not careful. This means a standard clip mount in portrait orientation can end up sitting at an awkward angle. That said, it’s not a dealbreaker. You just need a mount with enough adjustability to work around it, and the side vents are a good fallback if the center vents give you trouble.
For iPhone owners, the SYNCWIRE MagSafe Vent Mount is a clean solution. It uses a reinforced metal hook that clamps onto horizontal or vertical vent slats and tightens as you rotate it, so it doesn’t loosen up over time the way some plastic clips do. The magnetic head holds an N52 grade magnet array strong enough to keep your phone steady on rough roads, and for phones without MagSafe, it ships with an adhesive metal ring so you’re not locked out if you switch devices later. As with the OQTIQ mount above, this is a magnetic holder only. It does not charge your phone. The hook also adjusts to fit both the standard horizontal vents and the vertical vents on either side of the center stack, so you’ve got options if the center vents and their lip prove too awkward.
For the 2014 to 2019 Soul: A Custom-Fit Option
If you own a 2nd generation Soul and want something more integrated than a vent or suction mount, the Course Motorsports DirectFit Phone Mount is purpose built for this exact car. It uses your Soul’s existing factory hardware, so there’s no drilling and no adhesive involved. The bracket is CNC cut and powder coated, with a CNC machined pivot ball that gives you a full range of viewing angles once it’s installed. The magnetic head holds your phone securely even on rough pavement, and because it bolts to factory mounting points rather than sticking to a surface, it won’t loosen, rattle, or leave residue behind if you ever remove it.
Installation typically takes well under ten minutes and doesn’t require any special tools beyond what’s already in your glovebox. If you’ve got a 2014 to 2019 Soul and you’re tired of suction cups losing their grip in the summer heat, this is the closest thing to a factory accessory you’ll find. The magnetic head also means there’s no cradle to fumble with one handed at a stoplight, and since the bracket is matched to your specific dash geometry, the phone ends up sitting at a natural angle rather than the slightly off-kilter position you sometimes get with a generic suction mount.
Navigation Versus Everyday Use
How you actually use your phone in the car should factor into which mount you pick. If you mostly use your phone for music, calls, or the occasional text at a stoplight, almost any of the mounts above will do the job, and a vent mount tends to be the more convenient option since it’s closer to your hand and doesn’t put anything on the windshield. If navigation is your primary use case, though, the windshield mounts have an edge. They sit higher in your field of view, which means less time glancing down and away from the road, and the larger viewing angle range on the VANMASS and OQTIQ mounts makes it easier to find a position that doesn’t create glare from the sun.
Multi-driver households are worth a special mention here too. If more than one person regularly drives the Soul and each person has a different phone, a cradle style mount like the VANMASS is more forgiving than the magnetic options, since it grips the phone directly rather than requiring a metal ring or MagSafe compatibility on every device that goes in the car.
What Doesn’t Work in the Kia Soul
A few mounting locations look promising at first glance but aren’t worth the trouble once you actually try them.
- The decorative dash disk is concave and off center, so adhesive mounts won’t sit flat against it.
- The cup holders are positioned too far back on the center console to give you a usable viewing angle while driving.
- Seat bolt mounts are technically possible but awkward to access and not a natural sightline while you’re behind the wheel.
- CD slot mounts are a non starter since the Soul doesn’t have a CD player in any generation.
Our Recommendation by Use Case
If you just want the short answer: most Soul owners will be happiest with the VANMASS suction mount on the windshield. It works in any generation, holds any phone, and doesn’t depend on the dashboard’s awkward shape. iPhone owners who want a faster, magnetic attach and release should look at the OQTIQ mount for the windshield or dash, or the SYNCWIRE mount if a vent location works better for your sightline. And if you’ve got a 2014 to 2019 Soul and want the cleanest possible install, the Course Motorsports DirectFit mount is hard to beat.
