The Kia Soul EV is a brilliant electric car with ONE problem

We really like the Kia Soul EV, but there's something holding it back...

Read more at Auto Express:

The original Kia Soul EV was one of the first electric cars we saw in the UK, but sales were hampered by a high price, limited range, a charging network in its infancy and general apathy towards EVs. The electric version was sold alongside conventionally powered Souls.

This all-electric model is now the only kind of Soul you can buy. How much does the Kia Soul EV cost? The high price remains – it costs around £35,500, but its 64kWh lithium-ion battery delivers up to 280 miles of range, and plugging it into a 100kW DC charger will replenish the battery to 80% in less than an hour.

The decent range of the Soul EV could well be the deciding factor for customers choosing between the ever-increasing number of compact rivals. Neither the popular Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe can match the maximum range of the Soul EV, while the Hyundai Ioniq is a capable contender, but is still unable to match the Soul for distance covered on a single charge.

A Volkswagen ID.3 Life Pro Performance version is similarly priced, while you'll save around £5,000 if you opt for the Hyundai Kona Electric, although again neither are able to match the Soul EV for range. As Nicola Hume finds out in this review, the Kia is a fantastic EV - if not for one thing...

More Auto Express videos:

Follow us

[tedwalker]

The Soul is built for a group of people who like the box shape. It is convenient to get in and out of. It has usable space inside. It fits in the space that you think it will. Those round things just are deceiving as to where there will fit in to a garage or parking space. Some of us like the Soul. Please don't take that away from us. Buy something else if you don't like it.

[ALMXDP]

Call me crazy but I actually like the look more than the Niro.

[heathereagleson]

My coworker has a white Kia Soul EV and I actually started admiring it today. I hope to possibly lease one for my birthday next year in May!🤞🏼

[alexanderstefanov]

A lot of people want to buy them, supply is not keeping up with demand for these

[Brian-omhh]

There is no doubt the Soul is a brilliant EV, but the Postman Pat's van styling won't appeal to everyone, although I don't mind it personally. If you don't need the size and bulk of the Niro EV, then this is a good There is also the fact that the South Koreans are producing what seems to be the most efficient EV's around...

[keithreynolds]

I thought the problem was that you can't get one in 2022?

[Trevorfoggia]

The Kia Soul has always been a Marmite car. Personally I love the individuality of the design. I had a diesel Kia Soul (Tempest) about 10 years ago and it was simply brilliant for my daily commute and travelling around workplace locations. Visibility was excellent, comfort very good, economy very good perhaps the only fly in the ointment was boot space however, it was still more than sufficient for ‘normal’ use.
I went to see the Kia Soul EV at a dealer in west Cumbria and the salesman said to my wife and I, "why bother with one of them" and showed us the Niro and said "I wouldn’t bother buying EV, get a hybrid". I bought neither and walked out disgusted and disappointed.
A few months later I went to Kia in north Cumbria and ordered the new hybrid Sportage - yet the be even built I might add 😡
The west Cumbria dealership is a joke and deserve to go bust the way they treat its customers.

[OccamsToyota]

Wish we could get this EV in the USA. Will soon miss the Leaf, too. We need cars like this.

[blobstrom]

Love my Soul, you can always find it in the car park.. The Niro is better all round but is just safe and bland. Oh and with seats down the Soul has more space then the Niro because of it's boxy back end

[svr]

The shape is excellent. Thinking of buying it in a couple of years.
Most cars waste so much space in the back, except for station wagons and vans. But they are often not available as BEVs with a usable range.

[BouRnAngl]

I can barely find these in the US
And I can only find the 2016 Kia Soul ev

[mulkosilma]

Totally agree! Couple of days in and awesome ride and balance with price, range and utility but absolutely horrendous looking car especially from the back 😂

[anthonystevens]

Nice one Nicola, a great artistic drawing age 34. I wouldn't say it's ugly or offensive, it's just as err.. character, a visual personality if you like. One thing for sure is that if they're not eaxactly flying off the forecourt they should be good value used compared to some other personalities. I'd even go as far to say I quite like it. The only slight possible issue (that is also a plus) could be those soothing sounds after all you wouldn't want to drop off to sleep in a traffic jam. The Lively Forest would also have me getting a tad more concerned about creepy crawlies around.

[jasongorny]

I wish Kia would sell this in the US market instead of focusing on the Niro.

[Pipsicle]

Have always liked the Soul. Great review as always Nicola 👍🏻🙂

[colinrenfrew]

Knock the price down to the mid20k mark, and Kia would sell boatloads. The high price goes against it.

[geraldheaton]

I own 3 ICE versions of this car.
My wife has a 2014, and my daughter and I each have a 2013 with around 100k miles.
We are waiting for a plug in hybrid, but this looks really good.

[CBLmater]

I love the looks of this car. All the others look THE SAME!. The Kia E-Soul is high, its square roof makes carryin loads easier, it has a nice big rear window, and a moderate size bonnet. We had a Chevy Orlando (petrol) before which was huge and could carry a wardrobe, and the Soul is like a mini version of the Chevy. Cool, different, practical, and I prefer to stand out in the carpark!

[roodick]

They need to bring it back to the US just for a year so I can get one lol

[colinbooth]

It's so annoying. Any changes you make revert when you turn it off, it beeps CONSTANTLY, the "helpful" steering tries to unite you with hedges, the CC brakes randomly near parked cars, I hate driving one of these for work. And fully charged it reads at 194 mile range, assuming you don't need Aircon or sound or lights...