Kia Soul EV Review (2020-2024)

What is the Kia Soul EV?

This is the third generation of Kia Soul and, although it’s not the first to be sold with an electric powertrain, it is the first one without the option of a petrol or a diesel engine. When it was launched in 2020, the Soul EV was only offered with a 64kWh battery pack and 201bhp electric motor (which drives the front wheels), and a smaller battery option was added in 2023. This Soul EV Urban model uses a 39.2kWh battery and 134bhp motor for a WLTP range of 171 miles. At the same time the 64kWh model was renamed as the Soul EV Explore. It was discontinued as a new car in 2024.

The success of the highly desirable Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro, has afforded the Korean brands a reputation for delivering long range electric cars at sensible prices, and the Soul EV doesn’t disappoint.

That range figures aren’t far off what you can get in real-world driving, either. We’ve spent quite a bit of time in the Soul EV and found that it’ll do 4.0miles/kWh easily, which means that 250 miles of range is quite achievable from the big battery model. A big motorway journey could see the range dip to more like 220 miles, which still isn’t bad. Charging takes less than 11 hours from a 7.4kW home wallbox charger (six hours for the Urban model), while plugging into a rapid DC charger will get you an 80% charge in as little as 45 minutes.

Rivals include longer-running models such as the Peugeot e-2008 and Nissan Leaf, as well as newcomers from MG and BYD.

How practical is it?

There’s plenty of space in the back seats, including an extraordinary amount of headroom – enough for passengers and their top hats, should you be ferrying people to a wedding or the 18th century.

The boot is disappointing, though. It’s deep, and good enough for a light buggy or the average weekly shop, but it’s also short, which may be a deal breaker for those after proper family practicality. There are 315 litres available with the rear seats upright, which is smaller than the Volkswagen Golf’s 381 litres – and that’s about average for a family hatchback.

Still, there is a variable-height boot floor that creates a useful hidden area to store the charging cables, and the 60/40 split rear seats fold easily. However, rival electric crossovers such as the Peugeot e-2008, the Nissan Leaf, and the MG ZS EV have bigger boots.

What's it like to drive?

The Kia Soul EV is lovely to drive. It’s no hot hatch, despite both batteries offering an enthusiastic leap from a standstill to 30mph, but the smooth, progressive steering and neutral chassis instil confidence, so it’s satisfying whether you’re trawling through town or driving along a country road.

It's quite happy at higher speeds too, where some electric cars feel short of puff on the motorway. An adjustable regenerative braking system means you can toggle the speed at which it comes to a halt without needing to prod the brake pedal, while the four driving modes – Normal, Sport, Eco, and Eco+ – allow you to tweak its characteristics. The last one of those is a bit heavy-handed, because it blunts the power and deactivates the air conditioning, so it’s best reserved for eking out range rather than permanent use.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

The Soul EV's interior is a little bland and there are cheap panels and tacky finishes here and there, but it’s smart enough on the whole and logically laid out. The excellent 8-inch (Urban) or 10.25-inch (Explore) touchscreen infotainment systems are the central focus of the cabin, and they are among the best in the class. The graphics are sharp, the screen responds quickly, and everything is easy to find and adjust. Satnav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth audio streaming, hands-free controls, and a DAB digital radio are all included.

That’s not where the equipment list ends, either. The Soul EV was initially offered with just one trim level, known as First Edition; this was later replaced by another solitary trim level known as Maxx, and this by Urban and Explore. The Urban gets the least equipment, including unheated cloth seats and a plastic steering wheel. But other models have heaps of kit, including heated leather seats, a head-up display, 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, semi-autonomous drive mode, LED headlights, keyless entry, a reversing camera, and electrically adjustable front seats.

Kia Soul EV running costs

The Soul EV will be very cheap to run, but the lower price of rivals such as the Nissan Leaf – and particularly the MG ZS EV – mean it isn’t necessarily the cheapest way into a family-sized EV. Yet the Soul is likely to hold its value much better than these rivals.

The Kia is very efficient and goes further per kWh of energy than most rivals. You could further reduce charging costs by using off-peak tariffs, which is easy to do courtesy of the timed charging facility on the free app, or on the car's screen.

Servicing is required every 10,000 miles or 12 months, which is a much shorter interval than you get with some electric vehicles, including the Volkswagen ID.3. You can, at least, spread servicing costs into fixed monthly payments via Kia's Care scheme.

The Soul EV falls into insurance group 34, which is a little higher than for most conventional family SUVs.

Kia Soul EV reliability?

The Kia Soul EV is too new to have garnered much reliability data, but it does have a comprehensive seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty (paint is covered for five years against corrosion).

The lithium-ion battery is covered for the same duration, but there’s no performance guarantee, as you get with Renault, Nissan, and BMW among others, who will all refurbish the battery if it drops below 70% of its as-new performance. Also, many other manufacturers cover electric car battery components for eight years, albeit separately from their typically shorter, conventional warranties.

Kia as brand is rated highly for reliability. It came 11th out of 31 manufacturers tested in the 2024 What Car? reliability survey, and it generally performs well in such assessments. Its dealers have a good reputation for customer service, too.