Item: Used Kia Soul EV 2014-present
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/zoe/hatchback/used-review/n817">Renault Zoe</a> is one of our favourite electric cars and a bargain used. It has very low running costs and is quiet and easy to drive. It also has a longer real range than most electric vehicles.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/e-golf/hatchback/used-review/n17990">Volkswagen e-Golf</a> has all the traditional qualities we’ve come to love from the Golf. it’s great to drive, has a spacious interior and it’s well equipped too. Its range isn’t as long as some more modern rivals, but it betters the Soul EV.

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Hatchback

Buyers seeking value for money should have Kia towards the top of their shopping list.

Although once a niche brand in the UK, today Kia outsells many more established brands, helped by its market-leading seven-year warranty and a strong reputation for reliability; in fact, Kia regularly finishes towards the top of our reliability surveys.

There are plenty of models to choose from, too, ranging from the small Picanto city car to the Ceed family hatchback and the Sorento large SUV. The Picanto was the first Kia to win its class at the What Car? Car of the Year awards.

SOUL EV

The Kia Soul EV is swift and spacious but its ride is too firm and the range of earlier models is a little short.

Used Kia Soul EV 2014-present

<h3 dir="ltr">Fuel costs</h3>

Electricity may be cheaper than regular petrol or diesel but it’s not free, and prepare to pay more, up to double, for it if you recharge from an independent rapid charging point while you're out and about, particularly ones at motorway service stations. If you have a home charger installed, which will obviously cost you a sum of money to put in (think around £300 after discounts at today's rates), then your electricity should cost you less.

Earlier Soul EVs claimed a range of 132 miles. Later, post-facelift 2019 onwards models claim a range of 280 miles.&nbsp;

<h3 dir="ltr">Road Tax</h3>

There’s no road tax to pay, and insurance costs are low. Servicing costs should be low, too, although Kia doesn’t yet operate any special plans for the EV. Some electric cars require that you lease the battery separately but with the Soul EV you buy them outright at initial purchase.

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The Kia Soul EV is swift and spacious but its ride is too firm and the range of earlier models is a little short.


You’ll need about £14,000 to get your hands on an early&nbsp;Soul EV. This’ll buy you a 2015 car with a low to average mileage for the year and a full service history, bought from a dealer. Expect to spend between £15,000 and £17,000 on a car from a franchised dealer. You'll need nearer to £20,000 for models from 2017 and 2018, and at least £30,000 for the updated 2019 onwards version.&nbsp;

There is only the one model and it comes favourably equipped with highlights including lightweight 16in alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tyres, an 8.0in touchscreen with sat-nav and a charging point locator, climate control, keyless entry, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, privacy glass, and a reversing camera.

Our favourite Kia Soul EV: Soul EV

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Sufficient range between charges to fit in with most people’s lifestyles – and in the real world, not on some far-fetched official test </li> <li>Quick charging times and compatibility with the most ubiquitous types of public charging points </li> <li>Priced to be within the grasp of more than just the privileged few </li> <li>As with any car, ride comfort, practicality and ownership costs can’t be ignored</li></ul>

We define an electric car as one that runs purely on battery power and has no tailpipe to puff out nasty chemicals. These cars qualify for the maximum plug-in car grant (PICG) of £3500.

The Renault Zoe is one of the most affordable options and has a surprisingly long range of between 120 and 180 miles (depending on the weather and the road type). However, the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen e-Golf are more practical and more accomplished to drive, even if the latter doesn't have a particularly long range between charges.

At the other end of the scale, Tesla’s ground-up EV philosophy – and the American brand’s own network of super-fast chargers – makes the Model S a tempting choice. It has seating for up to seven, an classy interior and a long enough real-world range to make inter-city travel a real possibility.

Electric

The Soul EV will have been used in tight city centre car parks and on urban school runs so check the bodywork carefully for any scuffs or dents. It’s worth checking those handsome wheels for any scuffing on their surface.

Reported problems with the Soul EV are few, and most owners seem happy so far. The car will be fully covered by Kia’s excellent seven-year warranty from new, and this is transferable. Check the small print to make sure it's been serviced by Kia and regularly.

In our most recent reliability survey the Soul EV didn’t feature, as there are too few of them, but the regular Soul finished in top place in&nbsp;the small SUV class, with a wonderful score of 100%. Kia as a brand finished in sixth place out of 31&nbsp;manufacturers, a splendid result.

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The conventionally powered <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/soul/hatchback/used-review/n972">Kia Soul</a> is an extremely likeable small SUV that is well equipped, good to drive and spacious inside. Its distinctive and boxy looks have always won it an audience of admirers here in the UK, and even more so in the USA, where it’s a popular car with youngsters looking for something cool to drive to college.

The Soul EV dispenses with all the old oily bits - the engine, gearbox and associated heating systems, for example - and replaces it with an electric motor and a battery pack. It then tweaks the bodywork and strengthens the car’s structure to accommodate this new power source, with the EV wearing a new front grille, that houses the twin charging sockets, and a restyled rear bumper and tailgate. Inside, the dash is all new and built of higher-quality materials than the conventional models. The EV version gets digital instruments, a large central touchscreen, a shapely steering wheel, and a new shift lever and surround.

As for the rest of the standard equipment, there is only one trim to choose from but it came with a comprehensive specification, including dual-zone climate control, electrically heated and folding door mirrors, keyless start and entry, heated front seats and steering wheel, parking sensors, cruise control and privacy glass. There was also Kia's 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system fitted as standard with dedicated EV monitoring software, sat-nav, a reversing camera, a DAB radio, and USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

On the road, the Soul EV is a brisk performer, with a 0 to 62mph of just 10.8 seconds. The instant hit of torque from its electric motor is great for zooming away first from the lights, but from about 50mph you notice its performance starting to wane, although it’ll still cruise happily at 70mph on the motorway. It steers and handles well, if not in an exciting fashion, and it rides firmly but not uncomfortably, although it can get caught out quite badly by larger bumps and ruts.

Owners lucky enough to already have a wallbox charger at home or work of either 7kW or 22kW should find the charging time is around five hours from empty to 100%. The EV is also fitted with a Japanese-standard Chademo fast-charging socket, which can deliver an 80 percent charge in just over half an hour.

Although the quoted range of the earlier Soul EVs is in the order of 132 miles, the realistic range between charges is around 70 miles, which is some way behind electric car rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/e-golf/hatchback/used-review/n17990">VW e-Golf</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/leaf/hatchback/used-review/n18923">Nissan Leaf</a>. However, the Soul was comprehensively updated in 2019, with only this electric version left on sale, and one of the updates was to incorporate the battery pack from the award-winning <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/niro/estate/used-review/n1000">Kia e-Niro</a>. This raised the Soul EV's range to a claimed 280 miles under the latest WLTP tests.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Inside that dash looks neat, and tall drivers will be relieved to find plenty of reach and height adjustment available for the Soul EV’s steering wheel, which already makes the job of getting comfortable easy. There’s a wide range of up and down adjustment to the driver’s seat, too. The view out to the front is good, although rear visibility is a little restricted by the large pillars. A reversing camera is standard, though. There’s plenty of space, too, with huge amounts of head room front and rear, and a good amount of leg room too. Boot space is about average for the class and no smaller than a regular Soul. It’s also usefully deep and square in shape and loading things into it is an easy job. &nbsp;&nbsp;

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Used Kia Soul EV 2014-present review

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Kia Soul EV hatchback?