Kia now has several electric cars, including the EV6 and Niro EV, but the first production electric vehicle (EV) to bear the Kia nameplate was the Soul EV. This boxy electric car offers all the room and safety a family needs paired with ample zippiness and a pretty impressive range.
Is the Kia Soul EV the right electric crossover for your family? Continue reading to find out.
Kia Soul EV: Exterior
The Kia Soul has long been known as one of the funkier vehicles on the market with its unrelenting toaster-on-wheel look that you either love or hate. Of course, this look fits the EV version of this sedan/wagon crossover.
The only thing separating the Kia Soul EV from its fossil-fuel-burning counterpart is a closed-off grille for improved aerodynamics, its more aero-friendly wheels, the charging port, and some badges. Otherwise, it’s relatively easy to pass off the Kia Soul EV as a regular old Soul.
With the electric vehicle class attracting buyers who tend to prefer something unique, this funky look fits the Soul EV well. The great thing is that while it looks unique, the Kia Soul EV is far from over the top.
The Soul EV fits nicely into the compact class, measuring just 4,195 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, and 1,605 mm tall, and it sits atop a 2,600-mm wheelbase. It tips the scales at 1,572 to 1,754 kg, making it significantly heavier than its gasoline-fueled counterpart. This is thanks to its battery pack and other EV hardware.
The Soul EV comes relatively well-equipped with upscale exterior bits, including the following highlights:
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- LED headlights
- LED positioning lights
- LED fog lights
- LED taillights
- Heated side-view mirrors
- Splash guards
The top-of-the-line Limited trim adds rain-sensing wipers, a sunroof, and high-gloss exterior mirrors.
Kia Soul EV: Interior
Inside, the Kia Soul EV has the same stylish and functional cabin as the standard model. It includes a clean dash design with a large touchscreen infotainment system in the middle, a three-spoke steering wheel, body-colour accents on the door panel, and more. Its electronic gear shifter is the only part separating it from the base Soul.
Like all Souls, the Soul EV has a high roof that gives the interior an airy feel. This also allows for easy cargo loading and unloading and a surprisingly generous cargo capacity.
Inside, the Soul EV is pretty roomy for most families. Its front seats have 1,013 mm of headroom, 1,360 mm of hip room, 1,044 mm of legroom, and 1,410 mm of shoulder room. The rear seats have 988 mm of headroom, 1,340 mm of hip room, 927 mm of legroom, and 1,390 mm of shoulder room.
Kia doesn’t list the EV’s cargo capacity, but the gasoline version has up to 1,758 litres of cargo room.
Inside, the Kia Soul EV comes standard with cloth seats, 60:40 split-folding rear seats. heated front seats, heated steering wheel, automatic climate control, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, wireless phone charger, a 7-inch digital gauge display, and more.
The Soul EV has plenty of upgrade options too, including leather seats, a Harman Kardon audio system, a head-up display, ambient mood lighting, heated rear seats, ventilated front seats, and more.
Kia Soul EV: Powertrain
Powering the Soul EV is a permanent magnet synchronous motor that delivers 201 horsepower (hp) and 291 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. This gives the Soul EV impressive off-the-line acceleration, zipping it to 100 km/h in just over seven seconds.
Like its gasoline counterpart, the Soul EV is only available with front-wheel drive.
Kia Soul EV: Driving Range and Charging
All Kia Soul EV models come standard with a 64-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack and a 7.2-kilowatt (kW) onboard charger. However, the battery comes in two ratings: 120 Ah and 180 Ah. With a fully charged battery, the Soul EV with the standard 120 Ah battery can drive up to 248 km, while the 180 Ah version, which is standard in the upgrade Limited trim, can drive up to 383 km.
The 120 Ah version is faster to charge, taking 36 hours on a 120-volt plug and 6 hours, 10 minutes on a 140-volt level 2 charger. The 180 Ah variant takes 59 hours on a 120-volt outlet and 9 hours, 35 minutes on a level 2 charger.
Both battery packs are DC fast charge compatible. The 120 Ah battery can charge from 10% to 80% in just 54 minutes on all DC fast chargers. The 180 Ah battery charges to 80% in 54 minutes on a 100-kW charger and 75 minutes on a 50-kW charger.
This all translates to fuel consumption equivalents of 1.8 L/100km city, 2.3 L/100km highway, and 2 L/100km combined in the 120 Ah model. The 180 Ah model is slightly less efficient at 1.9 L/100km city, 2.4 L/100km highway, and 2.1 L/100km
Kia Soul EV: Safety
The Kia Soul was an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2022, but the IIHS didn’t specifically test the EV variant. Regardless, it should have the same crash test ratings, which are all “Good.” As for safety tech, the Soul EV has plenty of standard goodies, including hill-start assist, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, driver-attention warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, rearview camera, and more.
Overall, the Kia Soul EV is great for keeping your family safe and sound on the road.
Kia Soul EV: Pricing
The Kia Soul EV is available in just two trim levels: Premium and Limited. The 2022 Soul EV Premium starts from $42,995, while the 2022 Soul EV Limited starts at $51,995. These are before provincial and federal incentives.
If you decide to pick up a few-year-old preowned Soul EV, you can save a little cash. A 2020 model will set you back about $33,000 for the base Premium trim.
Kia Soul EV: The Competition
The electric vehicle segment has exploded recently, leaving the Soul EV with plenty of competitors to fend off. Let’s look at some of its closest competitors.
Chevrolet Bolt EV
The Chevy Bolt EV is a direct Soul EV competitor with its relatively funky shape and log-range battery. The Bolt EV comes standard with a 200-horsepower electric motor that delivers a sub-seven-second 0-100 km/h time. It also features an 11.5-kW onboard charger that gives it 62 km of range per hour of charging on a 240-volt, 48-amp charger. On a DC fast charger, the Bolt EV gets up to 160 km of range in just 30 minutes.
Range checks in at a commuter-friendly 417 km.
This electric car comes with tons of great technology, too, including a six-speaker audio system, eight-way power driver’s seat, automatic climate control, 8-inch digital gauge cluster, heated front seats, auto-dimming rearview mirror, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and more. On the safety side, the Bolt EV comes standard with automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and more.
All this for a starting price of $38,198 before incentives.
Hyundai Kona Electric
Another funky electric crossover the Soul EV competes with is from its sister brand: the Hyundai Kona Electric. The Kona Electric is closely related to the Niro EV — another electric car in Kia’s lineup. The Kona Electric comes standard with a 201-hp electric motor and a 64-kWh battery that delivers up to 415 km of range.
Charging to 80% on a DC fast charger takes about 47 minutes, while a Level 2 240-volt charger will take just over nine hours.
The Kona Electric has many standard features, including its 10.25-inch gauge cluster, 8-inch infotainment screen, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a six-speaker audio system, and more.
Safety tech includes adaptive cruise control, hill-start assist, lane-change assist, reverse parking distance warning, blind-spot warning with collision mitigation, rear-cross-traffic alert with collision mitigation, automatic emergency braking, and more.
Get Your Kia Soul EV at Clutch
Ready to save big on a Kia Soul EV? Pick up a quality used Soul EV at Clutch, Canada’s premier online automotive retailer. You’ll save tons of cash and drive away knowing you got a high-quality used model.
At Clutch, you not only get a great price, but you never have to set foot in a dealership. We handle the entire used car buying process online and deliver the vehicle to your door.
Are you nervous about buying a Soul EV 100% online? You can rest assured that any vehicle you choose from Clutch will be of the highest quality, as they’ve all passed a 210-point inspection and reconditioning process performed by trained Clutch technicians. Clutch then adds a 90-Day Protection Plan and roadside assistance for additional security.
Need more protection? You can also opt for an Extended Warranty for even more security.
Best of all, you’re covered by Clutch’s 10-Day Money-Back Guarantee, which means that if you don’t love your new electric crossover, you can exchange it for a new one or return it for a no-questions-asked refund.
Check out our inventory of quality used electric vehicles today and choose a model that’s right for you. You can even set up the financing and get your trade-in vehicle appraised entirely online. No need to set foot in a dealership.
