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

Опубликовано 23 августа 2022, 16:07

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

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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...

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