Used Kia Soul EV (Mk3, 2019-2025) buyer's guide: a compelling all-round electric car
A full used buyer's guide on the Kia Soul EV that was on sale between 2019 and 2025
Verdict
There are more second-generation Kia Soul EVs on the market than there are Mk3s, which shows how much more competition there was for Kia by the time the latter hit the market. However, there are still plenty of Soul Mk3s to go round, all with some factory warranty left and priced temptingly close to the £10k mark. While the Soul is no more, having been replaced by a new generation of battery-powered Kias, the Soul still has plenty to offer despite the rapid pace of change in the EV segment. Well equipped, refined, good to drive, comfortable and stylish, a second-hand Soul makes the case for switching to an electric car more compelling than ever.
Back in 2014, if you wanted an electric car, there were very few options. Most EVs were ICE cars that had been converted to run on electricity, with few car makers offering anything designed from the outset to be battery-powered.
Brands such as Kia were dipping a toe in the water by producing cars that were available with a combustion engine or an electric motor, and its first such model was the second-generation Soul.
With a 27kWh battery, that original Soul EV could do no more than 132 miles on a charge. But the car sold reasonably well and by the time the third-generation Soul was unveiled in 2018, it came only as an EV in Britain, although ICE versions were available elsewhere. This final iteration of the Soul was axed by Kia in 2025, and is now available only as a second-hand car, but is it worthy of your attention?
History
The third-generation Soul made its debut in November 2018, but it didn’t go on sale until August 2019, with the first cars delivered in spring 2020, just as Covid hit.
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Cash £46,850The Soul originally came only in First Edition form, priced at £37,295 and with a 64kWh battery powering a 201bhp electric motor. Kia claimed a range of up to 280 miles in ideal conditions and the maximum charging speed was 50kW.
In August 2021 the Soul Maxx replaced the First Edition, then in October 2022 the range was revised. There was now a choice of Urban – with a 39.2kWh battery (to give a 171-mile range) and a 134bhp electric motor – and Explore, which featured the 64kWh battery and a 201bhp motor.
On the road
There’s quite a gulf between the Urban and all other variations of the Soul in terms of power and range. The name of the entry-level model gives the game away; it’s really designed for city driving, although it’s far from out of its depth on longer runs.
Whichever version you buy, it’ll be comfortable and enjoyable to drive, although at high speeds the upright stance produces quite a bit of wind noise. At low speeds though, refinement is excellent with very little whine from the powertrain. The Soul isn’t type approved to tow, so you can’t even pull a small trailer with it.
Which should I buy?
There are hardly any Urban editions around, so whatever you end up with, it’s likely to have the bigger battery pack. There’s also a good chance that it’ll be a First Edition, because this variation on the theme accounts for the majority of models for sale.
All Souls are well equipped. The First Edition came with leather trim, adaptive cruise control, a Harman Kardon hi-fi, a head-up display and LED headlights. Also standard were heated front seats with eight-way electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, a reversing camera, wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
When the First Edition morphed into the Maxx, the electric driver’s seat adjustment was ditched, but a heated steering wheel and rear parking sensors became standard.
The Explore continued with the Maxx’s standard equipment, plus electric driver’s seat adjustment; Urban ditched the heated seats and steering wheel, the leather trim and the rear parking sensors.
Prices
Find an early, high-mileage Soul EV and you can pay as little as £10,000 for it if you buy privately, but few of these are available for less than £12,000. This bags a 20-plate First Edition with 30,000 miles on the clock; go for a Maxx instead and you should expect to spend upwards of £14,000, which secures a 22-plate example with 40,000 miles notched up. Spend £16,000, and a 10,000-mile Maxx on a 22-plate can be yours.
We saw very few Urbans for sale, but we did find a 3,000-mile car on a 24-plate being sold privately for £14,250. The most you’ll pay for a Soul EV is £20,000, which bags a 5,000-mile Explore on a 74-plate.
As mentioned above, most Souls for sale are First Editions, with the Maxx the next most common. Kia offered only white, black, red or blue exterior paint, with the final one the most popular with buyers.
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Alternatives to the Kia Soul
Few of the Soul’s rivals have such an eye-catching exterior design, and that includes Kia’s own e-Niro, which was launched in 2018; the much more advanced Mk2 arrived in 2022 and is a far better bet. The Peugeot e-2008 looks smart and has a lovely cabin, while running costs are low. The Vauxhall Mokka-e is related to the Peugeot, as are the Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600e and Alfa Romeo Junior, all of which are also available in hybrid form.
You could also take a look at the Volkswagen ID.3 and its sportier cousin, the Cupra Born, while other EVs that might fit the bill include the Hyundai Kona, the MG4 and ZS, Citroen e-C4, Smart #1 and DS 3 Crossback.
What to look for
Reliability
Although the first Soul EV can suffer from all sorts of issues, this later edition has proved far more reliable. Air-con failures can be a problem and software updates are vital, but overall dependability is good so far.
Peace of mind
Every Soul came with Kia’s standard seven-year warranty with a limit of 100,000 miles. That means all third-generation Souls still have some factory warranty left – and potentially as much as six years.
Pump it up
The First Edition came with a heat pump as standard, but later models weren’t available with the feature, even as an option. It’s worth finding a car with one because it can boost the range by 10 per cent in cold weather.
Health check
As with any electric vehicle, you should obtain a battery state of health (SOH) through the car’s diagnostics, using an OBS2 reader. So far the Soul batteries are lasting pretty well.
Interior
Compared to the exterior, the cabin is conventional, and while it’s easy to use thanks to an intuitive layout, some of the materials look cheap. Equipment levels are excellent and there’s loads of room for five kids or four adults. Boot space is also decent at 315 litres, or 1,339 litres with the back seats folded. An adjustable boot floor is a nice touch.
Running costs
Maintenance costs aren’t all that low for an EV, but service plans can help to make things cheaper. The interval is set at 12 months or 10,000 miles. Even the newest Soul is now due for its second service, which is priced at £243; the next five bills will set you back £430, £243, £112, £563 and £112. These costs include fresh brake fluid every two years.
Insurance groups are a little high: the Urban sits in group 26, but the Maxx, Explore and First Edition are in groups 30, 31 and 34 respectively. All Souls are liable to a £200 annual road tax cost and because they all cost less than £50,000 when new, there’s no expensive car supplement to pay.
In real-world use you can expect to achieve efficiency of around 3.5 miles per kWh; with careful driving it’s possible to increase this to as much as 4.5 miles per kWh.
Recalls
Kia has recalled the third-generation Soul four times so far. The first campaign was launched in 2021 and it affected cars built up to November 2020, which left the factory with a brake software fault. Recall two came in April 2022, because some Souls made up to December 2020 were fitted with faulty airbag control units; another software update was required.
The third recall was issued in May 2023, this time because some Souls produced between June and September 2020 could suffer from coolant leaks in their Electric Power Control Unit, necessitating replacement of the unit. Recall four came in May 2024, aimed at a few Souls made in April and May 2023, because the curtain airbags could go off for no reason. Replacement airbags were fitted if necessary.
Driver Power owner satisfaction
There were no fewer than seven Kias in the 2020 Driver Power survey, but in 2025 this had plummeted to just one; the Sportage came 45th out of 50 entries. The Soul Mk3 has appeared only once in a Driver Power survey, and that was in 2023 when an incredible 14 Kias featured in the top 75, half of which were in the top 20. The Soul EV came 18th, the highlights being its low running costs along with the powertrain; the low spot was practicality.
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