Kia Soul EV review - Range, charging and running costs
Low running costs and a decent range combine to make this a desirable electric car
Thanks to zero road tax (VED), zero company car tax and low running costs, the Soul EV should be cheap to run for most people. This helps to offset the relatively high purchase price.
Unfortunately, the Soul EV isn’t a cheap car to finance. On a three-year PCP deal, you’re looking at payments of around £400 a month after a hefty deposit of £5,000. You’ll need to do your sums before deciding if a Soul EV is a viable option. Spending this much per month could secure a larger car with a more premium badge.
Electric range, battery life and charge time
The Soul EV features a single electric motor which sends 201bhp and 395Nm of torque to the front wheels, fed by a 64kWh battery mounted beneath the floor. Officially, up to 280 miles of range is available from a single charge, although you’re likely to see between 230 and 240 miles in the real world.
A CCS charging port is located in the car’s nose. It can charge at up to 77kW, so you can benefit from the 100kW rapid chargers that are being installed across the country. Kia’s UCO Connect system allows you to check the car’s charging status and set the cabin temperature.
The battery can be replenished to 80% in 54 minutes when plugging the Soul EV into a 100kW DC charger. Using a Type 2 cable and a 7.2kW home wallbox charger, a complete charge should take around 9.5 hours. Using a domestic electricity tariff, that should cost no more than £9.
Insurance groups
The Kia Soul EV is in insurance group 34, which means getting cover could be expensive. Even the larger Kia Sportage diesel in high-spec 4 trim gets a group 29 rating.
Depreciation
Although the Soul EV should retain 53% of its value after three years, this means you’ll lose around £14,500 in the process. This will be partly offset by the lower running costs over the same period.
