The Car Auto Review: Kia Soul EV 2015 Car Auto Review

Yeah!, we are on Electric Avenue, which can mean only one thing, we have got our hands on yet another electric car this time the Kia Soul EV. Unlike many of its competitors like the Nissan LEAF and BMW i3, the Soul EV is based on a conventionally powered car with the addition of a few design tweaks and, of course, a zero emissions powertrain. Exterior wise, there are some unique 16-inch alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tyres, additional cladding on the front bumper and, if you want to be smug about your environmental awareness, a unique two-tone Caribbean blue paint job.

First thing you may notice is that you don’t get a conventional gearstick. Instead you get a similar set-up to an automatic, with a selector lever with Park, Drive, Neutral, Reverse and Regenerative Braking option, a feature we’ll come back to that later. You will also notice these stylish white highlights, another unique feature of the EV model and its details like this that helped the Soul EV grasp a Red Dot design award. Space and practicality all-round is pretty much as generous as the standard Soul, so if you want more details click the link here to be taken to the review. Anyway, let’s get going. Turning on the engine, or battery in this case, is as easy as pressing a button. When you do, you will hear some brief melodic music, then you are ready to go.

As with every electric car the drive is almost silent. Also, put your foot down when stopped at the lights or going around 10/15 mph and the 109bhp on tap will thrust you forward quite vigorously, although this surge of energy eases at about 30 or 40mph. Still, the Soul EV is good for a zero to 60mph sprint time of 10.8 seconds. It will also go on to a top speed of 90mph. As the Soul EV is always trying to preserve energy, you can feel the car’s breaks pulling back and trying to regenerate energy every time you take your foot off the accelerator, kind of like a giant elastic band – and this can take some getting used to. Now, Kia claims you can get a 132 mile range out of the Soul EV, but, let’s be honest, you’re going to struggle to get that. Realistically, you should manage an average of around 90 miles in day-to-day driving – but this will fluctuate depending on traffic, the roads you use and the outside temperature.

As the Soul EV’s 27kWh battery is slightly more powerful than the Leaf’s 24kWh battery, you should get slightly better range, but nothing worth shouting about. This brings me on to its charging. All you do is click the switch to open this little hatch on the front bumper and then plug it in. Depending on your location, will depend on which port you plug in, as there are essentially three different ways you can charge – each offering a different time scale. The simplest is to plug into a conventional household plug socket – and this will take around 11 to 14 hours to fully charge. Obviously, that is a long time, so those in a rush can use a fast charge station, which you will find in many cities and can also be installed at your home. And this will fully charge the car in around 4-5 hours. If you simply cannot wait that long, then there is the rapid charger, which you will find at motorway service stations. These can give you an 80 per cent charge in just over 30 minutes. A handy feature for those who are charging at home is this scheduling screen. So, if you know you are going to be out of the house for a day or two but don’t want your car using unnecessary electricity, you can schedule it accordingly.

When you are pottering about in the Soul EV, there are loads of features inside for you to be aware of, most of which help when it comes to efficiency and range. These include a display with an average speed check, a cool 3D sat nav that shows you the location of your nearest charging point, and there is even a battery consumption screen, showing you how much energy you are using. There is also the regenerative breaking mode. Usually electric cars just do this automatically, but Kia give you the option to really optimise it. When you pull the gear lever down to B, you will slowly but surely roll to a stop, kind of like pulling a gradual, super-efficient handbrake. In terms of driving dynamics, there is not much difference between this and the standard Soul. In fact, as it has 278kg of additional weight low down, the Soul EV actually feels sturdier, especially in the corners. But, if you are specifically after an electric car that is fun to drive, then there’s no question, go for the BMW i3. No emissions, means no tax or London Congestion charge to pay. No petrol or diesel means all you have to worry about is a small addition to your electricity bill. And you still benefit from Kia’s acclaimed seven-year/100,000 mile warranty. However… even after the £5,000 government grant, the Soul EV is still almost twice as expensive as the standard Soul model. And there are even some charging stations, particularly the rapid chargers, that are billing people for using them up to £7.50 for a 30 minute charge in fact. But would you still consider going electric?