It is only after day two or three of having an electric car that you start to appreciate the fact that you don’t have to pay 30 or £40 to fuel-up. After that, you start to forget about the somewhat cynical opinion of them and appreciate them for what they really are – and in the case of the Soul EV that is a simple, practical and cheap to run motor.
Unlike many other electric cars, like the BMW i3 and Nissan LEAF, the Soul EV is based-off a conventionally-powered model, with the addition of a zero-emissions electric powertrain. There are a few other differences as well, like the exclusive two-tone Caribbean blue paint job, white 16-inch alloy wheels and interior trim and an additional 278kg of weight.
There is not much to separate the standard Soul from the Soul EV when it comes to drive. Both models offer comfort in spades, but lack when it comes to dynamics. In fact, even the power credentials on paper are very similar, with the Soul’s 126bhp 1.6-litre diesel we tested completing the zero to 60mph sprint in 10.8 seconds and the 109bhp Soul EV offering the exact same. The EV does however offer perkier acceleration, due to the lack of a conventional gearbox.
The real difference between the two models when behind the wheel however is the efficiency aspects of the EV model, as there are multiple visual and technological features to make your driving as frugal as possible. These include an average speed check and eco rating, displayed behind the steering wheel, and a 3D sat-nav which locates all the nearest charging stations. Another handy feature is the energy consumption screen, giving you an update on how much energy the car is using. As a slight aside, there are cool ambient rings surrounding the speakers, changing colour and pulsating to the music - another ‘futuristic’ feature.
Instead of a rev counter, the Soul EV has a power bar located on the left of the instrument cluster, with the mph figure situated to the right. Depending on how harsh you accelerate, the power bar will either reach its peak, labelled ‘POWER’, or if you are rolling to a stop, reach the bottom, labelled ‘CHARGE’. The latter option will replenish battery life, albeit very slightly, due to regenerative breaking. Hover in-between these two on the power bar and you will be in the ‘ECO GUIDE’ segment, which is the optimal area for getting as much range as possible.
One thing you will notice, with regards to being in the ‘CHARGE’ section, is that the regenerative breaking feature feels like it is pulling the car back ever so slightly, every time you take your foot off the accelerator. This is a little frustrating at first. You can refill battery life even more effectively by moving the gear lever all-the-way down to ‘B’, which is an optimised regenerative breaking mode. This will slowly bring the car to a stop – ideal when approaching a red traffic light.
Kia claims you can get 132 miles out of the Soul EV, but the most we got was around 90 miles. When it comes to the dreaded ‘range anxiety’, all we have to say is be sensible. If you are after an electric car for day-to-day city or urban driving then you will probably get a few days off one charge. Take it on the motorway and the range will soon deplete.
Charging is also a case of sensibility. Chances are, you will come home and plug it into a household socket when you get home from work, leaving plenty of time for the 11 or so hours it takes to charge. And if you really want it to charge faster or need to make a long-ish distance trip, there are fast chargers and rapid chargers all-around the country to help you out.
There are still plenty of reasons for plenty of people not to want an electric car. In the case of the Soul EV, one of the main downsides is that it costs nearly twice as much as the standard Soul at £24,995. On the plus side though, the Soul EV’s battery is included in the list price, so you don’t need to lease it every month and it is covered by Kia’s seven year/100,000 mile warranty.