Brought a one year old demonstrator at the end of March this year, same colour and spec as the one in this review. Absolutely love it, currently getting around 280 miles real world on the range, a pleasure to drive and although some other reviews out there have made noises about the "lack of boot space", we get six large filled shopping bags in there, no problem at all. Driving position is good and the best headroom in a car I have ever had, and I have had a few SUV's over the years. Can't recommend it highly enough and when coupled wih Kia's seven year warranty, for me, it's the best value EV on the market at the minute.
@@TotallyEV At this time of year, in Scotland, so cooler than down south, at least 280 miles.It was less during the winter. But the car seems to give a totally honest estimate of how much there is left.
Wow that's great to hear I have one on order, simply cannot wait. Really pleased to hear about your achieved real world mileage, it fills me with even more confidence
Had my blue one a year now. Pretty accurate review here I'd say. 1 pedal driving is sort of possible in the highest regen brake setting (3), but will not bring you to a stop. For this, hold down left regen paddle behind the steering wheel, and the car will stop and not continue until you press the accelerator again.
Interesting, thanks for sharing that tip; will be handy for those coming to this review! Still quite annoying that you can't just come toa stop automatically as you would on say the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 or Nissan Leaf. Glad you liked the review, too!
@@TotallyEV agreed coming from a Nissan Leaf this is the one fly in the oinment, I love one pedal driving but I will definitely make use of this tip. I suspect I will quickly re-adjust 👍🏾
We love our used kia soul EV 2021 (50k miles already on battery). Did a big european road trip in it summer 2024 with two adults two kids and all the gear. Love it. Im tall and its comfy, great range, no issues, sound systm is great etc. feels safe and eco mode is perfect. Sport mode is nuts. I just had to trasnport an exterior door thst i bought on ebay and managed to fit it in!! Was a squeeze tho. Great car were pleased with our choice
Chris, I have watched every Kia Soul EV there is on TH-cam but I have to say this is one of the most helpful, honest and straight up intelligent reviews I have seen. I just bought a Soul EV in Toronto. And after hearing your review I am really glad I did. You told me about some features I didn't know I had. Bravo.
A great review and one of several positive reviews that caused me to order a Kia Soul Maxx on the 2nd December 2021, without ever having seen one. To this day, I have only ever seen one, and that is the blue one I picked up last Monday. This car is truly awesome. To me it looks stunning and the drive is better than anything I have ever driven before. I'm not sure that the quoted 280 mile range is entirely accurate though, certainly around town anyway. Driving in "Normal" mode I am achieving up to 6 miles per kWh. Times that by the available 64KWh and it is a very impressive range. On a run today, mainly motorway with cruise control set at 71 mph, I achieved 4miles per kWh. Okay, so under the quoted 280 miles but with all manner of power eating systems, including the climate control running, 256 miles is still very impressive.
Glad you liked the review and found it helpful! Pleased to hear you're getting on well with the Soul EV too, however, it's a shame Kia removed the heat pump and HUD from the Maxx model.
Ha - love it - I bought 2 consecutive Fiat Multipla’s back in the day, and we have now bought a 2020 Kia Soul EV - we go for the interior and features - can’t see the outside when we’re driving it ! The Soul is miles better value than the same age e-Niro, it comes with most of the features of the fully loaded e-Niro 4+ trim, but at about 2/3 the cost.
Why does a video from June 2021 have a title of "Kia Soul EV review (2024): Better than Kia e-Niro & VW ID.3? | TotallyEV" right now? Did you update the title to game the algorythm/Google search given it is now 2024 but your video is from mid-2021?
We have had ours now for one year. A very practical vehicle. Perfect as a second car to a Tesla as it can carry bulky loads which a Tesla can't. One irritating omission is that there are no front parking sensors. Although visibility to the front is good I miss the assistance in judging front clearance during parking. The EVO app which has just been updated is still not great (slow with some irritating failings). Perhaps they will get it right in time for the Kia EV6. If not it will become a weakness when comparing with the Tesla (the EV6's main rival).
I wonder what specs you have without front parking sensors? I have a model year 2020 'Executive line' trim which does have front parking sensors, but they don't switch on automatically when going forward. I can switch the parking sensors (all sides) on manually - the button is located next to the gear selection dial on the middle console, near the seat heating buttons. The parking sensors, including the front ones, also switch on when going into in reverse gear, and stay on as while moving around at low speeds in the parking lot.
Very useful and well presented review....thank you. I'm a week away from picking my new Soul up. As an all round package for me it just ticks all the right boxes... looking forward to a satisfying owner experience.
@@TotallyEV We get it next Thursday, the 23d. We did a very quick deal as from January 1st, the already ridiculous tax and other charges on cars here in Denmark, go up by several %. We use our car mostly on the motorway and on country roads, so I'm curious as to how much road-noise there is when driving 130km.... Of course, if it's bad, I can always just turn BBC 6 Music up to drown it out ;)
Very timely, been looking at these. They look much better value now since the price cut to get under the grant threshold, Kia are doing cheap finance and £1000 deposit contribution too. You'll pay much more for a similar spec e-Niro these days.
Brilliant, hope the video helped! Indeed, while it can be compared to the £32K e-Niro 2 64, when you look at the bundled features, the Soul EV is more comparable to the £39K e-Niro 4+ or £37K Kona Electric Ultimate and the £38.8K ID.3 Tour Pro S!
At the time of the review, we didn't have a sound meter, but now all new audio systems have a measured Db reading while at a standstill, 20-30mph, 40mph, and 70mph!
@@TotallyEV my smartphone does dB levels, not super accurate but would allow comparative measurements. I’m thinking that with ICE cars, we are accustomed to the overall noise levels of engine, gearbox, road noise etc. With an EV, it’s only road and wind.
@@JohnnyMotel99 indeed, but even if you provided us with numbers, it's not only less accurate, but also not comparative to the test routes we conduct them on; ie the road surfaces might differ.
To my eyes the Soul EV looks nothing like a Multipla. If anything the front end, especially the headlights, have a strong resemblance to the 2021 Range Rover. I find the Soul EV to be a very beguiling car - nothing like what I'd normally drive, but it's a very well designed overall package.
I don’t get the Multipla comment either. I think it’s more Skoda Yeti than anything else. I’m about to pick up a used Soul in a couple of days. I can’t wait.
This is a great car. A design classic in the making. Brilliant spec, great to drive but limited in the colour choices. Blue with black roof is best IMO but now more difficult to obtain (I'm talking UK here). Black with red roof is still good. I bought the blue and love it.... What a car and unbeatable at the price.
@@TotallyEV Yes, bought a blue one with a black roof. Difficult to find that colour choice in the UK now, since Kia has told all dealers to register a Soul demonstrator by the end of June and many of those were blue. Also, dealers I have talked to have said blue no longer available for order from Kia.
@@TotallyEV Yes, I even received quotes using the Carwow site but when I asked them to confirm availlability, I was told only available in black with red roof or white with red roof. However, I found a local dealer who hadn't got around to registering their blue car and they agreed to sell to me (they will register a black one as demonstrator instead)
U mention a one pedal drive (car comes to a complete stop without using the breaks, and you could not get that on the KiA Soul. For anyone else that wants to know this can be achieved. To make the car come to a complete stop without using the breaks, press and hold the left regen paddle this will make the car come to a complete stop. I have not used my standard breaks to stop going forward for over 3 months now since purchasing one of these.
First of all thank you for a very good review! As an owner I really can agree to the very most. But a Multipla?!? Ouch. :D I think it's nowhere near the ugly Fiat at all and if you want to compare it it's more like a Skoda Yeti. And I really love the look of the Soul and I hated the Fiat. One thing when you talk about one pedal driving: If you hold the left pedal you will stop and stay put after releasing it after one second or so. I'm using this most of the times. And if you putting the bottom of the boot to the lower position you get a bigger boot that the e-Niro! Oh, and it has no traffic sign recognition. Only the eNiro has it. The soul gets the signs from the navigation system!
Thank you, glad you liked the video! As for the looks, haha - subjective, but that's the first thing that came to mind, sorry! With the regen, indeed, someone else pointed it out, thank you :)
I've owned several Multiplas, a Mk1 and several Mk2s. Owners love them. When we got the first one my wife was horrified. When it had to be replaced, she DEMANDED that we got another.
@@TotallyEV We had a total of 4 over the years. People who have never had a Multipla never understood the attraction. Everyone seems to be raving every time an EV has a wide flat floor but that's what the Multipla had all along. They designed a special way of constructing the floor to be like that. The only thing that let it down was the quality of the build materials, notably for the suspension.
I hope the new model has better battery cooling. I was looking at a used one in the States but earlier models were air cooled only and had some battery degradation issues in hot and cold climates.
I think that the road noise and wheel slip is the same problem as the e Kona. The tyres are hard to maximise range whereas for the actual customer, softer tyres might be better even if losing a tiny bit of range.
The slip, definitely and the same as the e-Niro. However, the cabin of both the e-Niro and Kona Electric were superior from our tests/experiences! Softer/different tyres are indeed an option for customers.
Love my petrol Soul and am looking to upgrade to electric in the next couple of months. Kia discontinued sales of the petrol model here in Australia and at the time said we would only be getting the EV but unfortunately that hasn't happened yet and I'm assuming those plans have now been shelved. So sad 😥
Nice one! As for the home chargers there are many on the market, really depends as to what you're looking for, how new your home is and how much you have to spend. Plenty out there to consider from Tesla to say Podpoint
I love my Soul EV 2014. The range is of course a fair bit lower than the latest model. I'll definitely be hoping to upgrade to a second-hand one of these longer range ones in a few years' time. I'll miss the fabric seat covers though.
@@TotallyEV The GOM is showing about 80 miles range when fully charged recently. Used to be more like 87 maybe, when I bought it secondhand a few years ago, but I've been driving more at/around 70 with the air conditioning on lately. I just had a look the other day with an OBD2 reader and apparently my cell degredation is between 11.5% and 16.1%. It's a month or so off its 7th birthday. Low mileage and temperate climate.
@@TotallyEV I have no idea what would be considered good/bad degredation to be honest. I'm happy to be nowhere near the 30% degredation that the warranty would consider to be an issue. It might be an ex demo in addition to having had a business owner before me. Was one of the first 20 registered in the UK. When you buy second hand you take your chances I suppose! :D
I reckon it will beat Yeti hands down considering EV have lower centre of gravity & its foot print is slightly smaller than Yeti. Certainly my Soul ev is very nippy like a Go Kart & easy to park. Never used Yeti so guesstimated
A great review. I agree with a lot of what your saying about the car. But for me the e Niro is a bigger car with a more usable boot size and the interior I like more than the soul. But I’m nit picking at the list price it’s really hard to beat with this range and spec. If you can live with the looks that is. We had the diesel soul and people ether loved it or hated it. But a great car none the less.
I need a solid 250+ mile range EV to get myself, the Mrs the dog and 2 kids along with our luggage down to Wales a few times a year. I have a BMW i3 currently with a REX which does the job but I can't get a roof box on it. This sounds like the perfect car for us. As long as I can stick a big roof box on, say 520L or so and we chuck the dog and buggy in the boot we should be good to go!
that's a good question - and unfortunately, we don't know, nor want to give you the wrong answer! It might be best to look at the specs online (or asking Kia) and seeing the exact dimensions of the boot, and then measuring the wheelchair to ensure it'll fit. Can't see it being an issue with the seats folded flat, however!
@@TotallyEV Yes not many people have spotted it! I found this th-cam.com/video/UIGsiDb8ipA/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=EVJamesandKate (watch from 5:16 to 6:10) although I think that James mixes his capacities up a little! Also here from 4:20 th-cam.com/video/IZrJbACHtXY/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=EVReviewIreland
Really depends as to what you want: driver's feel, smaller design, more futuristic = ID.3; longer range, bigger boot, more standard features and funky design = Soul EV
Great review, I currently have a 2019 Kia Sportage but would definitely consider this Kia soul ev, plenty room and love the quirky looks and good range an it's quick, this is on my shortlist for when I go electric after my PCP deal ends in 3 years, be good car for getting camping gear and mountain bike in 🤔👌👍
@@TotallyEV yep it is a very worthy competitor and looks lovely in blue too, love the fact it's got buttons like Sportage to adjust heating an stuff instead of faffing around with menus on a touchscreen to adjust heating an fans, interior looks great too and 280 miles range is achievable too, be so cheap to own one of these an just charge them at home over night,I drive 20 miles a day to work and back and when I go camping the campsites I go to are 50 miles away and 120 miles away so plenty range for there an back to any of them, really considering one of these thanks for review it's really made me think more about this Kia soul ev 👌👍🏴
@@112deeps amazing, glad you finally got it, and thanks for coming back :) Just to check did you get the heat pump and HUD in your model? As we hear it's no longer being offered to new customers.
@@TotallyEV not till I've got 2 years no claims, young driver so insurance is the biggest thing for me, second is cause im in quite a rural area need a minimum range of 150 miles in winter, if I do get an EV it's my current front runner.
I have Kia Niro EV, like most things about it, except for the seats.... to hard/firm, makes my back hurt... my old Nissan LEAF much softer/comfortable...
Think you'll find most vehicles (EV or not) at that price point struggle to compete with the likes of the soft cushiony seats if the Leaf - the only other vehicle we've sat in, in its price category that surpasses the Leaf's soft seats, is the Citroen e-C4.
your subjective opinion of it's similarity to the fiat multipla is completely off base. The front of the car resembles a Range Rover more that a fiat, a Range Rover with Hyundai Pony heritage
Lol. Only the british keep saying " I-Hyundai" even though they know exactly it's called simply "Hyudai". Weird! thx for the video, I hoped though to learn about the differences between this model and e-niro.
The Soul is a nice car, but it does not outclass the e-Niro E-Niro is larger/much bigger boot E-Niro is more efficient E-Niro is more practical inside, with higher gear-spec/options E-Niro has 220V socket outlet in the rear E-Niro does have a more direct steering But the HUD in the Soul is not available in the Niro…
Tesla model 3 DOESN'T have a HUD which the Soul has, and has the difficulty Totally EV highlighted that all the controls are on a screen. I've never driven one but I should imagine it's far harder to find relevant info when you're driving. You'd have to take your eye off the road to find it.
While we LOVE the Model 3, in terms of value for money and the set of features you're getting with the Kia; it's hard to agree with that conclusion. In the UK, the Tesla is £8k more (for the base single-motor), and that's without customising the colour of the interior/exterior or adding AutoPilot. Let alone considering the amount of space/seating you're getting with the Kia.
I have had my e-Soul for two years and i really HATE it. Really hate. I get in a bad mode every time i drive it. I compare it to my Leaf 2012 i had for seven years. I loved every ride in my Leaf. E-Soul is noisy (Leaf was quiet), bumpy(Leaf was swampy comfortable) , useless steering heating (never get really warm, Leaf get hot in five seconds), useless slow seat heating, and too hot after 20km even at lowest setting (kia didnt put a thermostat), no seat heting when preheating (REALLY STUPID, i must sit on cold seats all the way to work because of the slow seat heating). Small buttons, as i must have gloves om because of the useless steering heating i cant manuver them properly. Dark red text on the black buttons makes them impossible to read. Trunk is hopeless. Cabine heating pulls 4-6 kW even though it has heat pump (Leaf kept the cabin warm using only 1,5 kW, without heat pump). Hard uncomfortable seats that already starts to degrade as the leather imitation starts to crackle and fall off. (Leaf seats looked like new after seven years although they were made of reused material and was in light bright color). I could go on for ever writing things i dont like.. Worst is the look, it must be the uglyest looking car ever made. And the interior is dull ugly and depression black. Leaf was bright and airy. I cant say anything positive exept the range. Why i bought it? My wife wanted it. I deepley regret i admitted. And the Soul 2019 that i testride before buying was way better (quiet, swampy soft nice ride, bright interior). I couldnt imagine 2020 e-Soul could be worse! So much worse!
Small boot, marginally smaller than our previous family car, the B Max. Kind of ugly car. Well known name. Think I'll go for the e-niro: more boot space and bland styling, rather than ugly.
.. I know ... but I couldn't treat the review seriously when you compared it to a 20 Yr old fiat diesel with 3 seats at the front, famed for being the ugliest car ever designed and a near 13sec 0-60 !
Sorry you felt that way, in what way did you feel like that? If it's about the Kia on review, hopefully you watched till the end to find out that we really loved the vehicle and highly recommend it.
![เปิดบ้าน โคตรสวย ป๋องกพล รู้จักตั้งนาน เพิ่งรู้ว่ารวย!!! l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tmgCF_2HfYI/mqdefault.jpg)
Find the best Kia Soul EV deals: locally.link/XeBn
Read the Kia Soul EV review on our website: totallyev.net/kia-soul-ev-review-better-than-kia-e-niro-vw-id-3/
Review of the Kia Soul EV's audio system: totallyev.net/kia-soul-ev-audio-review-10-speaker-harman-kardon-system/
Video timestamps:
Intro & price: 00:00
Exterior design: 01:00
Interior design & tech: 02:47
Storage & boot: 07:18
Comfort & cabin noise: 09:19
Handling: 11:25
Performance: 13:14
Range: 14:33
Driving modes & regen: 17:34
Charging: 20:44
Visibility & parking: 22:04
Safety systems: 23:32
Verdict: 26:17
Brought a one year old demonstrator at the end of March this year, same colour and spec as the one in this review. Absolutely love it, currently getting around 280 miles real world on the range, a pleasure to drive and although some other reviews out there have made noises about the "lack of boot space", we get six large filled shopping bags in there, no problem at all. Driving position is good and the best headroom in a car I have ever had, and I have had a few SUV's over the years. Can't recommend it highly enough and when coupled wih Kia's seven year warranty, for me, it's the best value EV on the market at the minute.
All in agreement there, Neil! Thanks for sharing your experience.
@@TotallyEV We bought ours in October, and I can absolutely echo all you say.
@@carolines7834 Brilliant, glad you liked the review! How many miles do you roughly get on a single charge?
@@TotallyEV At this time of year, in Scotland, so cooler than down south, at least 280 miles.It was less during the winter. But the car seems to give a totally honest estimate of how much there is left.
Wow that's great to hear I have one on order, simply cannot wait. Really pleased to hear about your achieved real world mileage, it fills me with even more confidence
Had my blue one a year now. Pretty accurate review here I'd say. 1 pedal driving is sort of possible in the highest regen brake setting (3), but will not bring you to a stop. For this, hold down left regen paddle behind the steering wheel, and the car will stop and not continue until you press the accelerator again.
Interesting, thanks for sharing that tip; will be handy for those coming to this review! Still quite annoying that you can't just come toa stop automatically as you would on say the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 or Nissan Leaf.
Glad you liked the review, too!
@@TotallyEV agreed coming from a Nissan Leaf this is the one fly in the oinment, I love one pedal driving but I will definitely make use of this tip. I suspect I will quickly re-adjust 👍🏾
That's good to know thanks for the heads up
Let us know how you get on!
@@TotallyEVWill do, I requested delivery at end of September
We love our used kia soul EV 2021 (50k miles already on battery). Did a big european road trip in it summer 2024 with two adults two kids and all the gear. Love it. Im tall and its comfy, great range, no issues, sound systm is great etc. feels safe and eco mode is perfect. Sport mode is nuts. I just had to trasnport an exterior door thst i bought on ebay and managed to fit it in!! Was a squeeze tho. Great car were pleased with our choice
Pleased to hear it and thanks for sharing!
Chris, I have watched every Kia Soul EV there is on TH-cam but I have to say this is one of the most helpful, honest and straight up intelligent reviews I have seen. I just bought a Soul EV in Toronto. And after hearing your review I am really glad I did. You told me about some features I didn't know I had. Bravo.
Such a lovely comment, thank you, Jane! Glad you liked the review!
@@TotallyEV I agree. great review but recommend you see Jonny Smiths also th-cam.com/video/qaSa_KbxJ0g/w-d-xo.html (if you havent already)
@@dcostello1976 thanks for sharing!
A great review and one of several positive reviews that caused me to order a Kia Soul Maxx on the 2nd December 2021, without ever having seen one. To this day, I have only ever seen one, and that is the blue one I picked up last Monday. This car is truly awesome. To me it looks stunning and the drive is better than anything I have ever driven before. I'm not sure that the quoted 280 mile range is entirely accurate though, certainly around town anyway. Driving in "Normal" mode I am achieving up to 6 miles per kWh. Times that by the available 64KWh and it is a very impressive range. On a run today, mainly motorway with cruise control set at 71 mph, I achieved 4miles per kWh. Okay, so under the quoted 280 miles but with all manner of power eating systems, including the climate control running, 256 miles is still very impressive.
Glad you liked the review and found it helpful!
Pleased to hear you're getting on well with the Soul EV too, however, it's a shame Kia removed the heat pump and HUD from the Maxx model.
Ha - love it - I bought 2 consecutive Fiat Multipla’s back in the day, and we have now bought a 2020 Kia Soul EV - we go for the interior and features - can’t see the outside when we’re driving it ! The Soul is miles better value than the same age e-Niro, it comes with most of the features of the fully loaded e-Niro 4+ trim, but at about 2/3 the cost.
Haha brilliant! Thanks for sharing, glad you're enjoying it.
Thanks for the views of South Cambridgeshire. Lived here for two decades. Recognised the local area straight away. Fantastic review.
Aww glad it brought a smile to your face, and pleased you liked the review, too!
Road noise could stem from the Nexen tires that are standard on this. A quite noisy tire.
Indeed, tyres do make a difference!
Why does a video from June 2021 have a title of "Kia Soul EV review (2024): Better than Kia e-Niro & VW ID.3? | TotallyEV" right now? Did you update the title to game the algorythm/Google search given it is now 2024 but your video is from mid-2021?
As it's still relevant in 2024.
@@TotallyEV Thanks for the reply, but it makes it look like this is supposed to be a review in 2024 of a 2024 model.
As mentioned, it's still relevant. If it wasn't, the year would have been taken out of the title at the beginning of the year.
This is a fabulous review! Thank you Totally EV. It is really informative, honest, and you've chosen the best of the three colours!!
Thanks for your kind words, Caroline!
We have had ours now for one year. A very practical vehicle. Perfect as a second car to a Tesla as it can carry bulky loads which a Tesla can't. One irritating omission is that there are no front parking sensors. Although visibility to the front is good I miss the assistance in judging front clearance during parking. The EVO app which has just been updated is still not great (slow with some irritating failings). Perhaps they will get it right in time for the Kia EV6. If not it will become a weakness when comparing with the Tesla (the EV6's main rival).
Indeed, Tesla's app integration is excellent. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the vehicle, glad you're liking it!
I wonder what specs you have without front parking sensors? I have a model year 2020 'Executive line' trim which does have front parking sensors, but they don't switch on automatically when going forward. I can switch the parking sensors (all sides) on manually - the button is located next to the gear selection dial on the middle console, near the seat heating buttons. The parking sensors, including the front ones, also switch on when going into in reverse gear, and stay on as while moving around at low speeds in the parking lot.
THIS CAR IS BETTER THAM ID3. It is a Supercar. I know Because I have one.!!!!!!
Haha, glad you're enjoying it - how many miles per charge do you get?
Very useful and well presented review....thank you.
I'm a week away from picking my new Soul up.
As an all round package for me it just ticks all the right boxes... looking forward to a satisfying owner experience.
Pleasure, glad you liked the review!
Let us know how you get on with the vehicle.
Just bought one today. My first electric car. Thanks for a great review 👍
Congratulations, when do you take delivery?
And pleasure, glad you liked the review :)
@@TotallyEV We get it next Thursday, the 23d. We did a very quick deal as from January 1st, the already ridiculous tax and other charges on cars here in Denmark, go up by several %. We use our car mostly on the motorway and on country roads, so I'm curious as to how much road-noise there is when driving 130km.... Of course, if it's bad, I can always just turn BBC 6 Music up to drown it out ;)
@@robertsnorrason2494 ah not long; let us know how much range you can squeeze out there in Denmark!
Very timely, been looking at these. They look much better value now since the price cut to get under the grant threshold, Kia are doing cheap finance and £1000 deposit contribution too. You'll pay much more for a similar spec e-Niro these days.
Brilliant, hope the video helped!
Indeed, while it can be compared to the £32K e-Niro 2 64, when you look at the bundled features, the Soul EV is more comparable to the £39K e-Niro 4+ or £37K Kona Electric Ultimate and the £38.8K ID.3 Tour Pro S!
An excellent and comprehensive review. What would be your preference Kia Soul ev or VW id3?
I'd like to see the dB levels in the cabin at motorway speeds.
At the time of the review, we didn't have a sound meter, but now all new audio systems have a measured Db reading while at a standstill, 20-30mph, 40mph, and 70mph!
@@TotallyEV my smartphone does dB levels, not super accurate but would allow comparative measurements. I’m thinking that with ICE cars, we are accustomed to the overall noise levels of engine, gearbox, road noise etc. With an EV, it’s only road and wind.
@@JohnnyMotel99 indeed, but even if you provided us with numbers, it's not only less accurate, but also not comparative to the test routes we conduct them on; ie the road surfaces might differ.
Does the driver seat base cushion tilt for nee support? I cannot find this info. German cars tend to have this like my 5 series.
To my eyes the Soul EV looks nothing like a Multipla. If anything the front end, especially the headlights, have a strong resemblance to the 2021 Range Rover. I find the Soul EV to be a very beguiling car - nothing like what I'd normally drive, but it's a very well designed overall package.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the design!
Ditto.... Looks like mini Range Rover in white or black or Evoke 's smaller brother.... Especially the front
I don’t get the Multipla comment either. I think it’s more Skoda Yeti than anything else. I’m about to pick up a used Soul in a couple of days. I can’t wait.
Enjoy.
This is a great car. A design classic in the making. Brilliant spec, great to drive but limited in the colour choices. Blue with black roof is best IMO but now more difficult to obtain (I'm talking UK here). Black with red roof is still good. I bought the blue and love it.... What a car and unbeatable at the price.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Do you have one yourself?
@@TotallyEV Yes, bought a blue one with a black roof. Difficult to find that colour choice in the UK now, since Kia has told all dealers to register a Soul demonstrator by the end of June and many of those were blue. Also, dealers I have talked to have said blue no longer available for order from Kia.
Interesting, seemed available online when we looked!
@@TotallyEV Yes, I even received quotes using the Carwow site but when I asked them to confirm availlability, I was told only available in black with red roof or white with red roof. However, I found a local dealer who hadn't got around to registering their blue car and they agreed to sell to me (they will register a black one as demonstrator instead)
@@dcostello1976 fascinating! Well, guess you're one of the lucky ones!
Thank you for a great review. I will be trading in my diesel Sportage next year and having a Soul EV. Very excited about the prospect!
Pleasure, glad it proved to be useful :)
Have you bought it yet?
U mention a one pedal drive (car comes to a complete stop without using the breaks, and you could not get that on the KiA Soul. For anyone else that wants to know this can be achieved. To make the car come to a complete stop without using the breaks, press and hold the left regen paddle this will make the car come to a complete stop. I have not used my standard breaks to stop going forward for over 3 months now since purchasing one of these.
Yup, as mentioned by someone else in the comments section - thanks for sharing too :)
Thank you speedytweedy123, I didn't realise this.
Don’t like to be pedantic, but it’s brakes
First of all thank you for a very good review! As an owner I really can agree to the very most.
But a Multipla?!? Ouch. :D I think it's nowhere near the ugly Fiat at all and if you want to compare it it's more like a Skoda Yeti. And I really love the look of the Soul and I hated the Fiat.
One thing when you talk about one pedal driving: If you hold the left pedal you will stop and stay put after releasing it after one second or so. I'm using this most of the times.
And if you putting the bottom of the boot to the lower position you get a bigger boot that the e-Niro!
Oh, and it has no traffic sign recognition. Only the eNiro has it. The soul gets the signs from the navigation system!
Thank you, glad you liked the video!
As for the looks, haha - subjective, but that's the first thing that came to mind, sorry!
With the regen, indeed, someone else pointed it out, thank you :)
I've owned several Multiplas, a Mk1 and several Mk2s. Owners love them. When we got the first one my wife was horrified. When it had to be replaced, she DEMANDED that we got another.
@@PassportToPimlico hahaha, you must be good at your persuasion skills. The question is, did she get what she wanted?
@@TotallyEV We had a total of 4 over the years. People who have never had a Multipla never understood the attraction. Everyone seems to be raving every time an EV has a wide flat floor but that's what the Multipla had all along. They designed a special way of constructing the floor to be like that. The only thing that let it down was the quality of the build materials, notably for the suspension.
Indeed, the interior space/comfort it offered was excellent.
I hope the new model has better battery cooling. I was looking at a used one in the States but earlier models were air cooled only and had some battery degradation issues in hot and cold climates.
Thanks for sharing!
I think that the road noise and wheel slip is the same problem as the e Kona. The tyres are hard to maximise range whereas for the actual customer, softer tyres might be better even if losing a tiny bit of range.
The slip, definitely and the same as the e-Niro. However, the cabin of both the e-Niro and Kona Electric were superior from our tests/experiences!
Softer/different tyres are indeed an option for customers.
Very well presented information packed review, excellent job
Thanks Lewis!
Nice review, maybe next time use the metric measures to help the rest of the viewers... Thanks.
Glad you liked the review!
Love my petrol Soul and am looking to upgrade to electric in the next couple of months. Kia discontinued sales of the petrol model here in Australia and at the time said we would only be getting the EV but unfortunately that hasn't happened yet and I'm assuming those plans have now been shelved. So sad 😥
Fingers crossed it comes over; well worth it!
Got one on order, any wall home charger recommendations here (Makes and model)?
Nice one!
As for the home chargers there are many on the market, really depends as to what you're looking for, how new your home is and how much you have to spend. Plenty out there to consider from Tesla to say Podpoint
Hi, do you prefer this car over the Kia E-Niro 2021 model?
If you can do with the looks of this, the Soul EV provides more features at the same price - suggest watching or reading the review.
I love my Soul EV 2014. The range is of course a fair bit lower than the latest model. I'll definitely be hoping to upgrade to a second-hand one of these longer range ones in a few years' time. I'll miss the fabric seat covers though.
Thanks for sharing, glad you're liking your 2014 model - what range do you get on it?
@@TotallyEV The GOM is showing about 80 miles range when fully charged recently. Used to be more like 87 maybe, when I bought it secondhand a few years ago, but I've been driving more at/around 70 with the air conditioning on lately. I just had a look the other day with an OBD2 reader and apparently my cell degredation is between 11.5% and 16.1%. It's a month or so off its 7th birthday. Low mileage and temperate climate.
That's quite a lot of degradation given your usage and the age of the vehicle! But the figures you're getting seem decent.
@@TotallyEV I have no idea what would be considered good/bad degredation to be honest. I'm happy to be nowhere near the 30% degredation that the warranty would consider to be an issue. It might be an ex demo in addition to having had a business owner before me. Was one of the first 20 registered in the UK. When you buy second hand you take your chances I suppose! :D
Haha indeed! From what we're aware, some 10-year old Tesla Model S' have up to 10-15% degradation, after 100k+ miles; thus the comment.
Picked our brand new Soul EV up yesterday, no sign of the heads up display. Was this removed from the UK version?
That's very odd, they might have removed it? Have you checked with Kia?
The UK first edition had the HUD it was removed with the heat pump for the new UK Maxx model
@@concero1 that's sad to hear, thanks for the information, much appreciated!
Good review, do you think you will do a review on the Ford F 150 EV?
Thank you! It's unlikely, as there are no plans for it to come to the UK.
I’ve read on a few sites that the trunk of this car is bigger then the E-Niro 2021 model…
Feel free to read our review, it's in the description.
So this Kia Soul comes with a heat pump on board?cause Kia Eniro doesn't, except the Kia Eniro 4
Indeed it does; you can check the specs if you want further reassurance :)
Does the front passenger seat fold flat forward?
Good question, not sure, sorry!
I have a Skoda Yeti 150 ps,I need someone to tell me, how does the Soul stack up with yeti for going around bends?
Can't help there, sorry!
I reckon it will beat Yeti hands down considering EV have lower centre of gravity & its foot print is slightly smaller than Yeti. Certainly my Soul ev is very nippy like a Go Kart & easy to park. Never used Yeti so guesstimated
Perfect in every way, but one major issue for me is the Front Wheel Drive.
Presume you'd prefer AWD?
@@TotallyEV rear wheel drive, I have an Optima phev, it's only 66kw, the front tyres are to easy to spin.
Ah yes, there are limited number of RWD cars (vs FWD) generally speaking on the market, namely when it comes to EVs
How does i compare to the Aiway U5?
We've not tried that vehicle, so can't comment!
What a great review from an excellent reviewer.
Thanks for the lovely comment!
A great review. I agree with a lot of what your saying about the car. But for me the e Niro is a bigger car with a more usable boot size and the interior I like more than the soul. But I’m nit picking at the list price it’s really hard to beat with this range and spec. If you can live with the looks that is. We had the diesel soul and people ether loved it or hated it. But a great car none the less.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts; glad you liked the review, too!
I need a solid 250+ mile range EV to get myself, the Mrs the dog and 2 kids along with our luggage down to Wales a few times a year. I have a BMW i3 currently with a REX which does the job but I can't get a roof box on it. This sounds like the perfect car for us. As long as I can stick a big roof box on, say 520L or so and we chuck the dog and buggy in the boot we should be good to go!
Indeed, would be a great car for you and the family! Let us know which vehicle you end up choosing.
I have a 470 litre Thule on top of mine for our trips to Norfolk from Sheffield, no problems whatsoever.
Love mine, you forgot to mention the 7 year warranty which is a pretty strong selling point.
Yup, that's a good point!
You really like the word "furthermore" a lot 😁
True.
Can you fit a wheel chair with fold down handles in the boot?
that's a good question - and unfortunately, we don't know, nor want to give you the wrong answer! It might be best to look at the specs online (or asking Kia) and seeing the exact dimensions of the boot, and then measuring the wheelchair to ensure it'll fit.
Can't see it being an issue with the seats folded flat, however!
@@TotallyEV There's an extra 70-80L of boot space available if you move the floor down to its lowest position.
Thanks for sharing, where did you get that information from?
@@TotallyEV Yes not many people have spotted it! I found this th-cam.com/video/UIGsiDb8ipA/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=EVJamesandKate (watch from 5:16 to 6:10) although I think that James mixes his capacities up a little! Also here from 4:20 th-cam.com/video/IZrJbACHtXY/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=EVReviewIreland
You could be right! I find that boot and seat-folded-down capacities very misleading with even the manufacturers being unclear (e.g. MG ZS EV).
What do you think is the better car the Soul or the VW ID3 ?
Really depends as to what you want: driver's feel, smaller design, more futuristic = ID.3; longer range, bigger boot, more standard features and funky design = Soul EV
Great review, I currently have a 2019 Kia Sportage but would definitely consider this Kia soul ev, plenty room and love the quirky looks and good range an it's quick, this is on my shortlist for when I go electric after my PCP deal ends in 3 years, be good car for getting camping gear and mountain bike in 🤔👌👍
Thank you, glad you liked the review!
Indeed, would make a compelling option for you it seems :)
@@TotallyEV yep it is a very worthy competitor and looks lovely in blue too, love the fact it's got buttons like Sportage to adjust heating an stuff instead of faffing around with menus on a touchscreen to adjust heating an fans, interior looks great too and 280 miles range is achievable too, be so cheap to own one of these an just charge them at home over night,I drive 20 miles a day to work and back and when I go camping the campsites I go to are 50 miles away and 120 miles away so plenty range for there an back to any of them, really considering one of these thanks for review it's really made me think more about this Kia soul ev 👌👍🏴
Ah you'll have plenty of charge remaining then! And pleasure :)
Change the tyres. I have got mine on Goodyears and they are much better and quieter than the Nexens.
Thanks for sharing!
Wow, impressive review presentation. Well done
Thank you!
@@TotallyEV finally, i just got my new soul EV... Perfect for big city. It looks like small Range Rover in White or Black
@@112deeps amazing, glad you finally got it, and thanks for coming back :)
Just to check did you get the heat pump and HUD in your model? As we hear it's no longer being offered to new customers.
I'm hoping to find one after I can test drive and confirm I like it
Brilliant, glad you liked it! Will you be purchasing one?
@@TotallyEV not till I've got 2 years no claims, young driver so insurance is the biggest thing for me, second is cause im in quite a rural area need a minimum range of 150 miles in winter, if I do get an EV it's my current front runner.
Fair enough!
@@TotallyEV test drove a soul EV and it just made driving so effortless, it's something I really have to consider
@@arnoldtabor3767 glad you enjoyed the experience!
I have Kia Niro EV, like most things about it, except for the seats.... to hard/firm, makes my back hurt... my old Nissan LEAF much softer/comfortable...
Think you'll find most vehicles (EV or not) at that price point struggle to compete with the likes of the soft cushiony seats if the Leaf - the only other vehicle we've sat in, in its price category that surpasses the Leaf's soft seats, is the Citroen e-C4.
Ev soul hugs the body much better & hence spreads the pressure points. Very comfortable seats.
Car can be brought to a complete stop by holding the regen paddle until the vehicle rolls to a halt
Indeed, but still isn't at intuitive as just lifting your foot from the accelerator pedal.
@@TotallyEV Agreed, but I think you meant 'gas' pedal?
@@ponybottle oh yes of course, the accelerator pedal not brake pedal - edited :)
Reminds me of an older style Nissan Note
Ha that's a good observation!
i like the shape
Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant vid, thank you
Pleasure, glad you liked it!
your subjective opinion of it's similarity to the fiat multipla is completely off base. The front of the car resembles a Range Rover more that a fiat, a Range Rover with Hyundai Pony heritage
Ha, okay!
Lol. Only the british keep saying " I-Hyundai" even though they know exactly it's called simply "Hyudai". Weird! thx for the video, I hoped though to learn about the differences between this model and e-niro.
Glad you liked the video
Naah man, I don't think it resembles the Multipla, but rather the Mercedes G-wagon. This Kia is a badass rapper's car.
Not sure how Mercedes owners would feel about that, haha!
The Soul is a nice car, but it does not outclass the e-Niro
E-Niro is larger/much bigger boot
E-Niro is more efficient
E-Niro is more practical inside, with higher gear-spec/options
E-Niro has 220V socket outlet in the rear
E-Niro does have a more direct steering
But the HUD in the Soul is not available in the Niro…
All valid points, but there's still a market for the Soul EV!
Multipla and Soul isn't even on the same page design wise!!! The Multipla is just hideous!!!!
Haha!
Unfortunately it is also priced virtually at Tesla model 3 and that is where Kia can't win
Tesla model 3 DOESN'T have a HUD which the Soul has, and has the difficulty Totally EV highlighted that all the controls are on a screen. I've never driven one but I should imagine it's far harder to find relevant info when you're driving. You'd have to take your eye off the road to find it.
While we LOVE the Model 3, in terms of value for money and the set of features you're getting with the Kia; it's hard to agree with that conclusion.
In the UK, the Tesla is £8k more (for the base single-motor), and that's without customising the colour of the interior/exterior or adding AutoPilot. Let alone considering the amount of space/seating you're getting with the Kia.
You can buy a used Soul for about £28k with low miles, Tesla would cost you about £10k more for a used example.
Fiat Multipla is ugly meanwhile Kia Soul looks like a well built fortress. Today the only real reasonable competitor is the Renault Megane e-tech.
Thanks for sharing!
Diss the multipla and expect hell….and furthermore and furthermore!
Furthermore, it's our opinion. Yours sincerely, hell.
What is this obsession with glossy black plastic?!?
Shiny! Haha.
What a heavy car. 32 thousand pounds.. That's sixteen tons!
Punny!
I have had my e-Soul for two years and i really HATE it. Really hate. I get in a bad mode every time i drive it. I compare it to my Leaf 2012 i had for seven years. I loved every ride in my Leaf. E-Soul is noisy (Leaf was quiet), bumpy(Leaf was swampy comfortable) , useless steering heating (never get really warm, Leaf get hot in five seconds), useless slow seat heating, and too hot after 20km even at lowest setting (kia didnt put a thermostat), no seat heting when preheating (REALLY STUPID, i must sit on cold seats all the way to work because of the slow seat heating). Small buttons, as i must have gloves om because of the useless steering heating i cant manuver them properly. Dark red text on the black buttons makes them impossible to read. Trunk is hopeless. Cabine heating pulls 4-6 kW even though it has heat pump (Leaf kept the cabin warm using only 1,5 kW, without heat pump).
Hard uncomfortable seats that already starts to degrade as the leather imitation starts to crackle and fall off. (Leaf seats looked like new after seven years although they were made of reused material and was in light bright color).
I could go on for ever writing things i dont like.. Worst is the look, it must be the uglyest looking car ever made. And the interior is dull ugly and depression black. Leaf was bright and airy. I cant say anything positive exept the range.
Why i bought it? My wife wanted it. I deepley regret i admitted. And the Soul 2019 that i testride before buying was way better (quiet, swampy soft nice ride, bright interior). I couldnt imagine 2020 e-Soul could be worse! So much worse!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, sorry to hear you don't like it - but the Leaf is a very comfortable car indeed.
Small boot, marginally smaller than our previous family car, the B Max.
Kind of ugly car.
Well known name.
Think I'll go for the e-niro: more boot space and bland styling, rather than ugly.
The e-niro is indeed a great alternative, but isn't as feature-packed as the equivalent-priced Soul EV.
Fiat multipla ! .. I got as far as ....
That'd a shame, it's a great EV otherwise!
.. I know ... but I couldn't treat the review seriously when you compared it to a 20 Yr old fiat diesel with 3 seats at the front, famed for being the ugliest car ever designed and a near 13sec 0-60 !
It's just what came to mind when reviewing the design of the vehicle; odd you wouldn't take the rest seriously. No worries, best of luck!
Too much opinion and not that much fact.
Reviews without opinions are just extended marketing videos. We're sure you'll find those elsewhere, enjoy! 🤗
terrible review. so condescending
Sorry you felt that way, in what way did you feel like that? If it's about the Kia on review, hopefully you watched till the end to find out that we really loved the vehicle and highly recommend it.