2021 Kia Soul EV Review | Kia’s Best EV…With A Major Surprise

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The Kia Soul flies under the radar a little as far as EVs go, but as our Mark explains, it’s one of the very best of them.
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#KiaSoul #KiaElectric #SoulEV

[@XENONEZZ2]

I've owned the Soul EV for around 6 months now and this was a fair review. It's been a great drive so far and there really isn't much to complain about. What you see is what you get . It's practical, comfortable , handles well and with over 200HP on instant tap, faster than the majority of most petrol cars. Most important though is the range...we're getting 250 miles real world on a full charge. I personally would never buy an electric car that gave less than that...range anxiety is not pleasant.

[@brianmccullough8673]

hi David enjoyed the review too and as a happy soul 2 owner just wondered if you might be able to fill us in on the 'comfort ' level ? you are pleased with since reviewer was critical of car on motorway ? Are seats, ride and suspension ok in your opinion ? thanks again for your comments after 7 years trouble free with our soul maxx like the sound of a new one & agree on your long range comments & happy motoring : )

[@brianboland4479]

“Our Soul” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Epic. Bravo Sir!

[@pdglisa9087]

Once again, superb! Thank you for bringing such epic reviews. We’re doing great 👍🏻

[@williamfence566]

Always thought these were underrated and it looks like they have improved as well. Intro joke was always going to happen but i did smile.

[@neilbissett1240]

Great honest review as ever thanks 👏😎

[@kofib3]

That intro followed by that silent look... Thanks for cheering me up 😂👍

[@marknichol8167]

You’re welcome. 😆

[@chrisjacobs8394]

Well I hate the car but smashed like just bc of that intro joke 😂

[@spursman3998]

Prefer the Kona. Your review of it though was also first class as with this Soul. Always look forward to your reviews. Cheers.

[@Ambienfinity]

I love boxy cars, so, it's definitely me. Fab review as ever.

[@rikm12]

loved the gen 1 soul ev... which had the lighter cabin ( which for osme reason isn't allowed in the uk this time around)

[@evilmario6061]

Infinitely more appealing to me than a Kona or Niro. Gonna have my Saab 9-5 for some years before I can plug in/afford an electric car though mind

[@markplayford5836]

Top review, with humour too. On my 2nd Soul, first was a 2nd gen Deisel now on the quick petrol Sport. One day I will drive one of these and will no doubt be impressed too. Cheers I mean who knows in a couple of years it may even be affordable as well. Bingo

[@marknichol8167]

Thanks mate. You will be impressed, I’m sure. 😁

[@commuterbranchline8132]

This Kia Soul is based on the same platform as the Kia eniro and is an absolute bargain, what it loosed in leg room it makes up in need room. It’s fast, filled with safety kit and has full led lights. It also has the range that rivals lack, if you drive this car gently it will give you over 300 miles in range in the urban setting. If you can live with the looks it’s a very shrewd EV choice.

[@Oli_Hudson]

Our Soul!

[@damianleah6744]

Great review, what I would say most SUV’s do role a bit. Comparing it to a mini is a little unfair, as obviously the centre of gravity is totally different. Apples and Pears. IMHO.

[@The-Salty-Bager]

Been really trying to decide between the soul ev and the vw ID3 which do you think is the better car ?

[@richard17lucas]

I'm a bit late to the party watching this video. We decided we preferred the Soul to the ID3 - (which does have an amazing boot), as I couldn't get on with the interface, and there are many people and reviewers saying the same. Having had a BMW i3 we prefer the quirky looks of the Soul to the ID3 which seems to have more mass market appeal. Which did you decide on?

[@The-Salty-Bager]

@@richard17lucas I ordered the ID3 in the end I just preferred the look of the car and the passenger plus boot space

[@johnkellett7797]

Interesting point about “small crossover SUVs” in that my car, an Audi A2 whose design is over 20 years old, predates that particular nomenclature but has a short bonnet, 390 litre boot, tall(ish) passenger area, good space for 4 adults in a car much the same size as the Soul. The drawback being the fact that it is diesel as, obviously, there wasn’t an EV option back then! Where are the technical advances, other than the electrical bits, then? It’s not been necessary to have a huge bonnet to contain even a fossil fuel powered car for decades! Larger passenger ‘cells’ have been possible too. For the Soul to have a minuscule boot is inexcusable.

[@idimidodjimi6760]

Point is that A2 was a utter failure for Audi and it wasn't a crossover it was an MPV to compete in segment with Opel Meriva but as a premium offering. Its not the first time though that VAG failed in attracting masses towards popular segment , almost same thing happened to A1 when they tried to compete with Fiat 500 and Mini in theirs smaller class but forgot they had 0 history with production of similar car so no retro vibes coming from it , then in last ditch effort they turned it around and basically made a premium Polo out of it. VW Beetle was an effort , but no where near the original concept, except it was a fat hatchback under the skin - that was mostly hyped by the journalists except it was never that good - not even close - result well VAG stopped production more than 2 years ago - and hardly anyone bough it. One big thing that generally separates MPV from a crossover is ground clearance , Audi A2 had 110 mm ground clearance while Kia Soul has about 170 mm - I'm not saying its an offroader, but it can certainly be more capable than A2 even with front wheel drive only. Concept of a crossover is , higher ground clearance, elevated sitting position and some added bits and trinkets for added look , so nothing more special than a car - rest is up to for each manufacturer to work around creating something special that You as a buyer might actually like.

[@johnkellett7797]

@@idimidodjimi6760, Ground clearance? I've owned my A2 for 17 years and driven off road, even with the lowered 'sports' suspension. It has never failed. True it was never deep rutted tracks with rocks, merely the normal grassy field use, which to be fair I've seen some drivers of 4x4s struggled with. The A2 was not a failure just way ahead of its time and will get converted to an EV when funds allow as their is, obviously, no body rust on an aluminium car. Most steel cars will have rotted away long before 223,000 miles.

[@neilpitchford2498]

You only managed 3.5 miles per kilowatt hour? Had my blue 2020 soul for 7 months, average 4.5 to 5 miles per kilowatt hour, you must have lead feet (and no, I don't drive in eco, 99% in Normal)

[@Astonishcleaners01]

Great presenter! Very funny!

[@vanaramauk]

Thanks a lot. Mark. :-D

[@ulf5738]

The E-Soul has a maximum charging speed of 77kW. NOT 100kW.

[@XENONEZZ2]

Vanarama ....can I suggest you up your recording volumes ....or maybe change microphones...the whole vid was rather quiet...and no it's not my ears..:-))

[@darwenrover8910]

It looks like a Stormtrooper in white.

[@ysjmichael]

XDDD good one to start the vid, it seems Kia EV9 is a inflated Soul.

[@saintetienne755]

It's main problem is - we are running before we can walk with this electric car stuff. Not nearly enough charging 'ports' and you're going to have to install one at your home too - that is if you don't live in a block of flats. Not been properly thought through, has it?

[@esm7708]

Like when petrol cars first came out you had to go to the chemist to get petrol? Learnt that at Beamish.

[@idimidodjimi6760]

@@esm7708 well actually we had electric vehicles and cars before we had petrol cars

[@esm7708]

@@idimidodjimi6760 indeed we did.

[@michalklucz6907]

the thing is. by current politics and general trend, if you don't have a house with a driveway, or apartment with an allocated place in the underground garage, your council/government will try to convince you that you don't need a car and you should "share it". therefore, if you are considering buying an EV the manufacturer assumes that you have the infrastructure to load. only that way you can truly gain from cheap electricity at night and no issue with queues to ionity chargers.

[@robinbettridge670]

I live on a terraced street with no off-street parking. Fortunately we have some lamp-post chargers by Ubitricity around here, not as close as I would like, about 15 minutes walk away. They use the spare 5.5kW that most lamps have, specially since many are now running LEDs. Sometimes I go and use the rapid DC charger at my local Lidl, that means a pretty good charge in 35 minutes instead of 5 hours. There's too much emphasis on looking for problems. Having had a Soul for 5 months now I'm convinced that more people should jump in a garage demo and try one. They are *so* nice to drive you'd end up looking at it differently. There are niggles, but I consider the temporary underwhelming rollout of charging for housholds without their own chargepoint as a "managable" inconvenience (for my use pattern). If I could have my own charge point I could get cheaper electricity than I have to pay. Isn't that comparable to the fact that some people get petrol at cheaper supermarket rates and some have no option but some rural expensive brand? So, if I can make a go of it there are lots of people without off-street parking who could, if they looked into the detail. Of course I accept that there are still areas without any nearby public charging. It's a lot like that in the seaside town of Sidmouth that I visit, but I can charge in nearby towns and I have a range of >250 miles on "full", so I can do "runaround" journeys for a couple of weeks... long before that I will have travelled further afield to where I can get a charge! I don't need to visit a lamppost or Lidl more than once every 3 weeks. Needless to say, this week I'm feeling pretty smug knowing that I don't have any concern about queuing for petrol and my tank or the filling station running dry. If push comes to shove I could even roll out a rubber mat over the pavement and plug in at home on a 13A. Electricity is ubiquitous. Petrol has to be delivered and collected. Bummer eh? The part which hasn't been "thought through" is that building regs are still allowing blocks of flats to be built with car parks (whether overground or underground) with no provision for charge points. Some countries have been mandating at least the wiring be in place for ages... The roadside charging has also been ignored by government (alright not ignored, they've made noises but not delivered - there's a change), but fortunately the commercial solutions from the likes of Starbucks, McDonalds, Costa, Harvester (and other chains) are all springing into life and now I have a rich choice of places to charge along my longer journey from London to Devon. I don't want to go to a place that just sells fuel. I can have a coffee and food if I want and get charged whilst having a break. I can't see what use petrol filling stations will have in the future, unless they diversify to offer somewhere pleasant for human refuelling or shopping, which is probably why so many are pairing up with *proper* food shops. Supermarkets and eateries will be the natural home for charge points, along with car parks near shops. The old style garage forecourt will be a dinosaur. I think I'm poof that EV ownership is *NOT* just for people with drives (although it undoubtedly helps).

[@idimidodjimi6760]

1st

[@Thinkofwhat]

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