The Kia Soul EV Is a Cheap Used EV Bargain!

Max is back with another episode in our search for the best used electric car for under $25,000. Will we end up picking this 2017 Kia Soul EV as the best option? Watch to find out.
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#KIA #Soul #ev
0:00 Intro
10:56 Driving Impressions
16:39 Buyer's Guide

[@iMaxPatten]

Correction: In the video I say 2016 but this is actually a 2017 Soul EV! There were not many differences between those model years but I figure clarity is in order.

[@chunkychuck]

Yeah the multi colored wheels give it away.

[@concinnus]

Well, you said it was "from 2016", which some MY2017 cars are. I'llAllowIt.gif

[@ElevatedVehicles]

What changes were there?

[@madness198648]

The initial launch clip is hilarious

[@pardunmeesuh5612]

I have two Kia Souls that I love. 2015 ICE and a 2018 with the 30kWh battery that I bought for $21k with 20k miles on it. Wonderful, smooth-driving personal transport. 110 mile range but I only drive about 35 miles round-trip per day. My July electric bill was $18 more than last year. Now I only pull into the gas station occasionally to drive around the pumps laughing maniacally with my finger in the air.

[@Michaelangelokowski]

I have a forte and I do plan on getting a sports car next year or the year after, but I'm also thinking about trading this in and getting an ev as my secondary car for when I get my sports car in the future. It would be my daily driver of course. I wouldn't have to buy gas for 2 cars, I would make up for emissions let off by the sports car, plus it would make the sports car that much more exhilarating when I drive it. Unfortunately with road trips I'd rather use the sports car due to faster fill ups and more range to use but the ev would be my ride 4 or 5 days a week

[@Drewbydrew]

As someone looking for his first car and wanting it to be an EV, thank you for this series! You’ve looked at most of the used models I’ve been looking at!

[@smallmj2886]

The Soul EV is still available in Canada with a battery big enough to advertise 383 km of range

[@JohnRoss1]

And CCS 🍁

[@FCoFix]

Don't forget the 10 yr 100k mi battery warranty for ALL OWNERS! I think Kia was insane for this and they definitely scaled back on their new EVs after that mistake(?)

[@KalleSWBeck]

With this feature I’m hoping to get 200k out of mine

[@LeoNation007]

I do hope I make it to warranty before I hit 100k!

[@josephmiller5429]

It's a huge selling point and a big part of why I bought my Soul EV back in May. It's going in for a battery replacement under that warranty end of this week. It's going to be a brand new car for $17k when all said and done. Great value.

[@nnichols8358]

Can this be transferred to new owner? I am looking at one right now.

[@FCoFix]

@@nnichols8358 Yep!

[@ouch1011]

I used to own one of these and loved it. It was a 2017 as well, black but without the red trim. I only got it because it was super cheap to lease at the time. It was probably the most comfortable EV that I’ve had overall. Very quiet, comfortable seats, decent suspension. We ended up getting rid of it because we moved and had to do a much longer freeway commute and the range just wasn’t enough since I couldn’t reliably charge at work. I think the 2018-2019 models got a 30kwh battery. When we owned it, the chademo wasn’t an issue because there were more (functional) chademo chargers available at the time and we had an ICE vehicle for longer trips. We use EV exclusively now, but both of our cars are EPA rated for nearly 3x the range of this. Chademo would be an issue now unless this is only a city car, but the small battery, limited range and slow charging would be more of an issue than chademo imo. It is slow by modern EV standards, but I believe it was on par with the non-turbo versions of the Soul at the time. It feels spunky up to about 40mph, usable at freeway speeds, but pretty slow for higher speed passing maneuvers. On par with most cars economy cars. It’s “adequate,” even with 4 people in the car. The price of these is insane right now. When we leased ours in 2018, the capitalized cost was $18k. The residual value at the end of the lease was $11k. This one is listed for sale at $18k. That’s nuts. While I loved our Soul when we had it, much of that was due to the very low cost ($99/mo). It’s not worth $18k to me. For your budget, I still think the Bolt is still the best bang for the buck. It’s the only one I’ve seen so far that could really be reasonably used on road trips without a substantial sacrifice.

[@iMaxPatten]

It’s a lot but the whole market is very inflated. There were plenty of e-Golfs well above $20k! I think individually this is maybe the second best deal. The Bolt (used or new) is still unbeatable though.

[@crowfoot1199]

Really appreciate this series of looking at more affordable EVs, including the used ones. Like you, I just really love the Soul's styling/character - love the boxiness, love that round bezel whatsit on the center console, the speakers. Just the overall character, as you say. Absolutely loved it in that lime green! They do sell the new ones in Canada 🙂 but no more lime green, alas.

[@josephmiller5429]

If you're shopping for one of these in person and want to verify the battery condition for yourself, you can use the Soul EV Spy app and an OBDLink LX dongle to check the SOH (State of Health) percentage. If it's below 70% and that car is under 100,000 miles it's eligible for replacement under warranty, even for used owners.

[@adamlytle2615]

I actually really like this era of Soul, in terms of exterior design aesthetics. More than the current one. And I really love this black and red colour scheme -- mini A-Team van vibes!

[@waynekirby1176]

I just bought a 2015 Kia Soul + EV 2wks ago exactly like this one ,from Earnhardt Kia in Peoria Az. With a brand new battery and new 10yr.,100,000 mi . I got a bargon for only $ 16,500. Andthey delivered it to me in TUCSON . It's excellent commuter EV . 90 mile range .

[@waynekirby1176]

2016 Kia Soul +EV , correction !

[@azsaddledoc]

Great job Max! I'm looking forward to the next used EV video!

[@arkitech]

It is air cooled but it's forced air cooled which is different from the leaf as it has active cooling. When using level 3 charging it actually turns on the AC to keep the battery cool as well as uses AC in the summer to cool the battery so the degradation isn't nearly as bad.

[@KalleSWBeck]

I have that exact same car :) color and all it’s slow but great I bought it a year ago with 28k and now it has 45k got it for 14k and got 6k back in rebates here locally. Fun fact if you get the battery replaced they all get 30kwh packs so a slight upgrade. I’ll be doing a 1 year review on mine soon.

[@KalleSWBeck]

They are also just LED driving lights the headlights are not LED but are projectors

[@FCoFix]

Yep, my battery has shipped from overseas and just waiting for it to arrive and get installed on my 2016. Will definitely enjoy the nice bump in range!

[@KalleSWBeck]

@@FCoFix mine has degraded a little but not enough for a replacement yet. Also to note in this video is Kia’s warranty is 10 years not the normal 8 which was the biggest selling point for me

[@barryw9473]

@@FCoFix Why is your pack getting replaced?

[@fusion8484]

The battery actually has a forced air cooling like the Ioniq Classic so it does well on long Trips. Very popular car here in Germany

[@gcgc789789]

Andriod Auto and Apple Car Play were available since 2014 Kia Soul model. the very first vehicle in the industry

[@ezpoppy55]

“What I’m going to do after this stop sign…” You mean, you’re actually going to STOP at a STOP sign, instead of just drive through it…? Amazing.

[@darmou]

This review left me Soul searching...

[@chriswestenskow5202]

This series is cool. As long as you are doing short range compliance cars, try to find a Ford Focus EV. I had one for 3 years and loved it. It has proper thermal management on the battery. The last 2 years of production (2017-18) had a bigger battery and 50kW CCS charging

[@iMaxPatten]

Thanks! I have had trouble finding a Focus EV anywhere in Colorado for sale. I don’t think many were made. Does seem like one of the better compliance cars though and glad you liked yours!

[@unsayableorc2434]

@@iMaxPatten Please do review one if you find one, especially a 2017 / 2018 model year. Absolutely loving my 2018 Focus EV, it is definitely one of the better compliance cars out there despite its rarity!

[@KingOfKYA]

@@iMaxPatten look in Texas I don't know why but that's where i got my 2013 from there. Its defiantly not a good by today due to derogation(mines 47-50miles now)) and no ccs/chadamo. But hey I had it for 5 years no with no value deprecation so I cant be too mad:) still worth about10k bough it for 11k 5 years go.

[@davenemo5494]

I always wondered how well those batteries held up and if they were covered under warranty.

[@flolou8496]

Is the 50kw CCS charging the technical reason why DC level 3 charging, charges a car in the 80% range in 30 minutes, you hear so much about? or is this another type of benefit ?

[@tadrian33]

Max's favorite song is Limp Bizkit's Rollin' because he doesn't like to stop at stop signs when he drives. Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin' (what?)

[@dmunro9076]

The 60+ Kwh battery pack version was/is sold in Canada.

[@ryankassel5691]

Great video Max! Is the Bolt the only liquid cooled BEV in the price range, or are there others I'm forgetting about?

[@iMaxPatten]

The FIAT 500e and BMW i3. are also liquid-cooled.

[@608997]

Prices are falling as you record these videos.. Doing a final recap video on prices before choosing (unless you already have!) would be helpful and interesting. I am in the market and trying to hold off as long as possible to let the prices drop - I'm very curious how the tax credit will affect the market and prices of these cars. Thoughts? Leaning towards the Leaf as it is the biggest of all the cheaper cars and the style I like most. eGolf close second.. Thanks!

[@magpietexas9475]

I have 2018 Electric Soul. I LOVE it!! 120 mi full charge mostly on hiway running AC. The 2018 has a slightly bigger battery

[@josephmiller5429]

Something else to note on these, get a 2017 or newer if you want to make use of the Kia Connect app and connected vehicle features. The 2015-2016 have 3G modems in them and kia will no longer activate the service on them even if they still get signal from Verizon. 2017 and newer have LTE.

[@daniels7862]

I got one new in 2016 with the same black red color. I really liked it but battery degradation was terrible but it hadn’t hit the warranty replacement level yet. Also had problems with clunking in the front suspension.

[@LeoNation007]

Same with mines! Bought one in Oct 2016, I’ve gotten 95k miles on it, but battery has gone way down, at around 70miles for 100% of charge. Still haven’t gotten under warranty just yet.

[@sprockkets]

That clunking is probably the front sway bars. It's apparently a common issue on all cars today.

[@carperdiem8754]

My soul dev battery failed around 45k miles. I love the interior and cooled seats, but it has been waiting on a battery 4 months now

[@djcruiser9816]

Ouch I might be in the same boat. Did the dealer provide a rental?

[@carperdiem8754]

@@djcruiser9816 they offered one, but I didn’t need it

[@dzonikg]

HOw did it fail.Here in Serbia Kia Soul 2015-16 are cheapest used EVs ,they under 10k euros but its probably becase off horribly battery degradation .ALl off them show less then 100 km range on full battery which is like 60 miles .I would like some cheap used EV for town (i allready have 3 ICE cars) and only under 10k are Kia SOul ,NIssan Leaf and Smart EVs

[@b.p.879]

I've driven a regular engine 2013 Kia Soul since 2015, and I absolutely love it. I'm wanting to get an EV Soul so bad!!

[@flolou8496]

It's hard to choose a Kia Soul in these models years for there high prices compared to the 2017 electric Ford Focus now approaching the 12,000 price range and still under 40,000 odometer miles, do you know if the Soul has multilink or double wishbone suspension in the 2016 2017 or 2018 model years ?

[@mikelieber1]

Good review - Thanks, How about a BMW i3 next ? :)

[@iMaxPatten]

Stay tuned ;)

[@ZZ-topp]

Wish I could find these headlights for mine

[@bighappy7394]

I’m looking at a 2015 Kia soul EV plus $9,900 with 53k miles. Is this a good buy?

[@jp3npt]

My 2015 Soul EV+ has coil springs on the back instead of torsion bars. I know because I was looking into raising it a bit, as it sags just a bit in the rear after 90,000 miles. Takes 55kW on the local ChargePoint DC charger, but that's probably because Kia put in a 30kWh battery in early 2019. I've only used DC charging a couple of times to add a few miles because they're charging $0.68/kWh, while it's only $0.12 at home. I also don't want to shorten the life of the battery which isn't showing any noticeable signs yet of degradation.

[@mariano3113]

Chargepoint in Scottsdale, AZ only charges $0.08/kWh (Home charging for me on SRP is about $0.07) so I do DC pretty frequently about 15-20 times a month. Had a battery replacement on my 2015 at 36k miles back in 2019 and now have 97k miles, Kia extended my warranty to 2027 and 150k miles. Hoping to get another Battery replacement under warranty and awaiting a new Boxy EV replacement to hit the market.

[@jp3npt]

@@mariano3113 Wow I never heard of a warranty extension like that OR a fast charger rate that low! I’m the second owner so my warranty expired at 60,000 miles. For your situation you REALLY need active thermal battery management and liquid cooling. I’m in eastern NC where temps rarely go over 95 degrees, but I only charge after midnight when it’s cooler outside, only on level 2, and rarely to more than 80%. I think that’s the only way to get long life out of these air cooled batteries and with no warranty left my battery needs to last a long time.

[@mariano3113]

@@jp3npt Plugshare will show 62.5kW DCFC at 7350 N Dobson Rd Scottsdale, AZ for 8 cents per kWh I do also have a 2019 Bolt Premier which has enough range for me to not need to DC charge. (Oddly the Bolt charges slower to regain the same distance as the Soul due to aggressive charging curve) (Yes, it is probably not healthy to DCFC Air cooled Soul in 118+ degree Fahrenheit Phoenix weather, but I do it anyway.)* As per mention of the warranty for 2015 Soul EV the Electric Vehicle System Warranty is 100,000 miles even for used. (Subsequent owners) Only the "Powertrain Warranty" is 60,000 miles for used. EV System warranty includes EV motor and reduction gearbox, so the "Powertrain warranty" is misleading for the EV. (I had my drive unit replaced at 66,000 miles for free, and recently had both the charge connector and on-board charger replaced under warranty) imgur.com/gallery/YjpRUuH Link below has the warranty pictures from the manual.

[@Mvendrel]

Is there a battery SOH indicator on the Soul EV similar to the 12-bar indicator for a Nissan Leaf?

[@KalleSWBeck]

No but there is an app called soul spy you can use to check

[@pices229]

If you don't drive in the B mode the car will go much quicker from 0-60.

[@loriallen67]

I love my Soul and would love an electric one - with range and CCS charging. But Kia won’t bring the E-Soul back to the US.

[@sprockkets]

Maybe the next gen will have eawd and the egmp platform. Otherwise the Niro is available but expensive. Probly will just wait for Equinox EV - heat pump guaranteed :)

[@buixote]

Looking for updates on the eSoul... I suspect it's a better deal than the Niro... An anyone comment?

[@starrieknight8307]

I miss cube cars too 🥹

[@b6s4shelter]

FYI 2015-2017 Soul EV have a 3G modem that is no longer functional. Country wide dismantling of 3G network means the app is useless. KIA refuses to replace or offer a 4G Moden update. 3G modem is designed into the Head unit and not free standing so replacing it cost too much and Kia is screwing their Owners. Also, my 2016 Soul EV+ is degrading rapidly and the battery is failing. In Winter I'm down to 55mi of range 32f and summer I'm topping out at 85. From New I'd be 110mi in Summer and 85mi in Winter. 30% degradation in 56K miles.

[@chunkychuck]

2 things I've noted so far: the EV-e trim, only sold in California, did not come with a heat pump. On the EV+, that is real leather.

[@iMaxPatten]

Battery conditioning/warming was state dependent but I believe the heat pump was standard everywhere.

[@chunkychuck]

@@iMaxPatten EV-e trim didn't have it -- only sold in California originally.

[@iMaxPatten]

@@chunkychuck Good to know!

[@chunkychuck]

@@iMaxPatten I've edited my original post. You are right that I was also thinking of the battery heater, which was state dependent.

[@flolou8496]

Terrible choice to get something so old, when you can find 2022 redesigned Chevy Bolt with low miles and remaining manufactuer's warranty for under 20K not including the 4K federal tax rebates for used EV's.

[@lindawhite629]

Max. I want that exact car. 0lease have Kyle put it on the trailer and bring it to me 8n Florida. I even have a Soul chipmunk to ride with me :>)

[@barryw9473]

2017+ e-Golf has 125 mile range.

[@sprockkets]

It's not worth what they are going for used in the US, because for just a little more, you can get a Bolt, or even the Kona EV for the same price in the same model year, and there is no comparison in range or even HP.

[@undrachvrsage]

Bolt still beats it on value per dollar

[@tggraham3321]

😬

[@Sb129]

Too bad the battery is aircooled

[@arkitech]

Active air cooled. The AC triggers to cool the battery automatically when it starts to get too warm and it has its own ducts as well

[@Sb129]

@@arkitech Hmmm, good to know, I thought it was like the old Leafs.

[@arkitech]

Yeah I just bought one myself and when I was looking at reviews ppl kept saying that and that was concerning me until I read an article that went more in depth

[@flolou8496]

Wow excellent on your part to go deeper, I still think the 2018 bigger battery Sou's, are going to be a great bargain when they're more commonly found under 15K, (probably around the time when the average price of gasoline nationwide is almost 5.00 a gallon, like it is in some city's now)

[@johnpoldo8817]

Too ugly, boxy vehicle.

[@markfitzpatrick6692]

Plenty of chademo around i drive a 2012 leaf. Look at plugshare before telling people it is going away. Ev go chargepoint. She’ll recharge didn’t get the memo. We get new units with both . Even ea has kept chademo at locations they have replaced see Twitter under ea

[@nishiki393]

It's still on the quick quick way out.

[@flolou8496]

I don't own a EV, I don't have a budget that justify's getting one beyond 10,00 ideally, and I don't want models from Nissan Leaf older than 2016 or Ford Electric Focus older than 2017 or Kia Soul older than 2018, (because in these specific newer model years only are when the battery's are capable of providing at least 75 miles of range if the entire car was well maintained, etc..) but can I ask you something? I think the 2017 electric focus might offer an advantage when it comes to level 3 charging in the future over the 2016 Nissan Leaf, but how much of an advantage are we talking about? (I live in Las Vegas, NV where it gets super hot like over 110 during the day and still over 80 degrees at night from May until August on some days, which is why I'm hesitant about the Nissan Leaf especially as I hear bits and pieces over KZbin ownership videos on how much the cold or hot weather impacts the battery range on the Nissan Leaf, and than like you I hear about the CHADEMO future is in jeopardy, which is why I've pivoted to the Ford Electric Focus as the next best shot at getting a good value for under 12,000 in the 2017 model year,