@@niph670 Can I ask what year and colour it was? I just took a supposed 30kWh 2017 blue one out for a test drive and it's range on full charge was only 75 miles - so quite a difference! That one had an H as the 10th digit, so there seems to be a bit of a spectrum.
Thanks for this review. I have been considering a used Soul EV as a financially achievable stepping stone into EV ownership. Really appreciate the time taken to review a used EV.
Update - I purchased a 2018 30kw e-Soul in April 2022, just before petrol hit £2 a litre. Absolutely fantastic car…….a massively underrated EV. Really great acceleration, my last car was a 2L Audi TT and I don’t miss it! Getting 135 miles on a full charge (Spring- Summer), approx 4.5 miles per kWh. Paid a lot more than quoted in this article, but with high petrol prices you just cannot get these under £20k.
Concise, to the point, no messing and everything that a potential used Soul EV customer needs to know, this is how you do a car review. Keep doing what you are doing, it seems to be working out pretty well.
My other half has had her "Smurf" for 4 and a half years and loves it. When I "forced" her to give up the aging petrol Honda Civic and go for a BEV, I was hoping to be able to drive it occasonally, but she is the one that is allowed to drive her car.
I have a Soul EV+ here in the US and I LOVE IT. It was our first electric car and we are planning on buying it off lease. We have only put 9800 miles on it in 3 years. It feels brand new
@@sudanliu1989 After the motor controller went out and the dealership spent 3 months trying to figure out the issue we returned the car since it was on lease and have gone back to gas for now. Sad for sure.
I bought one of the original 27kw press cars from Kia in 2017. I have covered 35 000 miles in it and absolutely love it. We took it on holiday to Holland last year which took planning but worked well
I have a 2017 Soul ev in California. It is my 3rd ev after a Fiat500 and Chevy Spark. I love the Soul and plan to purchase it when my lease ends inDecember. I regularly get over 100 miles when driving in the city where I live. It is rated at 93 miles here in the US and the only time I get that or worse is on the highway or up in the mountains. I have seen 110 - 118 during good weather in the city. I love he interior design and the seats are some of the most comfortable I have had in any car. The tech is nicely designed and very intuitive to use. It is not the most powerful but I do not drive it like a sports car so the power is plenty for the intended use. Very efficient and ride is great. Overall I would recommend anyone thinking about trying an EV to consider the Soul.
My 2016 Soul EV plus, leather AC seats, no sunroof has been fantastic. In USA NY 67-70 miles in 20-30f wether, 95-105 in 80f weather. Nothing has broken in 30k miles. Excellent build quality.
My wife didn't say no to moving to an EV. We watched your show on the New Kia Soul, she enjoyed the interaction and comments that your wife made. And so I started looking at used Souls, none where I live in Oil Country Alberta but loads across the mountains in BC. Only issue, no EV dealers here in the province.. This latest show does make me think that the Soul is still the way to go at the moment. Thanks for putting it together, and yes I paused and read all the owners comments. Looking forward to whatever you put out next.. Thanks.
The 1019 Kia Soul EV was our first buy, which we still own. Something also to consider is it's fast charging performance here in Canada our CHAdMo on many Petro Canada stations are 100KW, and at 10-15% I have hit 70KW charge rates often pulling out in 15-18 minutes. The batteries are actively air cooled, and I have watched the battery temps using SoulSpy during the fast charge, I never had it exceed 40Deg.C. on a 32 Deg. C day. Our trick is leave the air conditioner on as the cool air intake for the batteries is under the front seats. perfect car I still love the grey Interior with blue piping on the heated and cooled seats better than the all black 2020. Long distance, no problem did a 2500KM trip from Vancouver to Edmonton AB at that time mostly with 50KW chargers, no issues, now the trip can be had mostly with 100KW Chadmo plugs which would reduce the charge time by about 35%. Simply a great car!!!
I've had my 18 plate 30kw Soul for four months now very happy with my choice. Car was purchased with the help of Johnathan from eco cars who made the whole experience a doddle even delivered to my home in Dorset. Kia Soul a great car 👍. Another great video Johny.
I leased this model for 2 years after hearing about leasing from Fully Charged. I LOVED it. I loved the quirky look and it was quite zippy. I probably charged it in a service station about 20 times in those 2 years as charging at home was enough. I worked out 600 miles was £35 on the electric bill...so very good!
Hi Jonny, yes we have a Kia Soul ev which we bought ex lease from Kia and it is lovely, every thing you said and more. HOWEVER just last week I had a puncture and discovered a THIRD layer of storage under the cable store under the boot and in there is a digital electric air pump, along side the electric stuff you mentioned, which got me to the tyre place. After all this time I’m still discovering new things about it. We have solar panels and a power wall so summer two years ago- 3 months running the house and 2500 miles in the car cost 85p. Haven’t worked it out since. Enjoy your channel.
I watch loads of car reviews, I find yours amongst the best. Keeping to the facts, a fair and level review no fanboy approach or snobbary . Great job @carpervert keep them coming!
I love my soul! Been driving it for over a year, got it off lease, at 12k miles! Have all the kia support, as i am a second owner, or the only first owner since it was a previous lease.
Make sure to check for the a catalytic converter recall. On 2012 to 2016 souls have a recall on the catalytic converter that causes higher pressure in the exhaust system causing higher then normal engine temperature ( gages wont show it getting hot) and can cause the motor to blow. Our 2013 last year blew the motor under normal driving conditions on the interstate i disengaged cruise control to pass some one and when i tried to accelerate past the person i heard a ping and the a loud clacking noise from busting a piston rod. Luckily our car was still under the kia warranty so it was replaced for free and after we traded up but definitely have your car checked for this recall.
I have a 30 kwh Soul EV and I love it! It's a great car! really special! very comfortable and smooth! I love the grey interior! And despite I am very curious with the new version, I actually think that the older version looks better especially in the inside! Great vídeo, thank you!
@@johnfitbyfaithnet The original battery was a 27-kilowatt-hour, air-cooled lithium-ion pack. Starting in 2018 it has a 30-kWh, 375-volt lithium-ion polymer battery that’s designed for high-energy capacity and thermal stability. No mention of how it's cooled, probably still air-cooled. The latest 2020/2021 Soul EV now comes with a new state-of-the-art liquid-cooled lithium ion polymer 64 kWh battery.
My partner and I used to have a 2017 Soul EV. I leased it as a way to try out electric cars because it was so cheap on the lease deal they were doing here in the US at the time ($99/mo). It was a great car that worked well for most of our driving, but would require a charge to go visit family, which we do every other week. The ride quality, interior noise and just rhe general feel of the car made it feel more expensive than what we paid for it. It was pretty reliable save for the on board charger failing within a couple weeks of delivery, the horn relay failing (requiring the fuse box to be replaced) and that fancy cantilever charger door requiring periodic cleaning and lubing of the latch and hinges otherwise it would get stuck closed. During the time we were leasing it, I sold off my old car and bought a 2019 Bolt, and we traded in the Soul for a 2020 Kona 64kwh. We've driven almost 12k miles between the 2 cars since November. Ironically, aside from the improved acceleration, the Soul was a better driver than the Kona. Much more smooth and refined. I don't believe the Soul has a liquid cooled battery though, at least not the 27kwh version I had. I was under that car a few times (I'm a professional auto tech) and never saw any coolant lines going to the pack. There is also a fan under the cargo floor with ducting going under the floor, you could hear it kick on from time to time when fast charging. I also remember in the owners manual that they would advise against fast charging during hot days, especially if you had just gotten off the freeway (which is pretty much always when you would fast charge).
I own a 2016 Soul EV in Smurf Blue which I bought off-lease here in California. It was 3 years old with less than 12,000 miles. During the pandemic it was the only car we used for months. The Soul's battery has degraded a bit since I only get 74 miles of range on a full charge now. Although it's not that fast 0-60 (positively pedestrian in comparison to my son's Tesla Model 3) it's perky for 0-30. All-in-all we love the Soul. When we were finally allowed to travel again we had to jump start our Subaru Legacy for a longer trip. I really appreciate your informative videos.
Hi - I had the 27kw on lease for 3 years, my wife has the 30kw, which is our only “car” now (as we also have a motorhome). Within 4 months of getting the 27kw, we were so impressed with it, we leased the 30kw (one of the earliest 30kw’s that came into the country). We have extended the lease on the 30Kw and will probably extend again when the time comes. We are highly delighted with it, it suits our needs. Yes I would like the new Soul EV and will probably get one in time, but we’re in no rush. We’ve had no problems with them. We had the 12volt battery go flat once, (leaving the interior light on I suspect). If anyone has any questions regarding my experience with them, don’t hesitate to ask. Only one comment re the review, did I hear Jonny say the battery was liquid cooled? The new one is, but the 27kw/30kw have an “air” cooled system. If I were buying one second hand, I’d have a traction battery check done, (I would do that with any Second hand EV, whatever the make). In the uk climate the batteries generally hold up well, provided they haven’t been abused. In hotter climes, (USA) there have been a few claims under warranty to replace batteries that have degredation. (The air cooled system has not coped well in constant extreme heat (California etc.).
Our 2015 Soul EV has done 160 000 km is is now outside warranty. Its a keeper. HVB was replaced with the newer 30KWh battery at 130 000km - Just raced through MOT. No Problem. Also great on snow and Ice (Norway) - as its weight sits low due to the battery - Love it !!
This is such a concise and thorough review. You're exceptionally efficient at presenting all of the pertinent information needed to help me with my next purchase. THANK YOU!
You can also tell if it is 27kw or 30kw by the surround of the tweeter speaker on the top of the dashboard. 27kw has a thicker chrome surround while the 30kw has a much smaller chrome detail. Other than that visually they are identical
Only 'error' as such, on the review is the battery is air cooled , not liquid, there's a fan under the cables in the boot that sucks cabin air through the battery, I had the '30' for 2 yrs driving 20k a year , at 38k it still had 100% battery SOH! And original tyres . Lastly the kia always stated 'usable ' capacity on the Soul unlike Nissan with their 24 - 30 & 40 really being 21- 27 & 37.5 ...usable
Jonathan helped me buy my Kangoo ZE and helped arrange to get it from Glasgow BCA to Torquay. He provides a great service at a very reasonable cost. I saved over £3k on the guide price. And he's a nice guy.
2016 Soul EV Lover here! Mine came from California to me in Tennessee and the range was down to 55 miles but Kia replaced the battery under warranty. I Love everything about this car inside and out! It's the perfect little commuter EV for me with a 240V charger in the garage. Can't say enough good about it, I tell anyone who seems interested about it. Keep up the good work Brother John!
Great review, great tips. Thank you for taking the time to produce this. (The Kona EV is also a great option). GM however missed a trick 3 years ago, by not bothering to promote the ampera-e - that had great specs back when all other EVs were struggling to find range that would get you off your driveway.
I had the 30kwh version for a year and a half, and I got only 2 complaints on it, the rest is all positive. Those are: *It drains the 12V battery, if you park it for 2-3 weeks, and it won't start unless 12V battery is fresh. *And I havent been able to find a descent workshop manual for it. Not that I needed a workshop manual yet, but I got OCD for knowing how my cars is built, and how to fix them.
About to part exchange our 2009 A4 2.0 petrol for a 2015 Soul, my wife's really looking forward to it and this review helped make our minds up, top job and thank you!
08:40 - The 7yr/100k warranty only transfers to the new owner if it is CPO. Without CPO status, the second owner only gets 5yr/60k. This also applies to the high-voltage battery. A not-insignificant number of 2015-2016 Soul EVs had premature battery failure and the HVB was replaced with the newer 30KWh battery, but software limited. Finding one of those would be ideal as the top 10% of the battery is inaccessible and so you can charge them to 100% and still be "charging to 90%" for battery health
Well done Jonny, you have a humorous delivery that makes your videos very entertaining and this is a good example of what I mean! This also sneaks a lot of good information into the discussion in an easy to remember way. Thanks for another great video!
Purchased a 2016 EV+ 6 months ago. I had some charging issues initially which were solved by a software upgrade. No problems since and very happy with the car.
The 27kWh battery in Soul 2014-2017 is garbage. We got a new improved battery with 28.8kWh capacity with same cell chemistry as the 30kWh battery. Now the car is one of the best second hand purchases one can buy.
Fabulous car I drove three nearly purchased one of these only minus for me was the reflection in the screen of that white dashboard! There is another colour of Black with Red roof with the EV which appears to have a black dash in photo’s but I went with the Ioniq 68 Reg I get 5.5 m kw on screen, this time of year I.e no lights or heater...EV’s are the future. My previous 4wd diesel returned 55-65mpg so exploring hybrids gave “me” no advantage for my commute, still think Soul is a good option myself....😊
I have a 2016 EV soul. I bought it used summer of 2022 with 64 miles range at full charge. Took it home and the next morning the full charge resulted in 36 mile of range. Dealer couldn't tell me what might have happened in those 24 hours to cut the range in half. Three weeks after driving it daily, it wouldn't charge. Took it to the dealer and after three and a half months they determined the on-board charger was at fault and replaced it. The day I got the car back, at 35 miles per hour I heard a large bang from the rear of the car and lost all power. I had to coast to the side of a busy road. When I turned the car off and tried to restart it, it worked normally. Dealer can't understand what might be the problem. I continue to drive the car today. The full charge range has now fallen to 26 miles. The car is a nice size and when it works, it's fun to drive. I generally like everything about it except the reliability. The service people here in Kansas City at the dealership seem to have no expertise in working on this car.
I've been leasing my Soul EV for 18 months now, and thoroughly enjoying the experience. The car was leased as a 27kWh, but appears to be the 30kWh model. The GOM reads 109 miles in the summer and roughly 99 in the winter. It sounds like I should be able to vastly improve on that, with a change of driving style.
The difference between these cars and the leaf's on an engineering level is very important. Having active battery cooling greatly extends the life of the batteries. I'd be much more likely to buy one of these used than a leaf just on that basis alone
@@TheLateBrakeShow Having owned my car since last June I have to say it one of the best decision ever. Due to the pandemic and as I cannot work from home, I wanted to own a car to drive into London from Harrow (26 mile round trip), Its congestion charge exempt (till 2025) and parking in Westminster only cost 82p per day. The GOM is accurate and went high as 168 miles (5.9 miles/kWh) in the Summer and low was around 108 miles in Winter (all city driving). Overall avg since ownership is 4.8 kWh after 7500 miles. I have started adopting the 25% to 75 - 85% charge cycle to extend the battery life and this means I can charge every 3 days in Winter and every 4 to 5 days in Summer. Usually free too at Nine Elms Sainsburys, The battery is still at 100% at 44,000 miles, something a Leaf could never do, The SK Innovation battery has very long expected life and I have not heard of any 30kWh showing any degredation. However the 27kWh do suffer from some degredation (but not a bad a leaf) I do get tempted to switch to new Soul but it hard to justify the spens as its perfect for my needs. My daughter who also loves the car will get it as her first car in three years time.
I have been contemplating buying a "bop around" car in the next year. I had discounted EVs, though they fit the use case neatly, because they're all $40,000 USD! Looking now at these cars used, they're entirely reasonable around $10k. Thanks for this.
I couldn't decide between Kia Soul 30kwh, Nissan Leaf 30kwh and BMW i3 94ah. None of them are perfect but your review convinced me to go and look at used Soul advertised on Autotrader. Snow white pearl is OK but the cyan is not visually appealing (imo), so I was ready to walk away but I thought since I was there, I may aswell test drive it. Within 2 mins of driving it, I was a convert and ended up buying it. The car is really well built, quicker than specs suggest in normal mode, and has everything you'd need, other than a smartphone app. Now need to find someone to wrap the cyan bits to black.....
I would recommend against the LEAF simply due to the battery degradation issues on those cars. Nissan really made a big mistake on that. The thing with more affordable EVs is that the specs don't say everything. We often focus so hard on specific numbers since we are so used to them, but take the 0 to 60 times for example, as you have experienced, at the start of the accelleration, these cars really do fly, it is only once you get past that initial accelleration and are moving towards highway speeds that it starts to taper off.
Not sure how effective air cooling is, but must be better than no management like Leaf/Zoe. Early Soul EV seem to degrade in hot climates like Texas and Arizona, where as Leaf owners suffer degradation in Norway, to the point where Nissan offer a recon battery for £2500. Also like 92% cutoff on CHAdeMO in Soul EV Not sure why anyone buys new Leaf 40 or 62. Nice as it is to drive, no BMS mean overheated battery leading to degradation and Rapidgate You’d think Nissan be better at Electric Cards than the Koreans. You have to hand it Hyundai/Kia in collaborating to produce efficient EVs and using the opportunity to build a great Brand reputation Brand snobbery will help some fossil mass producers sell some mediocre EVs with better Styling and interiors On Ev database the most efficient car is Ioniq not Tesla, nuff said
I’ve commented generally on this review, but just noted your comment re wrapping the cyan bits black! That’s just what we did, and the car looks brilliant, a real head turner!
I bought an off lease 3 year old 2016 Soul EV+ for $12,000 over a year ago. It had less than 15,000 on it and is still under warranty. We use my wife's Subaru Legacy for long trips but anything up to 40 miles from home we'll take the Soul. My son has a Tesla Model 3 but I hit my head getting into the driver's seat, no issue with the Soul. Don't get the acceleration or range of his Model 3 but I'm happy saving $45,000 vs his new Model 3.
Hi Jonny, enjoyed the Soul EV buying guide. The alternatives all stacked up, but as an Ampera owner, and I understand why it wasn't included, I feel there is probably an episode all of it so own hidden in there. I know you own or owned a Volt, so the EV credentials with zero range anxiety, I know you will be acutely aware of. So I have a 2012 Ampera which I bought for £15K at 2 years old with 24k miles from a main dealer.............nearly 6 years ago. It is exactly as it was when we bought it, now at 73k miles. Still giving nearly 50 mile range on battery power, but only in the summer, you'll know that with the Volt, winter range can be as low as 25 miles. Now I find myself looking at EV options to change, but it always comes back to 'why bother'. We own the car, no payments, we only buy fuel if we have a long trip to do. RFL is £0, servicing is chea[ as chips. Did a 400 mile round trip last week for £18 worth of petrol, now its back to local EV only mode. GM said its not a hybrid but we all know that it is in reality, but what a hybrid ! 90% of it's use is battery powered, maybe more, its got a really high end feel to it with the trim, fittings and spec, so for me its THE hidden gem in the EV world. Please do a feature on Ampera/Volt buying guide when you get the chance. Keep up thy good work ! You're doing a great job............wont ask about what happened with Fully Charged except to say you're a miss.
Although we own 2 KIA EV6 Plus AWD cars (325HP), we do not consider ourselves to be people from the EV community. No thank you very much! We also have a 1987 Chevrolet Camaro (1 from 744 made in 1987) Iroc Z28 5.0 Liter V8 Convertible with manual gearbox and 2 Harley Davidson Motorcycles; one from 1985 and one from 1986. I am just saying... these things can mix you know...
We own a 27kW 2016 Soul EV. It is a surprisingly smooth ride with a lot less "tech" threshold into EV driving. Well built, silent, comfortable and well-equipped. The dealership may have difficulty to install Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but after searching online, I found access to the installer. That is really a good alternative for an otherwise quickly ageing navigation system. Combination of native functionality with CarPlay is smooth and intuitive. Newer model Souls do already have CarPlay at delivery. Don-t miss it!
Hi Jonny, we have a Smurf and are very pleased with it. We also have an Env200 which is a great van. Two EV households can work. Really enjoying your videos, thank you.
Another way to tell the 27 and 30 apart, 27’s came on Nexen tyres, the 30’s came with Michelin’s. Easy check to make on advert photos (well for cars with low enough mileage to be on their original tyres). The 30 can be found on 17 and 67 plates even though model year 2018, as came from June 2017. Adverts often list them wrong, even dealers!
My ex has one, and she had to exchange the high voltage battery. Happily it was done under warranty, but at about 100000 km it was alarmingly early. The main computer of the car has been swapped under warranty too.
I actually read all those messages and the last two were copies of previous ones. What are the odds that Jonny did this on purpose to see if anyone would notice? :D
A bit late to the party, I've had a 2016 27kwh Soul for the last 2 years,. 33000 miles on the clock and the battery is still showing 100% soh, when I charge it and work out the energy added it comes to 27kwh. The only thing I don't like about it is the charging port on the front as I prefer reverse parking. Other than that it's a cracking 2nd / town car
For anyone interested in Ontario Canada you can find quite a few '16 Soul EVs on Autotrader for between 13k & 19k. Mostly the white with electric blue, but there is a black with red roof/trim - major A-Team van vibes.
There is actually a difference between the 27 and 30 KWh versions to be seen at the front. The front bumper air inlet at the 30 KWh model is completely covered with a plastic grille while the lower part of that intake is open on 27 KWh model.
Another cool feature is that the steering wheel has a button to adjust the stiffness of the steering so you could make it soft,for parking for example, or hard for higher speed driving. They also had android auto and I think apple car play which helps with the old feeling of the infotainment. Kia also claimed it could do 100kw charging on the CHAdeMO, never go to test it though. The type one connector is only an issue if you already had an installed tethered unit with a type 2. No need for adaptors otherwise.
4:10 It's a liquid cooled battery pack? Are you sure? If so, that's great, but I think only the motor and electronics are liquid cooled. (There's a fan in the trunk that blows cooled cabin air into the battery pack, below the floor cover). There are vents under the driver and passenger seats that pass down through the battery pack and that fan sucks the air through. By the way, coincidentally I recently bought a used 2016 Kia Soul EV+ with less than 18000 miles on it (less than 5000 per year!) single owner, no accidents and in excellent condition (it even still SMELLS like a new car!) and the whole thing including shipping from California to Florida was less than $16000. So far, I'm loving it! I bought it sight unseen due to limitations during lockdown, but since it was Kia Certified Previously Owned and all those other things I just mentioned, I gave it a shot and no regrets so far. (I used cargurus.com to find it, but there are other used car sites out there too, such as carvana.com and carmax.com)
Correct air cooled battery, I have pictures of the pack opened on mine, unfortunately at 38k it needed a second new pack due to a low voltage cell pair. Texas car.
JustWasted3HoursHere yes first time was prior to my purchase, and after the car was returned after the lease. My hypothesis is that the car sat at low State Of Charge in Houston in the heat until shortly before I bought it.
@@reeftank706 That will certainly do it. It's too bad that battery manufacturers haven't figured out a way to make a battery that is not damaged by having a low SOC. From what I understand solid state batteries have this advantage (among many others). It will be a huge game changer when they finally hit the EV market, but they are probably at least 5 years away still. (Charging times orders of magnitude faster, no chance of fire or explosion, many more possible cycles, etc).
Your reviews of the soul are outstanding ! Our yellow diesel has been outstanding ( fitted a TDI tuning kit epic ) Your excellent reviews have sold the newbie 😁
The first electric car I drove was a soul I used to valet them out because I used to work for the main inport company in immingham in linconshire I dont work there anymore so I dont drive them now but they are a good car and fast between 20 to 50 mph
Kia are doing fantastic things lately, the Stinger GT is a Police Car in Australia ! Affordable Electric cars are incredibly important. This is a really good looking practical car !
2018 soul on lease from drive electric. Done 18,000 miles. I live in a flat bloc so no charger. There is a fast charger 1 mile away. Has been amazing car best I’ve had and I’ve had a lot of cars. I’ve looked at extending the lease but with a new born on the way the boot is not large enough to accommodate a pushchair let alone other baby travelling items. I have a Nissan Leaf on order but will feel said to swap this car.
Good video, very informative. I not been in the market for EV but your video has opened my mind more than anything else I seen. BUT. Video was missing Mrs Smith. More please 👍🏻
Great video but as far as I can tell there aren’t available here in Australia yet. Just another item to wait for in the meantime I’ll keep watching your videos.
I got £9.700 for my 2014 with 78k miles (smurf) It was an amazing car. It drove like a Bentley, nice and supple over bumps & holes. But I thought it wasn't bad round corners (until I test drive the golf) Now driving an e-golf 2019.
You can get a certified Soul Ev with anywhere from 16-20K miles in my area for $12-$13K the ev plus with leather and heated and ventilated seats. It’s a bargain plus you get the battery warranty which is the remainder of the 120,000 miles/10 years whatever comes first. It’s a great deal! Especially since most of these cars are lease returns so they’re kept in excellent condition!
I'm just about to trade a 22kwh Zoe i ( owned battery) on a 16 plate for a silver Kia 30kwh on an 18 plate with a cost to change of 5k. This video convinced me to go ahead and do that. As a senior ( aka an old man)I think the car warranty will outlast my warranty! Have loved the Zoe as my first EV but am hoping to love a Soul even more.
@@keithmyerscough697 Yes, I'm still alive and driving my Kia EV! I loved it on my test drive and still do. It's much more efficient than my Zoe was and returns 4.5 to 5.0 with ease and without running over the man with the red flag. I don't like Kia IT stuff which always seems clunky and not intuitive but I hated Renault stuff as well. The car rides well and feels more substantial than the Zoe. Just shut a Renault door then the Kia and see which sounds like a dustbin lid! Service costs seem expensive for the supposedly simpler servicing than an ice car - but that might be my franchised dealer. I found carrying awkward stuff very easy in the Renault and needing a bit more faffing about in the Soul - but every day use the Kia boot is fine, if a bit vertical. Ask anything else by all means.
Been watching these for a while, may well end up with one when my current lease runs out. I think all of these can have the infotainment updated (DIY with a download from Kia and a USB stick) to get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Also with those wheels (not to everyone’s taste) the lighter part is a plastic trim that can be removed easily and spray painted. You sometimes see them for sale with grey or silver painted trims and it looks quite smart.
Not had the pleasure of driving the e-Soul but loving the e-Niro after just over a year of ownership. Build quality seems really good and it will be interesting to see how things work out as I plan to keep the car for a long time. The Kia Soul has a more endearing shape and it will be interesting to see the sales numbers for Soul v Niro, assuming Kia can make them in big enough numbers to meet demand. Either way it’s great having the choice now of two long range EVs with great performance.
I looked at buying an older Soul, but I use my car for work and I can do up to 100 miles per day. Even though it's around town, I still think that's cutting it a bit fine, not to mention that if I need to use the car for anything else the same day, I'm unlikely to be able to without spending a good while charging. I suspect I will have to opt for leasing an ID.3 or similar.
I don't know why I watched this, I don't care for the look of the Soul. But it was interesting hearing the features and I know that you are always entertaining Jonny. You caught me with the Taycan Acceleration video, I guess the Soul is a bit less peppy from the Porsche? But a whole lot more economical I know. Thanks for the review. Keep up the great humor.
Sorry Jonny the 2016 Soul Battery pack is cooled with cabin air (passive) like the old Leaf not liquid(made by SK innovations). Great Vid though.Previous owner of 2016 Soul EV Luxury and current owner of 2020 Soul EV Limited Canadian Version White.
@@n.s.5278 Yes it will not last as long and because of it's small size one is tempted to charge to 100% this is also not great for longivity. I had this vehicle put 90,000km and it was functioning at about 95%. My experience only not a study, just mine.
@@n.s.5278 Yes I am referring to the small Batteries 27km Specifically. Just short of 4 years in Toronto Canada 90,000km Range was Summer 25C range was reduced to 95% of original 2016 KIA Soul Limited 143km + or - 2 km's.
It's funny... These are only 11 seconds from zero to sixty, but I have to say it FEELS _WAY_ faster than that when you floor it! I'm sure it's because of the instantaneous torque, but I am certainly happy with the performance of my 2016 Kia Soul EV+!
@@TheLateBrakeShow Agreed. And honestly, 11 seconds to 60 mph is still faster than my old ICE car... a rough-around-the-edges 1993 Honda Civic with 260,000+ miles on the odometer. It _might_ be able to do it under 11 seconds (barely), but not nearly as effortlessly. I'd have to drive it like I stole it to get that, too.
My Opel Zafira was on repair and I got a 2017 Kia Soul loner. I was amazed on how good the car felt and how great it was to drive, it really made all fossile cars feel like they belong on a museum. (and they do !) The only downside was range and boot space. So I decided to buy one, but unfortunately used car prices (Norway) was very close to a new one so I wanted to go for a new car. But Kia have made it obsolete and now the new one has a price tag that was 130.000 NOK more (£10.800). After thinking a few months I went for a MG ZS EV that cost a little less than the 30kWh Soul did. The MG is better equipped but are still missing a few things that Soul has, but it has more range and more boot space. So far I am very satisfied with the MG even it has less Soul.
@@TheLateBrakeShow I only had the Soul for 4 days, but of what I experienced these cars are very similar in build quality. The impression I have is that Kia is a little bit better on overall quality. (30kWh version)
Very good video. I see a 2016 ev Soul at a dealer in Canada at just under $25k. I need a new car and I am thinking of this. My only issue is range. I unfortunately drive 110 km round trip per day to work. I am very worried that on days with traffic jams especially in Canadian winter snowy days I will be stranded on my way home from work. I guess the answer is if I am concerned I should pass on this. Yes I may be able to charge at work but not every day. Really I can’t rely on that. Too bad I would really love to get into an Ev.
Old soul's - My piston diesel ... Room comes into play 👍 Being 6'8" it's roomy & plenty of headroom. And economical. Like the new 2020 EV but price here in Ireland €35k very pricey.
“I’m not asking you to sell your soul, I’m asking you to buy one.”
What a brilliant opening line!
Thanks for having me on Jonny ! Great video , and what a capable EV the Soul is !
Are you sure about that VIN check? I've looked at the last few Souls I've sold at the 10 digit on all was "G"??
@@GoGreenAutos The one I bought yesterday was 30kwh (range on full charge was 136) and did have a "J" on the 10th digit
Thanks for helping us become a two EV household Jonathan
@@niph670 Can I ask what year and colour it was? I just took a supposed 30kWh 2017 blue one out for a test drive and it's range on full charge was only 75 miles - so quite a difference! That one had an H as the 10th digit, so there seems to be a bit of a spectrum.
@@missweeandrea Mine was Snow White Pearl with Cyan roof. The VIN doesn't lie, but car dealer DO. It has to be "J" for 30kWh.
Thanks for this review. I have been considering a used Soul EV as a financially achievable stepping stone into EV ownership. Really appreciate the time taken to review a used EV.
Update - I purchased a 2018 30kw e-Soul in April 2022, just before petrol hit £2 a litre. Absolutely fantastic car…….a massively underrated EV. Really great acceleration, my last car was a 2L Audi TT and I don’t miss it! Getting 135 miles on a full charge (Spring- Summer), approx 4.5 miles per kWh. Paid a lot more than quoted in this article, but with high petrol prices you just cannot get these under £20k.
Concise, to the point, no messing and everything that a potential used Soul EV customer needs to know, this is how you do a car review. Keep doing what you are doing, it seems to be working out pretty well.
My other half has had her "Smurf" for 4 and a half years and loves it.
When I "forced" her to give up the aging petrol Honda Civic and go for a BEV, I was hoping to be able to drive it occasonally, but she is the one that is allowed to drive her car.
I have a Soul EV+ here in the US and I LOVE IT. It was our first electric car and we are planning on buying it off lease. We have only put 9800 miles on it in 3 years. It feels brand new
Same! Love it
@@sudanliu1989 After the motor controller went out and the dealership spent 3 months trying to figure out the issue we returned the car since it was on lease and have gone back to gas for now. Sad for sure.
I bought one of the original 27kw press cars from Kia in 2017. I have covered 35 000 miles in it and absolutely love it. We took it on holiday to Holland last year which took planning but worked well
NEDC = Not Even Damn Close
That's exactly what I get when at work as a local delivery driver.
I have a 2017 Soul ev in California. It is my 3rd ev after a Fiat500 and Chevy Spark. I love the Soul and plan to purchase it when my lease ends inDecember. I regularly get over 100 miles when driving in the city where I live. It is rated at 93 miles here in the US and the only time I get that or worse is on the highway or up in the mountains. I have seen 110 - 118 during good weather in the city. I love he interior design and the seats are some of the most comfortable I have had in any car. The tech is nicely designed and very intuitive to use. It is not the most powerful but I do not drive it like a sports car so the power is plenty for the intended use. Very efficient and ride is great. Overall I would recommend anyone thinking about trying an EV to consider the Soul.
My 2016 Soul EV plus, leather AC seats, no sunroof has been fantastic. In USA NY 67-70 miles in 20-30f wether, 95-105 in 80f weather. Nothing has broken in 30k miles. Excellent build quality.
My wife didn't say no to moving to an EV. We watched your show on the New Kia Soul, she enjoyed the interaction and comments that your wife made. And so I started looking at used Souls, none where I live in Oil Country Alberta but loads across the mountains in BC. Only issue, no EV dealers here in the province.. This latest show does make me think that the Soul is still the way to go at the moment. Thanks for putting it together, and yes I paused and read all the owners comments. Looking forward to whatever you put out next.. Thanks.
The 1019 Kia Soul EV was our first buy, which we still own. Something also to consider is it's fast charging performance here in Canada our CHAdMo on many Petro Canada stations are 100KW, and at 10-15% I have hit 70KW charge rates often pulling out in 15-18 minutes. The batteries are actively air cooled, and I have watched the battery temps using SoulSpy during the fast charge, I never had it exceed 40Deg.C. on a 32 Deg. C day. Our trick is leave the air conditioner on as the cool air intake for the batteries is under the front seats. perfect car I still love the grey Interior with blue piping on the heated and cooled seats better than the all black 2020. Long distance, no problem did a 2500KM trip from Vancouver to Edmonton AB at that time mostly with 50KW chargers, no issues, now the trip can be had mostly with 100KW Chadmo plugs which would reduce the charge time by about 35%. Simply a great car!!!
I've also one with the smaller battery from 2015 and almost 100.000 km on it. Still a great car, love it :)
I've had my 18 plate 30kw Soul for four months now very happy with my choice. Car was purchased with the help of Johnathan from eco cars who made the whole experience a doddle even delivered to my home in Dorset.
Kia Soul a great car 👍. Another great video Johny.
I leased this model for 2 years after hearing about leasing from Fully Charged.
I LOVED it. I loved the quirky look and it was quite zippy. I probably charged it in a service station about 20 times in those 2 years as charging at home was enough. I worked out 600 miles was £35 on the electric bill...so very good!
Hi Jonny, yes we have a Kia Soul ev which we bought ex lease from Kia and it is lovely, every thing you said and more. HOWEVER just last week I had a puncture and discovered a THIRD layer of storage under the cable store under the boot and in there is a digital electric air pump, along side the electric stuff you mentioned, which got me to the tyre place. After all this time I’m still discovering new things about it. We have solar panels and a power wall so summer two years ago- 3 months running the house and 2500 miles in the car cost 85p. Haven’t worked it out since. Enjoy your channel.
I watch loads of car reviews, I find yours amongst the best. Keeping to the facts, a fair and level review no fanboy approach or snobbary . Great job @carpervert keep them coming!
Bought it 3yrs ago - still love it! We are driving ~90% of our trips with it - merc enjoys it's life in the garage :)
Alternative video title: Jonny Smith Touching The Cloth.
excellent idea doing second-hand buyers guides for EV... hope you do many more
I love my soul! Been driving it for over a year, got it off lease, at 12k miles! Have all the kia support, as i am a second owner, or the only first owner since it was a previous lease.
Just bought a 2016 soul ev in the titanium silver just a couple of weeks ago....... Great car... thanks for this video
Oh you are gonna love it! Mine is the best.
Make sure to check for the a catalytic converter recall. On 2012 to 2016 souls have a recall on the catalytic converter that causes higher pressure in the exhaust system causing higher then normal engine temperature ( gages wont show it getting hot) and can cause the motor to blow. Our 2013 last year blew the motor under normal driving conditions on the interstate i disengaged cruise control to pass some one and when i tried to accelerate past the person i heard a ping and the a loud clacking noise from busting a piston rod. Luckily our car was still under the kia warranty so it was replaced for free and after we traded up but definitely have your car checked for this recall.
CAT on EV :)
I have a 30 kwh Soul EV and I love it! It's a great car! really special! very comfortable and smooth! I love the grey interior! And despite I am very curious with the new version, I actually think that the older version looks better especially in the inside! Great vídeo, thank you!
Is the battery liquid cooled?
@@johnfitbyfaithnet The original battery was a 27-kilowatt-hour, air-cooled lithium-ion pack.
Starting in 2018 it has a 30-kWh, 375-volt lithium-ion polymer battery that’s designed for high-energy capacity and thermal stability. No mention of how it's cooled, probably still air-cooled.
The latest 2020/2021 Soul EV now comes with a new state-of-the-art liquid-cooled lithium ion polymer 64 kWh battery.
What's the real life range
My partner and I used to have a 2017 Soul EV. I leased it as a way to try out electric cars because it was so cheap on the lease deal they were doing here in the US at the time ($99/mo). It was a great car that worked well for most of our driving, but would require a charge to go visit family, which we do every other week. The ride quality, interior noise and just rhe general feel of the car made it feel more expensive than what we paid for it. It was pretty reliable save for the on board charger failing within a couple weeks of delivery, the horn relay failing (requiring the fuse box to be replaced) and that fancy cantilever charger door requiring periodic cleaning and lubing of the latch and hinges otherwise it would get stuck closed. During the time we were leasing it, I sold off my old car and bought a 2019 Bolt, and we traded in the Soul for a 2020 Kona 64kwh. We've driven almost 12k miles between the 2 cars since November. Ironically, aside from the improved acceleration, the Soul was a better driver than the Kona. Much more smooth and refined.
I don't believe the Soul has a liquid cooled battery though, at least not the 27kwh version I had. I was under that car a few times (I'm a professional auto tech) and never saw any coolant lines going to the pack. There is also a fan under the cargo floor with ducting going under the floor, you could hear it kick on from time to time when fast charging. I also remember in the owners manual that they would advise against fast charging during hot days, especially if you had just gotten off the freeway (which is pretty much always when you would fast charge).
I own a 2016 Soul EV in Smurf Blue which I bought off-lease here in California. It was 3 years old with less than 12,000 miles. During the pandemic it was the only car we used for months. The Soul's battery has degraded a bit since I only get 74 miles of range on a full charge now. Although it's not that fast 0-60 (positively pedestrian in comparison to my son's Tesla Model 3) it's perky for 0-30. All-in-all we love the Soul. When we were finally allowed to travel again we had to jump start our Subaru Legacy for a longer trip. I really appreciate your informative videos.
0:20 Either I would buy a new EV or an used one, but the most honest "sales" pitch I've heard so far is yours. Thanks much.
10:30 - In the US, there was a Sun-n-fun version with a panoramic sliding roof ;)
I wish I could one of those but Igot Kia soul plus EV
Excellent video, as usual, Jonny. I look forward to whatever pearls of wisdom you'll offer us in the next one.
Here, in BC, Canada, there are LOTS of Souls and Kias of every sort. I just bought my second Soul and this time, it is the EV. I love itl.
Hi - I had the 27kw on lease for 3 years, my wife has the 30kw, which is our only “car” now (as we also have a motorhome). Within 4 months of getting the 27kw, we were so impressed with it, we leased the 30kw (one of the earliest 30kw’s that came into the country). We have extended the lease on the 30Kw and will probably extend again when the time comes. We are highly delighted with it, it suits our needs. Yes I would like the new Soul EV and will probably get one in time, but we’re in no rush. We’ve had no problems with them. We had the 12volt battery go flat once, (leaving the interior light on I suspect). If anyone has any questions regarding my experience with them, don’t hesitate to ask. Only one comment re the review, did I hear Jonny say the battery was liquid cooled? The new one is, but the 27kw/30kw have an “air” cooled system. If I were buying one second hand, I’d have a traction battery check done, (I would do that with any Second hand EV, whatever the make). In the uk climate the batteries generally hold up well, provided they haven’t been abused. In hotter climes, (USA) there have been a few claims under warranty to replace batteries that have degredation. (The air cooled system has not coped well in constant extreme heat (California etc.).
Our 2015 Soul EV has done 160 000 km is is now outside warranty. Its a keeper. HVB was replaced with the newer 30KWh battery at 130 000km - Just raced through MOT. No Problem. Also great on snow and Ice (Norway) - as its weight sits low due to the battery - Love it !!
This is such a concise and thorough review. You're exceptionally efficient at presenting all of the pertinent information needed to help me with my next purchase. THANK YOU!
You can also tell if it is 27kw or 30kw by the surround of the tweeter speaker on the top of the dashboard. 27kw has a thicker chrome surround while the 30kw has a much smaller chrome detail. Other than that visually they are identical
The other way to tell is charge them to 100%. Drive them simultaneously on the same roads in the same weather and traffic. The 27kw go less far. 😉
Brilliant. Thanks.
Surround on this 30kwh in the video looks exactly the same as the one on my 27kwh.
The quickest way was to check the tyres, old ones had nexus , newer 30 ones have Michelin .
Only 'error' as such, on the review is the battery is air cooled , not liquid, there's a fan under the cables in the boot that sucks cabin air through the battery, I had the '30' for 2 yrs driving 20k a year , at 38k it still had 100% battery SOH! And original tyres .
Lastly the kia always stated 'usable ' capacity on the Soul unlike Nissan with their 24 - 30 & 40 really being 21- 27 & 37.5 ...usable
Jonathan helped me buy my Kangoo ZE and helped arrange to get it from Glasgow BCA to Torquay. He provides a great service at a very reasonable cost. I saved over £3k on the guide price. And he's a nice guy.
2016 Soul EV Lover here! Mine came from California to me in Tennessee and the range was down to 55 miles but Kia replaced the battery under warranty. I Love everything about this car inside and out! It's the perfect little commuter EV for me with a 240V charger in the garage. Can't say enough good about it, I tell anyone who seems interested about it. Keep up the good work Brother John!
Great info! How many miles do you get with a new battery?
Great review, great tips. Thank you for taking the time to produce this. (The Kona EV is also a great option).
GM however missed a trick 3 years ago, by not bothering to promote the ampera-e - that had great specs back when all other EVs were struggling to find range that would get you off your driveway.
I had the 30kwh version for a year and a half, and I got only 2 complaints on it, the rest is all positive. Those are:
*It drains the 12V battery, if you park it for 2-3 weeks, and it won't start unless 12V battery is fresh.
*And I havent been able to find a descent workshop manual for it. Not that I needed a workshop manual yet, but I got OCD for knowing how my cars is built, and how to fix them.
About to part exchange our 2009 A4 2.0 petrol for a 2015 Soul, my wife's really looking forward to it and this review helped make our minds up, top job and thank you!
08:40 - The 7yr/100k warranty only transfers to the new owner if it is CPO. Without CPO status, the second owner only gets 5yr/60k. This also applies to the high-voltage battery. A not-insignificant number of 2015-2016 Soul EVs had premature battery failure and the HVB was replaced with the newer 30KWh battery, but software limited. Finding one of those would be ideal as the top 10% of the battery is inaccessible and so you can charge them to 100% and still be "charging to 90%" for battery health
Well done Jonny, you have a humorous delivery that makes your videos very entertaining and this is a good example of what I mean! This also sneaks a lot of good information into the discussion in an easy to remember way. Thanks for another great video!
Purchased a 2016 EV+ 6 months ago. I had some charging issues initially which were solved by a software upgrade. No problems since and very happy with the car.
The 27kWh battery in Soul 2014-2017 is garbage. We got a new improved battery with 28.8kWh capacity with same cell chemistry as the 30kWh battery. Now the car is one of the best second hand purchases one can buy.
Fabulous car I drove three nearly purchased one of these only minus for me was the reflection in the screen of that white dashboard! There is another colour of Black with Red roof with the EV which appears to have a black dash in photo’s but I went with the Ioniq 68 Reg I get 5.5 m kw on screen, this time of year I.e no lights or heater...EV’s are the future. My previous 4wd diesel returned 55-65mpg so exploring hybrids gave “me” no advantage for my commute, still think Soul is a good option myself....😊
I have a 2016 EV soul. I bought it used summer of 2022 with 64 miles range at full charge. Took it home and the next morning the full charge resulted in 36 mile of range. Dealer couldn't tell me what might have happened in those 24 hours to cut the range in half.
Three weeks after driving it daily, it wouldn't charge. Took it to the dealer and after three and a half months they determined the on-board charger was at fault and replaced it. The day I got the car back, at 35 miles per hour I heard a large bang from the rear of the car and lost all power. I had to coast to the side of a busy road. When I turned the car off and tried to restart it, it worked normally. Dealer can't understand what might be the problem.
I continue to drive the car today. The full charge range has now fallen to 26 miles.
The car is a nice size and when it works, it's fun to drive. I generally like everything about it except the reliability.
The service people here in Kansas City at the dealership seem to have no expertise in working on this car.
I've been leasing my Soul EV for 18 months now, and thoroughly enjoying the experience. The car was leased as a 27kWh, but appears to be the 30kWh model. The GOM reads 109 miles in the summer and roughly 99 in the winter. It sounds like I should be able to vastly improve on that, with a change of driving style.
The difference between these cars and the leaf's on an engineering level is very important. Having active battery cooling greatly extends the life of the batteries. I'd be much more likely to buy one of these used than a leaf just on that basis alone
Me too.
@@TheLateBrakeShow Having owned my car since last June I have to say it one of the best decision ever. Due to the pandemic and as I cannot work from home, I wanted to own a car to drive into London from Harrow (26 mile round trip), Its congestion charge exempt (till 2025) and parking in Westminster only cost 82p per day. The GOM is accurate and went high as 168 miles (5.9 miles/kWh) in the Summer and low was around 108 miles in Winter (all city driving). Overall avg since ownership is 4.8 kWh after 7500 miles.
I have started adopting the 25% to 75 - 85% charge cycle to extend the battery life and this means I can charge every 3 days in Winter and every 4 to 5 days in Summer. Usually free too at Nine Elms Sainsburys, The battery is still at 100% at 44,000 miles, something a Leaf could never do, The SK Innovation battery has very long expected life and I have not heard of any 30kWh showing any degredation. However the 27kWh do suffer from some degredation (but not a bad a leaf)
I do get tempted to switch to new Soul but it hard to justify the spens as its perfect for my needs. My daughter who also loves the car will get it as her first car in three years time.
I have been contemplating buying a "bop around" car in the next year. I had discounted EVs, though they fit the use case neatly, because they're all $40,000 USD! Looking now at these cars used, they're entirely reasonable around $10k. Thanks for this.
When you were suggesting other cars to consider you should have mentioned the Hyundia Ioniq. It's the most efficient EV out there and a cracking car.
My neighbour has one. At his first year service, they upgraded something in the computer, and his range is now noticeably better. He loves it.
I couldn't decide between Kia Soul 30kwh, Nissan Leaf 30kwh and BMW i3 94ah. None of them are perfect but your review convinced me to go and look at used Soul advertised on Autotrader. Snow white pearl is OK but the cyan is not visually appealing (imo), so I was ready to walk away but I thought since I was there, I may aswell test drive it. Within 2 mins of driving it, I was a convert and ended up buying it. The car is really well built, quicker than specs suggest in normal mode, and has everything you'd need, other than a smartphone app. Now need to find someone to wrap the cyan bits to black.....
I would recommend against the LEAF simply due to the battery degradation issues on those cars. Nissan really made a big mistake on that. The thing with more affordable EVs is that the specs don't say everything. We often focus so hard on specific numbers since we are so used to them, but take the 0 to 60 times for example, as you have experienced, at the start of the accelleration, these cars really do fly, it is only once you get past that initial accelleration and are moving towards highway speeds that it starts to taper off.
Not sure how effective air cooling is, but must be better than no management like Leaf/Zoe. Early Soul EV seem to degrade in hot climates like Texas and Arizona, where as Leaf owners suffer degradation in Norway, to the point where Nissan offer a recon battery for £2500.
Also like 92% cutoff on CHAdeMO in Soul EV
Not sure why anyone buys new Leaf 40 or 62. Nice as it is to drive, no BMS mean overheated battery leading to degradation and Rapidgate
You’d think Nissan be better at Electric Cards than the Koreans. You have to hand it Hyundai/Kia in collaborating to produce efficient EVs and using the opportunity to build a great Brand reputation
Brand snobbery will help some fossil mass producers sell some mediocre EVs with better Styling and interiors
On Ev database the most efficient car is Ioniq not Tesla, nuff said
I’ve commented generally on this review, but just noted your comment re wrapping the cyan bits black! That’s just what we did, and the car looks brilliant, a real head turner!
@@neeleshpatel2037 I was under the impression that the Zoe has active air cooling.
LiamE69 mybad! You’re right. Hard to find one not leased at reasonable prices
One man car show . Brilliantly done sir! BBC could replace Top Gear with this man and his show
I bought an off lease 3 year old 2016 Soul EV+ for $12,000 over a year ago. It had less than 15,000 on it and is still under warranty. We use my wife's Subaru Legacy for long trips but anything up to 40 miles from home we'll take the Soul. My son has a Tesla Model 3 but I hit my head getting into the driver's seat, no issue with the Soul. Don't get the acceleration or range of his Model 3 but I'm happy saving $45,000 vs his new Model 3.
That VIN knowledge is absolutely nuts mate. What a boss.
Hi Jonny, enjoyed the Soul EV buying guide. The alternatives all stacked up, but as an Ampera owner, and I understand why it wasn't included, I feel there is probably an episode all of it so own hidden in there. I know you own or owned a Volt, so the EV credentials with zero range anxiety, I know you will be acutely aware of. So I have a 2012 Ampera which I bought for £15K at 2 years old with 24k miles from a main dealer.............nearly 6 years ago. It is exactly as it was when we bought it, now at 73k miles. Still giving nearly 50 mile range on battery power, but only in the summer, you'll know that with the Volt, winter range can be as low as 25 miles. Now I find myself looking at EV options to change, but it always comes back to 'why bother'. We own the car, no payments, we only buy fuel if we have a long trip to do. RFL is £0, servicing is chea[ as chips. Did a 400 mile round trip last week for £18 worth of petrol, now its back to local EV only mode. GM said its not a hybrid but we all know that it is in reality, but what a hybrid ! 90% of it's use is battery powered, maybe more, its got a really high end feel to it with the trim, fittings and spec, so for me its THE hidden gem in the EV world. Please do a feature on Ampera/Volt buying guide when you get the chance.
Keep up thy good work ! You're doing a great job............wont ask about what happened with Fully Charged except to say you're a miss.
Thank you for everything you’ve done for the EV community.
That is really kind of you - thanks Milton. Much more to come.
Although we own 2 KIA EV6 Plus AWD cars (325HP), we do not consider ourselves to be people from the EV community. No thank you very much! We also have a 1987 Chevrolet Camaro (1 from 744 made in 1987) Iroc Z28 5.0 Liter V8 Convertible with manual gearbox and 2 Harley Davidson Motorcycles; one from 1985 and one from 1986. I am just saying... these things can mix you know...
Great review. Makes total sense as a second car/ commuter vehicle for most families.
We own a 27kW 2016 Soul EV. It is a surprisingly smooth ride with a lot less "tech" threshold into EV driving. Well built, silent, comfortable and well-equipped. The dealership may have difficulty to install Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but after searching online, I found access to the installer. That is really a good alternative for an otherwise quickly ageing navigation system. Combination of native functionality with CarPlay is smooth and intuitive. Newer model Souls do already have CarPlay at delivery. Don-t miss it!
Where did you find the installer for car play?
@@cc2074 Main dealer can upgrade the satnav software for around £25, this includes the latest maps and apple carplay / android auto :)
Hi Jonny, we have a Smurf and are very pleased with it. We also have an Env200 which is a great van. Two EV households can work.
Really enjoying your videos, thank you.
Another way to tell the 27 and 30 apart, 27’s came on Nexen tyres, the 30’s came with Michelin’s. Easy check to make on advert photos (well for cars with low enough mileage to be on their original tyres). The 30 can be found on 17 and 67 plates even though model year 2018, as came from June 2017. Adverts often list them wrong, even dealers!
Also, the top tweeter speakers. The 27kwh model had round shiny silver design. The 30kwh was nearly all black
What is the real life range difference
My ex has one, and she had to exchange the high voltage battery. Happily it was done under warranty, but at about 100000 km it was alarmingly early. The main computer of the car has been swapped under warranty too.
I actually read all those messages and the last two were copies of previous ones.
What are the odds that Jonny did this on purpose to see if anyone would notice? :D
Came here to post this, thought it was Jonny trolling with 2 duplicates at the end! Fecks sake 😂
5, 17, and 18 :D
Yep, I noticed straight away as it’s my comment he copied twice at the end!
A bit late to the party, I've had a 2016 27kwh Soul for the last 2 years,. 33000 miles on the clock and the battery is still showing 100% soh, when I charge it and work out the energy added it comes to 27kwh. The only thing I don't like about it is the charging port on the front as I prefer reverse parking. Other than that it's a cracking 2nd / town car
For anyone interested in Ontario Canada you can find quite a few '16 Soul EVs on Autotrader for between 13k & 19k. Mostly the white with electric blue, but there is a black with red roof/trim - major A-Team van vibes.
The aero wheel covers come off (screwed from the reverse side) and can be painted if you so desire.
There is actually a difference between the 27 and 30 KWh versions to be seen at the front. The front bumper air inlet at the 30 KWh model is completely covered with a plastic grille while the lower part of that intake is open on 27 KWh model.
Is that true? Great fact if so.
We just bought a 2019 Kia soul Ev 30kwh, i most say that your video really helped us make up our mind! Great video!
Hi Robin, thank you for the message. Great to know you bought one off the back of my video.
@@TheLateBrakeShow it's been a couple of weeks now driving it in cold Sweden. But it worked out great so far! Even took a longer trip with it.
Another cool feature is that the steering wheel has a button to adjust the stiffness of the steering so you could make it soft,for parking for example, or hard for higher speed driving. They also had android auto and I think apple car play which helps with the old feeling of the infotainment. Kia also claimed it could do 100kw charging on the CHAdeMO, never go to test it though. The type one connector is only an issue if you already had an installed tethered unit with a type 2. No need for adaptors otherwise.
4:10 It's a liquid cooled battery pack? Are you sure? If so, that's great, but I think only the motor and electronics are liquid cooled. (There's a fan in the trunk that blows cooled cabin air into the battery pack, below the floor cover). There are vents under the driver and passenger seats that pass down through the battery pack and that fan sucks the air through.
By the way, coincidentally I recently bought a used 2016 Kia Soul EV+ with less than 18000 miles on it (less than 5000 per year!) single owner, no accidents and in excellent condition (it even still SMELLS like a new car!) and the whole thing including shipping from California to Florida was less than $16000. So far, I'm loving it! I bought it sight unseen due to limitations during lockdown, but since it was Kia Certified Previously Owned and all those other things I just mentioned, I gave it a shot and no regrets so far. (I used cargurus.com to find it, but there are other used car sites out there too, such as carvana.com and carmax.com)
Correct air cooled battery, I have pictures of the pack opened on mine, unfortunately at 38k it needed a second new pack due to a low voltage cell pair. Texas car.
@@reeftank706 Covered under warranty, I imagine. I hope!
JustWasted3HoursHere yes first time was prior to my purchase, and after the car was returned after the lease. My hypothesis is that the car sat at low State Of Charge in Houston in the heat until shortly before I bought it.
@@reeftank706 That will certainly do it. It's too bad that battery manufacturers haven't figured out a way to make a battery that is not damaged by having a low SOC. From what I understand solid state batteries have this advantage (among many others). It will be a huge game changer when they finally hit the EV market, but they are probably at least 5 years away still. (Charging times orders of magnitude faster, no chance of fire or explosion, many more possible cycles, etc).
Note! The batteries in the first-generation electric souls are air-cooled, not liquid cooled like Jonny said in the video.
Thank you for correcting me Jacob. Huge apologies for the error.
i own one for 2 years now, and it's just fantastic
Your reviews of the soul are outstanding !
Our yellow diesel has been outstanding ( fitted a TDI tuning kit epic )
Your excellent reviews have sold the newbie 😁
The first electric car I drove was a soul I used to valet them out because I used to work for the main inport company in immingham in linconshire I dont work there anymore so I dont drive them now but they are a good car and fast between 20 to 50 mph
Another brilliant video! Great to hear Jonathan Porterfield’s opinion too.
As a previous Soul EV owner I couldn’t agree more. A cracking good car!
Kia are doing fantastic things lately, the Stinger GT is a Police Car in Australia !
Affordable Electric cars are incredibly important. This is a really good looking practical car !
2018 soul on lease from drive electric. Done 18,000 miles. I live in a flat bloc so no charger. There is a fast charger 1 mile away. Has been amazing car best I’ve had and I’ve had a lot of cars. I’ve looked at extending the lease but with a new born on the way the boot is not large enough to accommodate a pushchair let alone other baby travelling items. I have a Nissan Leaf on order but will feel said to swap this car.
13:25 - The Soul EV has supported 100KW DC fast charging from the beginning, it was a big hyped launch feature.
Not US Spec 2015-2019 versions, DC fast charge port: 480V (50kW).
Regular car review of the Scion Xb gave the funniest and best explanation of why these cars are popular with old people
Good video, very informative. I not been in the market for EV but your video has opened my mind more than anything else I seen. BUT. Video was missing Mrs Smith. More please 👍🏻
Just bought a 2017 Kia Soul EV+
Great video but as far as I can tell there aren’t available here in Australia yet. Just another item to wait for in the meantime I’ll keep watching your videos.
First gen Leaf owner for over 3 years now. I did consider the Soul, but couldn't find one at the time.
I got £9.700 for my 2014 with 78k miles (smurf)
It was an amazing car. It drove like a Bentley, nice and supple over bumps & holes. But I thought it wasn't bad round corners (until I test drive the golf) Now driving an e-golf 2019.
You can get a certified Soul Ev with anywhere from 16-20K miles in my area for $12-$13K the ev plus with leather and heated and ventilated seats. It’s a bargain plus you get the battery warranty which is the remainder of the 120,000 miles/10 years whatever comes first.
It’s a great deal! Especially since most of these cars are lease returns so they’re kept in excellent condition!
TrynaMakeGainz I wish. Same car by me. $25,000
Sean Peacock ho Lee phuc man where do you live?!
I'm just about to trade a 22kwh Zoe i ( owned battery) on a 16 plate for a silver Kia 30kwh on an 18 plate with a cost to change of 5k.
This video convinced me to go ahead and do that. As a senior ( aka an old man)I think the car warranty will outlast my warranty!
Have loved the Zoe as my first EV but am hoping to love a Soul even more.
Great to hear John, thank you for watching.
If you're stil under warranty: how are you finding the switch? I'm looking to do the same, and would love to hear from someone who went before!
@@keithmyerscough697 Yes, I'm still alive and driving my Kia EV!
I loved it on my test drive and still do. It's much more efficient than my Zoe was and returns 4.5 to 5.0 with ease and without running over the man with the red flag. I don't like Kia IT stuff which always seems clunky and not intuitive but I hated Renault stuff as well.
The car rides well and feels more substantial than the Zoe. Just shut a Renault door then the Kia and see which sounds like a dustbin lid! Service costs seem expensive for the supposedly simpler servicing than an ice car - but that might be my franchised dealer. I found carrying awkward stuff very easy in the Renault and needing a bit more faffing about in the Soul - but every day use the Kia boot is fine, if a bit vertical. Ask anything else by all means.
Kias are fantastic cars.Wouldnt have the soul love my Sportage too much.Really impressed with them.
Been watching these for a while, may well end up with one when my current lease runs out. I think all of these can have the infotainment updated (DIY with a download from Kia and a USB stick) to get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Also with those wheels (not to everyone’s taste) the lighter part is a plastic trim that can be removed easily and spray painted. You sometimes see them for sale with grey or silver painted trims and it looks quite smart.
Not had the pleasure of driving the e-Soul but loving the e-Niro after just over a year of ownership. Build quality seems really good and it will be interesting to see how things work out as I plan to keep the car for a long time. The Kia Soul has a more endearing shape and it will be interesting to see the sales numbers for Soul v Niro, assuming Kia can make them in big enough numbers to meet demand. Either way it’s great having the choice now of two long range EVs with great performance.
I looked at buying an older Soul, but I use my car for work and I can do up to 100 miles per day. Even though it's around town, I still think that's cutting it a bit fine, not to mention that if I need to use the car for anything else the same day, I'm unlikely to be able to without spending a good while charging. I suspect I will have to opt for leasing an ID.3 or similar.
I don't know why I watched this, I don't care for the look of the Soul. But it was interesting hearing the features and I know that you are always entertaining Jonny. You caught me with the Taycan Acceleration video, I guess the Soul is a bit less peppy from the Porsche? But a whole lot more economical I know. Thanks for the review. Keep up the great humor.
Cheers for watching Ron.
Spot on regarding the front and back design, can't belive they ruined the 2020 back
Beware I think there a some cars on UK Autotrader mis - claiming to be a 30kwh, even one a 66 plate. See the video and do Jonathans VIN check.
Sorry Jonny the 2016 Soul Battery pack is cooled with cabin air (passive) like the old Leaf not liquid(made by SK innovations). Great Vid though.Previous owner of 2016 Soul EV Luxury and current owner of 2020 Soul EV Limited Canadian Version White.
In practice what does that mean? Does the battery not last as well?
@@n.s.5278 Yes it will not last as long and because of it's small size one is tempted to charge to 100% this is also not great for longivity. I had this vehicle put 90,000km and it was functioning at about 95%. My experience only not a study, just mine.
@@skipsteel thanks. This is I'm assuming for 30kw as well as the previous 27kw?
@@n.s.5278 Yes I am referring to the small Batteries 27km Specifically. Just short of 4 years in Toronto Canada 90,000km Range was Summer 25C range was reduced to 95% of original 2016 KIA Soul Limited 143km + or - 2 km's.
It's funny... These are only 11 seconds from zero to sixty, but I have to say it FEELS _WAY_ faster than that when you floor it! I'm sure it's because of the instantaneous torque, but I am certainly happy with the performance of my 2016 Kia Soul EV+!
0-30mph is still where the real accelerative feeling lies.
@@TheLateBrakeShow Agreed. And honestly, 11 seconds to 60 mph is still faster than my old ICE car... a rough-around-the-edges 1993 Honda Civic with 260,000+ miles on the odometer. It _might_ be able to do it under 11 seconds (barely), but not nearly as effortlessly. I'd have to drive it like I stole it to get that, too.
My Opel Zafira was on repair and I got a 2017 Kia Soul loner. I was amazed on how good the car felt and how great it was to drive, it really made all fossile cars feel like they belong on a museum. (and they do !) The only downside was range and boot space. So I decided to buy one, but unfortunately used car prices (Norway) was very close to a new one so I wanted to go for a new car. But Kia have made it obsolete and now the new one has a price tag that was 130.000 NOK more (£10.800). After thinking a few months I went for a MG ZS EV that cost a little less than the 30kWh Soul did. The MG is better equipped but are still missing a few things that Soul has, but it has more range and more boot space. So far I am very satisfied with the MG even it has less Soul.
How do you feel about the MG's quality compared to Kia?
@@TheLateBrakeShow I only had the Soul for 4 days, but of what I experienced these cars are very similar in build quality. The impression I have is that Kia is a little bit better on overall quality. (30kWh version)
Great idea with the buying second hand EV's guide .. Very informative as well .. You now have another twig to your Branch :)
Very good video. I see a 2016 ev Soul at a dealer in Canada at just under $25k. I need a new car and I am thinking of this. My only issue is range. I unfortunately drive 110 km round trip per day to work. I am very worried that on days with traffic jams especially in Canadian winter snowy days I will be stranded on my way home from work. I guess the answer is if I am concerned I should pass on this. Yes I may be able to charge at work but not every day. Really I can’t rely on that. Too bad I would really love to get into an Ev.
Hi Jonny and all, is there a way to get the Soul to report battery degradation?
Great video thanks.
I like this guy. Real world assessment not like Clarkson and co.
Gotta admit - I like the looks of the older model better, especially the front. The older one with that new battery pack, that would be nice!
Great video, great sense of humor! Instant sub :)
Old soul's - My piston diesel ... Room comes into play 👍 Being 6'8" it's roomy & plenty of headroom. And economical. Like the new 2020 EV but price here in Ireland €35k very pricey.