ON THE ROAD: THERE are plenty of alternatives on the market, so why would you go for an electric Kia? Well put your badge prejudices to one side, give the Soul EV a go and you might be pleasantly surprised.
It’s not cheap and even with the Government’s £5,000 grant for electric cars you are still going to be paying a few bob short of £25,000.
Powered by an 81.4Kw electric motor, progression is effortless.
Away from the lights, you can give boy racers a run for their money thanks to the instant torque offered and while you will soon get overhauled this does not feel like a something fuelled by the National Grid.
The ride is comfortable and while the steering isn’t what you might call dynamic and sharp corners are to be taken with caution, the Soul offers a pleasant drive.
ON THE INSIDE: THE interior of the Soul is fresh and modern. You sit behind a nice chunky steering wheel with the centre console sweeping around. The dials are easy to read and the switches come easily to hand.
The touchscreen is easy to navigate and there are not too many other buttons to worry about.
The boxy nature of the Soul won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it makes for a nice and airy cabin in which to spend some time.
WHAT DO YOU GET: THE Soul EV comes well equipped with plenty of gadgets and gizmos.
There’s 18ins alloys, urban styling pack, front and rear fog lights, LED daytime running lights, electrically adjustable door mirrors and automatic light control.
Inside you get all-around electric windows, leather trimmed steering wheel and gearshift, illuminated glovebox, centre console cupholders and luggage underfloor tray.
On the technology front, there’s an eight-speaker audio system, DBS radio, USB facility, 8ins touchscreen satellite navigation system, front speaker mood lights, steering wheel mounted controls, Bluetooth, reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.
HOW PRACTICAL IS IT: KIA reckons that a fully charged car should be able to do 132 miles. I found, however, that around 80 miles was more realistic before it needed another dose of electricity.
Charging at home takes between ten and 13 hours. At a public fast-charge point this can be reduced to around five hours, meaning you could leave it while at work and guarantee being able to get home. A public rapid charger can top the batteries up to 80 per cent in as little as 33 minutes.
I charged our test car at work while on a nightshift and found that was enough to get me home and back again the following day. Finding a public charger with the cards I was supplied with was a different matter – the nearest two I could locate were on Tyneside or Scotch Corner which for someone living on Teesside proved completely impractical.
Kia has mounted the batteries out of sight underneath the car so they are easier to reach should anything go wrong. The boot is still handy at 281 litres – 31 litres less than regular Souls due to the undertray being used to house the charging cables. Drop the 60:40 seats and this increases to 891 litres.
RUNNING COSTS: THE obvious benefit of owning an electric vehicle is that you need never visit a petrol station again. Though oil prices are plummeting the cost of plugging your car in is still far less than a trip to the pumps. All Souls are covered by Kia’s seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty.
VERDICT: A LITTLE late to the party, but worth a look if electric motoring fits your lifestyle.
ALTERNATIVES: NISSAN LEAF, Volkswagen E-up!, BMW i3
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