New Kia Soul EV: pricing and specification announced

Kia has announced pricing information and a comprehensive specification for the all-electric Soul EV ‘First Edition’. The new model was first unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and will reach the UK market in early 2020, offered in a single highly specced trim level. The asking price is set at £33,795 (after the £3,500 government plug-in car grant).

The Soul EV’s drivetrain comprises a 64kWh battery pack and an electric motor, with 201bhp and 395Nm of torque. Kia claims its electric crossover has a 0–62mph time of 7.6 seconds and a WLTP-verified range of 280 miles between charges. When plugged into a 50kW fast charger, the Soul EV will recover an 80 percent charge in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

• Best all-electric cars to buy in 2019

Like its combustion engined equivalents (which neither the UK nor wider Europe will receive), the all-electric Soul has undergone a fairly major cosmetic redesign relative to its predecessor. Every exterior panel is new, with the most notable updates being a blanked-off grille, fresh LED headlights and a new front bumper with an integrated charging socket.

Standard equipment includes a unique set of 17-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lamps, roof rails and rear privacy glass. Inside, there’s black leather upholstery, an eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a wireless smartphone charger, a seven-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Elsewhere, the launch edition Soul EV gets heated seats, a heated steering wheel, climate control and a choice of three two-tone paint finishes. It also comes with a 10-speaker Harman/Kardon surround sound system which, thanks to Kia’s “Sound Mood Lighting” system, can pulse the interior lighting in time with the music.

Kia’s new UVO CONNECT telematics system also features on the Soul EV, providing drivers with real-time traffic updates and weather forecasts via the touchscreen. It’s accompanied by a smartphone app which allows owners to remotely check the location of the vehicle, as well as sending sat-nav directions to the car’s in-built system.

The electric Soul is offered with a comprehensive list of safety equipment including forward collision avoidance assist, blind spot detection, smart cruise control, lane-keeping assist, driver attention warning, and lane-follow assist which controls acceleration, braking, and steering at speeds up to 80mph.

Later in the Soul EV’s lifespan, Kia will introduce a standard release, lower specced variant, fitted with a less powerful 132bhp electric motor and a smaller 39.2kWh battery pack. As such, its range will be decreased to 172 miles, although its charge time will be shorter than the larger capacity 64kWh model. We expect it will reach the UK market in 2021.

Now read our review of the Kia Soul EV. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below…