Kia Soul

Kia returns to its value-for-money roots with a small-battery version of the Soul

The Kia Soul tends to live in the shadows of some of its showroom-mates. The EV6 gets all the plaudits for its new tech, while the Niro gets love from buyers thanks to its more SUV-like styling. But Kia is persisting with the Soul because, contrary to what its name suggests, it answers a need for a no-nonsense, good-value EV with a boxy shape for maximum practicality.

So the Soul is getting a model-year update. More interesting than the extremely minor facelift itself is the new version that Kia is introducing to the UK.

The third-generation Soul arrived in Europe only as an EV and that's not changing. The existing Soul, with its 64kWh battery, continues as the Explore model, but Kia is adding a Soul Urban with a smaller, 39.2kWh battery. The naming is interesting, because Kia is clearly saying: "Look, if you want to go continent-cruising in your EV, we will happily sell you a Soul with a big battery and 280 miles of range, or even a 321-mile EV6 with 240kW charging capability, but you will pay for the pleasure. If, on the other hand, you want an EV for mainly local or urban journeys, you can save some money and buy a shorter-range model."

An official 171 miles should still be a useful amount and with a price that is closer to £30,000 than £40,000, this new entry-level Kia EV might hold some appeal. Time to find out how much of that range remains in the real world, and whether it can even begin to make sense in the face of the influx of more affordable EVs from China.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING