Used models
The Soul was actually one of the first of the ‘modern’ electric cars offered in the UK when it was first introduced in 2014, and caused a bit of a shock as it had a bigger battery and longer range than the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe which were the top sellers at the time. Even now, the 30kWh battery used in these early cars is pretty competitive and the 109bhp motor is an exact match for rivals.
However, Kia chose not to really push these cars very hard, restricting supply and doing very little advertising. This means these early models are rare and don’t appear on the used market very often – a quick search found just 20 advertised online compared to several hundred Leafs.
Despite this restricted supply, prices are around the same as a Leaf of the same age and mileage, starting at around £10,000.
Later models (from 2018) had an 18% improvement in range from a battery which was only slightly larger thanks to chemical and software improvements. But it wasn’t until the new 2020 version was introduced that the Soul had a really big change, with a whopping 64kWh battery and almost double the power from the motor.
Going to the used market isn’t going to save you much money on one of these latest models. In fact, while there is a waiting list for these new cars to be delivered, expect dealers to only part with their low mileage demonstrators for a chunk of cash – they’ll be putting numbers in the window which are at, or even above, the list price.
Whichever model you choose, make sure it has been serviced properly (and preferably at a Kia dealer) to make sure the remainder of the seven-year warranty is valid. Also ensure your Soul has all of its charge cables in the boot, as they are expensive to replace.
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