Kia Soul bows out as brand marks 10 years of UK EV sales

Kia has confirmed that the Soul EV is no longer available in the UK, a decade after the model launched the brand’s EV efforts.

The Soul EV was Kia’s first all-electric model and helped pave the way for the brand’s current line-up of award-winning EVs, including the EV3 which takes the Soul EV’s place in the compact SUV segment.

With a 109bhp motor and 27kWh battery, the boxy first-generation Soul EV offered a range of up to 132 miles – class-leading for the time but less than the low-budget Dacia Spring now offers.

The second-generation boosted power to 201bhp and range to 243 miles, but has now been surpassed by the Niro EV with its 285-mile range and the EV3, which can cover up to 375 miles thanks to an 81.4kWh.

Kia made the announcement as it marked 10 years of selling EVs in the UK, going from selling just a few hundred Soul EVs in 2014, to selling tens of thousands in 2024. The brand has sold more than 70,000 EVs in the UK in the intervening decade and has plans for further expansion.

Its current line-up includes the Soul EV’s replacement, the EV3, along with the EV6, EV9 and Niro EV, and Kia plans to sell nine fully electric models in the UK by 2027 as part of a 15-model global range.

Next year will see the launch of the EV4 fastback and EV5 SUV, with the compact EV2 due to join the range in 2026. Kia is also launching its first van – the all-electric PV5 – in 2025, with the larger PV7 van due by 2027.

Kia UK president and CEO Paul Philpott said: “To mark a decade of EV sales in the UK is an achievement we’re proud of, and a landmark which very few other brands can celebrate just yet. Over the past 10 years, we haven’t only grown our EV model line-up significantly, but also demonstrated our dedication to innovation, quality and customer satisfaction.

“In 2014, we ended the year having sold just over 77,000 new cars, and as the 12th most popular brand in the UK. Fast-forward a decade, Kia UK has surpassed 100,000 new car sales for the third year in a row, and almost 50% of all our sales this year have been EV, HEV or PHEV. We also currently rank as the 4th most popular brand in the UK. EVs have played an increasingly important role in this.

“Looking forward to the next decade of our EVs, we are in good stead. We have a clear strategy to maintain our position as a global leader in electrification with a wider variety of EVs on the way to match a range of customer needs and desires.”