2020 Kia Soul EV Review: Do the Funky Toaster

Over the last few months, the pace of new electric models and variants entering the market has been frenetic, and Kia’s been at the centre of the fray with its launch of two all-electric products. We’ve seen the Korean automaker introduce the Niro EV, and of course the new third generation of the Soul in its EV incarnation. Unsurprisingly, this new edition improves on its predecessor in every respect, and its styling has gotten even bolder than it already was.

Style and substance
The Kia Soul EV is what you show to demonstrate that a vehicle can be mindful of the environment while dressing itself up in style and with bold self-confidence. Now, its look isn’t for everyone, but it has the virtue of looking totally distinct from all the other little crossovers in our present vehicle fleet.

Esthetically the Soul is pretty immediately recognizable with its unique shape that some liken to a shoe box. For me, sometimes I see a toaster on wheels. Fact is, the 2020 Soul EV is like a mobile Rorschach test; people see different things when looking at it. No matter, it’s so particular in the marketplace that it’s almost become an iconic model for the Korean automaker. People said the Beetle was ugly…

The all-electric version differentiates itself from the gas-powered Soul by its distinct nose, front bumper and front grille.

Don’t look for the charging port on the flanks of the Soul EV – it’s behind a door on the front of the vehicle. This green little SUV from Kia is just as original-looking in back, as there are no exhaust tips to break up the lines of the chassis and the bar-shaped lights that ring the back window.

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