The 2018 Kia Soul EV: This Year’s Hottest Affordable Electric Car

By: Blythe Sinclair

Introducing the most eco-friendly addition to the Kia Soul family: the 2018 Soul EV. They start out at $16,200 before added features and are available in a variety of customizable colors. The EV comes in three different models: Base, Plus, and Premier (denoted by an exclamation point on their website). No matter which model you end up deciding on, you can be assured that you won’t break the bank paying for a car with zero emissions.

The Base model of the Soul EV starts out at $16,200 and is available in five different exterior colors. It has 130 horsepower and gets around 24 miles per gallon city, 30 miles per gallon highway, and 27 miles per gallon combined. The Base is available for purchase in both manual transmission and automatic transmission, and even the Sportmatic option. This model is front-wheel drive with steel unibody and electric power steering. Some additions that are available include front and rear bumper inserts and privacy glass.

The Plus model starts out at $20,400 and is available in nine different exterior colors. With 161 horsepower, 30 miles per gallon highway, and a gasoline direct injection, this Soul model packs a punch. The Plus comes only in automatic transmission, and features electric power steering. Unlike the Base model, the front and rear bumper plates are only available in the same color as the body. A new available feature on the Plus is the heated outside mirrors, which are perfect for those cold drives home at night  and early morning road trips. Some optional features include the power-folding outside mirrors, high-intensity projector beam headlights, and the panoramic sunroof, which are all very practical and useful additions.

The final model, the Premium, is still extremely affordable, starting at the price of $22,900 before any additions. This model is available in five different color options for the exterior, and has a heaping 201 horsepower. It gets a maximum of 31 miles per gallon and comes in 7-speed dual-clutch transmission or Sportmatic. The front and rear bumper inserts are available in glossy black with red accents. It is also available for lower-body molding with red accents, and twin-chrome exhaust tips. Another standard feature of the Premium model is mirror-mounted LED turn signal indicators, which is not available for the Base model, and is only available as an addition to the Plus model. Some optional features for the Premium Kia Soul include front LED fog lights and LED positioning lights. All of these models of the 2018 Kia Soul are the same size in measurement, but they weigh differently; the Base as the lightest, the Plus as the middleweight, and the Premium as the heaviest.

Jump in one of these affordable eco-friendly cars today!