It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Kia launched its very first electric car – the EV Soul – and it proved to be the starting block for a whole new wave of models out of Korea.
Back in 2014, as the Soul took pride of place in showrooms up and down the country, we had Frozen featuring on the big screen while the ALS ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ was all the rage.
But the Soul was a pioneer and a hit in its own rights offering a then class-leading range of up to 132 miles on a single charge, a 27kWh battery pack, and a front-wheel drive powertrain producing 285Nm of torque and 81kW of power. The Soul EV combined the same practical and boxy proportions as its petrol and diesel-powered equivalent, but offered cutting-edge EV technology.
Expectations were kept in check and the car was imported in limited quantities as Kia found its feet in the market, with only 13 specially trained UK dealers. This figure grew to 19 dealers in January 2015. The UK also lacked the necessary infrastructure to accommodate a boom in EV popularity, with only 5,222 public charging points across the country in November 2014, a figure which has since grown to more than 315,000.
Nonetheless, the Soul EV proved itself to be a well thought out and highly competitive adversary for the growing number of EVs on the market. From small beginnings, Kia UK had delivered almost 1,000 Soul EV units by 2018 as EV sales began to gain traction.
There was nothing foolish about the Kia e-Niro despite launching on April 1, 2019. Similar to the Soul EV, the e-Niro was based on the same platform as a pre-existing ICE powered model (in this case, the popular Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid), with a relatively understated, practical and familiar design.
The e-Niro improved on the foundations laid by the original Soul EV. It offered a driving range of up to 282 miles on a single charge from its 64kWh battery pack. Its 150kW motor, producing up to 395Nm of torque, allowed for a more enjoyable and memorable driving experience, with fewer charging stops required.
The e-Niro was an instant hit, with demand outstripping initial launch supply in just two weeks of sale, and the model going on to sell more than 7,000 units in 2019 and 2020.
In 2020, Kia announced plans to offer 11 EVs worldwide by 2027, a plan since updated to 15 EVs, nine of which are due on-sale in the UK.
But it was 2021 that Kia truly came of age with a significant overhaul of the brand. The familiar red oval badge was replaced with a modern, angular and sleek logo and in March that year, we saw the company’s first dedicated electric car – the EV6. The new model showcased Kia’s updated design philosophy, ‘Opposites United’, with sharp accents and lines; it was also the first model to wear Kia’s new badge.
The EV6 represented a complete shift in Kia’s product strategy, as the brand’s first dedicated, ground-up engineered electric car – unlike the e-Niro and Soul EV which were based on their petrol-powered counterparts. The EV6 was met with instant acclaim from UK media and customers.
The EV6 was also offered in a hair-raising ‘GT’ spec, along with a commitment by Kia to offer high-powered variants of every one of the brand’s future dedicated EV passenger cars. The EV6 GT, with 577bhp and 740Nm of torque, served as the spiritual successor to the Stinger; the brand’s original ‘grand tourer’. Flexing its ‘GT’ credentials, it became the first Korean car to compete in the famous 1000 Miglia in 2023, finishing the 1000 Miglia Green as the highest-ranking performance electric vehicle entered into the race.
The EV6 kicked off Kia’s new product strategy with a bang and laid the groundwork for all future cars under the brand’s new ‘EVx’ nomenclature.
First revealed as a concept at AutoMobility LA 2021, 2023 saw the introduction of the Kia EV9, the brand’s largest EV to-date. Sitting on the same E-GMP underpinnings as the trailblazing EV6, EV9 struck out into a new segment, targeting the three-row, premium SUV market.
Order books opened for the Kia EV9 in July 2023, immediately before the car made its UK debut at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed. And like the EV6, the new model continued Kia’s momentum. One of the first of its kind, the EV9 offered the choice of six- or seven-seat configurations, with an attractive sub-£65,000 starting price, a driving range of up to 349 miles on a single charge, and ultra-fast 800V charging capability.
And this year we have the ‘baby EV9’, the smaller, more affordable EV3 represents another significant step forward for Kia in a high-demand market, while echoing the same qualities that have put Kia on the map in recent years. Kia’s newest EV, offering more range on a charge than any Kia that has come before – and any of its key rivals at the time of launch – is also Kia’s most affordable EV to date.
To mark the 10 years of EV success, we joined Kia on a road trip from Biggin Hill in Kent to Lille in The Flanders region of Northern France, where we could test the EV3, EV6 and EV9 on a variety of roads. We had previously carried out extensive test drives of all three cars (reviews available to see at Regit), but this was an ideal chance to refresh our memories.
All three cars were a delight to drive and as the convoy of Kia cars wound its way through busy French towns, they turned the heads of bystanders along the way.
They cruised with ease on French motorways, showed their more adventurous side on twisting country roads and proved agile and easy to manoeuvre through the narrow streets leading into Lille. As we clocked up the miles, there were occasional glances at the battery percentage and existing range, but there were no issues in that department as all three cars offer impressive mileage between charges.
And, of course, no trip to France would be complete without a trip to a hypermarket to stock up on essentials. Once again, the practicality of these Kia models shone through.
As Kia targets one million EV sales worldwide by 2026, the model that started the story back in 2014, the Soul EV, is taking its final bow. But there are definitely exciting times and plenty more adventures ahead as Paul Philpott, President & CEO, Kia UK Limited, explained: “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.
“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.”
