Ranked #302 car in the UK · Crossover SUV · 1 units sold last year

Kia Soul

The Kia Soul (now electric-only in the UK as the e-Soul) is the boxy, characterful compact crossover - a tall, funky-looking EV with a roomy, upright cabin and Kia's reassuring long warranty. Distinctive styling and a practical, space-efficient body make it stand out from the conformist crowd. Range and charging are competitive for the class, and as a quirky, well-warrantied used electric crossover, it's an individual alternative to the obvious small EVs.

How these figures are sourced the valuation is anchored to a researched used-market price for this model (AutoTrader median, 2023 at 30k miles). Reliability, mileage and variant data are real DVSA MOT records. Dimensions, tyre sizes and costs, servicing figures and the insurance group are segment-level estimates rather than sourced per car, and are being replaced model by model.

Kia Soul
Photo: Kevauto via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Body
Crossover SUV
Years
2018–2026
Fuel
Electric
Efficiency
3.8 mi/kWh

typical

Insurance
Group 17

The short version

57/100

Forecourt score

Value 35 · Reliability 79 · catalogue percentiles

The Kia Soul holds its value about averagely and costs about average to run. Its MOT-based reliability is excellent — an MOT score of 85/100, ahead of 38% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 35% of models. The main things to check on a used one are the suspension.

The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20) — the from-new ownership picture. Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Electric

Power

204 ps

Drivetrain

FWD

Efficiency

3.8 mi/kWh

The volume used Soul EV (2019-2024). 64 kWh, 204 PS FWD, ~280 mi WLTP. Heat pump standard. Boxy, characterful, surprisingly good range for the era.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

2023
20182026
22,017 mi
0Expected: 22,017180k
good
PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

How we got this number — click for the breakdown, or to challenge it.

£17,400

Range £14,200£20,850

medium confidence

When new (2023)circa £30,000Age-based value£16,569Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region+£16Market calibration+£1,965Forecourt price£18,550Private sale£16,200Part-exchange£14,250
Holdthis 3-year-old

Fair value — the 6-year mark is the sweet spot.

At 22,017 miles it’s about the ~23,477 typical for a 3-year-old.

Seen one for sale?

£

A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration Kia Soul loses value over time.

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2023 car with 22,017 miles you entered above — worth about £17,400 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 7,339 miles a year.

5-year total

£14,697

Per year

£2,939

All-in per mile

£0.40

Fuel per mile

15.8p

Depreciation£2,954
Fuel / energy£5,798
Servicing£1,765
Road tax£1,000
Insurance£3,180

Best age to buy — around 2 years

A 2-year-old example loses roughly £3,300 a year — 63% less than the £9,000 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 35%
Reliabilitybetter than 79%
Fuel economybetter than 59%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

Petrol

The default choice: lowest purchase price and easy upkeep, at the cost of higher fuel bills than a hybrid.

New price
circa £28,000
Annual fuel / energy
£1,142
3-yr depreciation
45%

Watch for

  • ·Carbon build-up on direct-injection engines
  • ·Ignition coils and spark plugs with age
  • ·Cam or wet-belt service where fitted

Diesel

Makes sense for high motorway mileage; less so for short urban hops, where the DPF struggles.

New price
circa £30,000
Annual fuel / energy
£1,128
3-yr depreciation
48%

Watch for

  • ·DPF clogging on mostly-short journeys
  • ·EGR valve and turbo wear with mileage
  • ·AdBlue system upkeep on newer engines

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 03/08/2026) · Petrol 159.9p/L, Diesel 179.2p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 17 of 50 (mid — around the UK average) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

3 years
0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+
Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£636/ year

Roughly £53 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.
Age bandLower riskTypicalHigher risk
Age 17-25£1,449£1,811£2,355
Age 26-32£756£890£1,085
Age 33-39Selected£559£636£750
Age 40-49£475£527£612
Age 50+£423£470£555

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

7,339 mi/yr
2,000UK avg for this model: 7,33930,000

Routine service

£185

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£210

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£200

Standard rate, post year-one

Electricity

£521

3.8 mi/kWh, 27p blended

Insurance

£636

Age 33-39, group 17

Clean-air zones

Depends on variant

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£1,752 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£80

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£240

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£520

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£900

per year · high risk

Tyres

205/60 R16 · 215/55 R17 · 225/45 R18

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.

Budget

£300

set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre

Mid-range

£440

set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre

Premium

£620

set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre

What to fit

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

OptionNew costAdded used valueReturn

Tow bar (factory-fit)

Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it.

£650£45069%

Parking sensors & reversing camera

Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns.

£500£30060%

Heated seats / cold-weather pack

£450£20044%

Metallic or premium paint

Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk.

£600£20033%

Panoramic / opening roof

£1,100£35032%

Larger alloy wheels

£700£20029%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 22,017 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

SuspensionUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£450high severityParts high

Recorded in 16.6% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 320,982 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

BrakesUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 10.0% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 320,982 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Tyres & wheelsUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £80-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 6.9% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 320,982 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Lighting & signallingUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £15-£120medium severityParts high

Recorded in 6.8% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 320,982 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Driver's viewUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £60-£300low severityParts high

Recorded in 3.8% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 320,982 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Identification & otherUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £20-£150low severityParts high

Recorded in 1.9% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 320,982 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 328,368 real DVSA test records.

MOT pass rate by age

A 3-year-old Soul passes its MOT 87.8% of the time; by 17 years that has slipped to 67.2%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.

Longevity

96%of 8-year-old examples are still taxed and on the road — a useful read on how well the model lasts.

From 2,046 vehicles registered in 2018.

Survival by registration year

93%95%98%100%20182022

Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.

What’s on the road

The fuel-type split of every Soul with MOT history in the DVSA record. From 29,432 vehicles tested at least once - not the number on the road today, which is lower.

  • Diesel 57.2%
  • Petrol 27.4%
  • Electric 15.1%

What fails at the first MOT

The defect categories a Soul registered 2020–2023 fails on at its first MOT, from 3,292 first tests. Every car here is the same age and the same generation, so these are the faults that show up first - not the wear a high-mileage older example collects.

  • Tyres & wheels4.6%
  • Driver's view1.1%
  • Brakes0.3%
  • Lighting & signalling0.2%
  • Steering0.2%
  • Suspension0.1%

Share of first MOT tests recording at least one defect in that category. DVSA test-item categories, not parts: “Driver’s view” covers mirrors, wipers and glass.

Typical mileage by age

The average odometer reading for a Soul at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.

  • 3 yr23,477
  • 4 yr30,764
  • 5 yr37,918
  • 6 yr44,875
  • 7 yr51,605
  • 8 yr58,561
  • 9 yr65,193
  • 10 yr71,382
  • 11 yr77,296
  • 12 yr83,436
  • 13 yr89,031
  • 14 yr94,247

Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records. Ages below three are not shown: the first MOT is due at three years, so the few cars tested earlier are a self-selected minority rather than a representative sample. Ages with at least 10 tests shown.

Reliability

85/ 100

Excellent

First-MOT pass rate and defect rate for cars registered 2020 onward (3,292 first tests), with cohort survival — high confidence.

MOT outlook · age 5 years

84%first-time pass rate

38th percentileBelow catalogue average

Based on 31,887 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data

Where this car sits in the catalogue

0%50%90%

Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models

Things owners say

  • 01The boxy body gives a roomy, upright cabin and good visibility - practical and distinctive.
  • 02Range is competitive for the class; charging is solid - plan longer trips around real-world figures.
  • 03Kia's long transferable warranty is a strong used-buy reassurance - check it still applies.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Kia Soul, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Higher

Desirable SUVs like this are relay-theft targets — keyless entry can be exploited from the driveway in under a minute.

Parts theft

Lower

As an electric car it has no catalytic converter, so the most common parts-theft vector doesn't apply.

Worth doing

  • Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
  • A visible steering lock is a cheap, strong deterrent on a frequently-targeted car.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a Kia Soul into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

CityAreaDaily chargeLikely outcome
LondonAll of Greater London (within the M25)£12.50
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
BirminghamInside the A4540 Middleway£8.00
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
BristolCity centre and part of the Portway£9.00
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
GlasgowCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
EdinburghCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
AberdeenCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
DundeeCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.

Zones that don't charge private cars

  • BathCity centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
  • BradfordOuter ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
  • SheffieldInside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
  • Newcastle & GatesheadCity centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
  • PortsmouthPart of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

EV reality check

Winter range
200 mi
Cold-weather realistic
DC charge 10–80%
42 min
Slower than rivals
Heat pump
Standard
Standard fit
Battery chemistry
NMC
Higher energy density, faster charging, charge to 80% daily
Cost to charge
£7.11
per 100 miles · 27p/kWh

Winter range estimates assume ~5°C ambient with cabin heating; figures from manufacturer cold-weather testing where available, otherwise derived as a fraction of WLTP. DC times are manufacturer-claimed 10–80% on the headline charger; real-world sessions on UK rapids can be slower. Charging cost is a full battery at the home/blended electricity rate; public rapid charging costs more.

UK charging network

119,080 public chargers across the UK

As of 2026-04-01, the UK has 119,080 publicly available EV chargers, up 12.6% on the prior year (13,281 added in 2025). 23% of those are rapid (50 kW+) or ultra-rapid (150 kW+), so the network can support both home and on-route charging.

3-8 kW

50%

Standard

8-50 kW

27%

Standard plus

50-150 kW

12%

Rapid

150 kW+

11%

Ultra-rapid

Source: Department for Transport / Zapmap · Released 2026-05-21 · DfT statistics

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported Kia is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~190

Large network

Mass-market

Network size relative to the UK's largest (Kia is 4.2% of all franchised outlets)

Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

These are segment estimates, not manufacturer figures. 296 of 325 catalogued cars share one of 14 identical dimension sets, so they describe a class rather than this particular car. Sourced figures replace them model by model.

Length

4,350 mm

Width

1,810 mm

Height

1,560 mm

Kerb weight

1,400 kg

Boot

420–1,300 L

Fuel tank

48 L

How many are still out there

How the UK Kia Soul fleet splits: taxed and on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, and gone from the register where that figure is available.

Total ever registered

26,093

Currently taxed & on road

24,286

93% of all registered

SORN (off road)

777

3% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

1,030

UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025

-2.9% vs 2024
15,87324,286

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 29 Jul 2026

Common questions

Kia Soul, answered from the data

Is the Kia Soul reliable?
The Kia Soul scores 85/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 38% of the cars we track. That is computed from 328,368 real DVSA MOT test results. The main things to check on a used one are the suspension.
How much does a used Kia Soul cost?
A 2023 Kia Soul with around 22,017 miles is worth roughly £17,400 today (typical range £15,250–£19,550). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the Kia Soul depreciate?
A new Kia Soul typically loses about 45% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the Kia Soul?
The Kia Soul sits in insurance group 17 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used Kia Soul?
The most common age-related issues we track for the Kia Soul are: suspension (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£450 to put right); brakes (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£500 to put right); tyres & wheels (typically around over 100k miles, £80-£500 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the Kia Soul cost to run?
Expect around 46 mpg combined on the Soul EV Explore 64 kWh, £200 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.
Is the Kia Soul ULEZ compliant?
The Kia Soul is pure-electric, so it is exempt from the London ULEZ charge and every other UK clean-air zone, whatever the registration year.
How many Kia Souls are on UK roads?
About 24,286 Kia Souls are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.

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