New Kia Niro EV vs Kia Soul EV: practicality
Historically, Kia’s electric Niro has always overshadowed its Soul sister. Is now the time for the underdog to fight back? We find out...
Space and practicality
Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot
Even if you measure north of six feet tall, you'll find plenty of head room and leg room up front in either car, and it's much the same story in the rear. Both cars provide even the tallest passengers with generous bouffant space and enough leg room to stretch out.
That said, the Kia Niro EV is marginally more spacious and feels a little more airy than the Kia Soul EV. That's mainly because its roofline doesn't extend down as low over the doors, so it has deeper windows that let more light in. On top of that, the Niro is slightly wider than the Soul, so having three adults sitting side by side in the back won't be as much if a squish. Still it's not like the Soul is cramped (if offers similar levels of space to regular family SUVs such as the Nissan Qashqai); it just isn't as commodious as the Niro.
That trend continues when it comes to luggage space; the Niro gives you a boot that is not only bigger but also a more useful shape. That means the Niro can swallow seven carry-on suitcases beneath its parcel shelf – one more than the Soul. What’s more, while both have moveable boot floors, part of the Soul’s underfloor space will always be taken up by its charging cables. The Niro has a handy storage space under its bonnet in which to stash them.
Neither car comes with a ski hatch to make loading long items easier, but both have rear seats that split 60/40 and, when folded, lie totally flat with the boot floor. That helps to take the struggle out of loading heavy stuff, as does the fact that neither has a particularly large drop down to the boot floor.
Boot space
Kia Niro EV
Boot 475-1392 litres Suitcases 7
Kia Soul EV
