Anyone bought a Kia Soul EV?

[AndY1]

You don't need a car with a greater range, if you don't use that extra range.

For example, my workday need is usually 30km. I have an Opel Ampera (European Chevy Volt) with a 16kWh battery (10.4kWh usable), which does that range on battery even in the coldest days with 30%-40% range left and in summer with 60-70% range left.

Would I like an EV with greater range? Sure, but why, if I don't use that extra range in the battery?

That's why Nissan still offers Leaf with a 24kWh battery, not just 30kWh battery version.

 

[ALF]

Everything you write is true. However, none of it has bearing on whether to lease or buy. My earlier point was that in a few years I suspect that a 2016 Soul EV will have steeply depreciated as cars with longer range appear. Therefore, it makes more sense to lease, and, I did just that a couple of weeks ago. I leased a '16 Base Soul EV for 36 months, so I'll let you know whether or not that was a good idea in February 2019.

 

[kierrica]

After much research and waffling, I have decided on a Kia Soul EV I would certainly lease a new 2016 in lieu of buying, of course, but in my area I also have the option of purchasing a used 2015 with list prices in the neighborhood of $20,000. Assuming I can work them down to about $18,000, and also assuming that I keep it for 4-5 years and then sell it used for $5,000 that's cheaper than a lease. My concern, of course, is that I will not be able to sell for even $5,000 at that time. I know no one here can know the future, but I was wondering what your take on this option would be? The idea of leasing still gives me the heebie-jeebies, even with the good deals I've seen posted on these forums.

 

[JejuSoul]

After much research and waffling, I have decided on a Kia Soul EV

Good choice.
I own my car and intend to keep it for 10 years or more, but for people who are not intending to keep it so long it is almost certainly a better idea to lease. The used prices for the Soul EV will almost certainly follow the pattern of the Leaf. They will come down fast. Buying a used car at $18,000 doesn't seem to have a good risk return on the simpler risk-free lease. Waiting a year and getting a Soul EV for under $10,000 or less however would be worthwhile. (Given that I think the battery degradation on our cars will be much less than the leaf but the market will price them the same.)

If you really want to get the best value EV deal then a 4 year old leaf is hard to beat. If you choose carefully you will win on the battery warranty and get a free brand new battery. I think it is very unlikely that such a tactic will ever work with the Soul EV because I think the proportion of cars with failing batteries will be too low.

 

[tls1]

Hi all,

I leased my Kia Soul in Quebec Canada. We get a 8000$ rebate from the gov. Unfortunately we do not get fabulous lease deals like they do in the USA (eg: $299). However, Our interest rates are low enought that it competes with buying if you need to borrow to buy.

At the end of my 4 year lease I will have the option to buy the vehicle or return it. If there's fantastic change in technology, or major problems, or my situation changes, I can give it back. If not I can buy it. I do not have to decide today... The decision will be in 4 years. It will not cost very much to postpone this decision.

The buyback is very low (approx $12K) because they feel there will be a major breakthru in technology, or that we will kill the battery.

Thats my 2 cents

Cheers!
Terry

 

[kierrica]

Thank you so much for your input, Jeju and Terry! I do not plan on keeping it for 10 years, only probably about 6 years max. The used car wins out in that scenario, depending on the deal I get, but of course the lease is absolutely the best on a 3-4 year plan. My husband and I are going out tomorrow to see what deals we can actually get. If we don't like any of them, I can always wait until later in the year when the new models (Leaf 2?) are announced/Bolt release so the 2016s will presumably go down in price. (I refuse to buy a Bolt because... Chevrolet... yuck!) I'm very excited!!!

 

[ALF]

...in a few years I suspect that a 2016 Soul EV will have steeply depreciated as cars with longer range appear. Therefore, it makes more sense to lease, and, I did just that a couple of weeks ago. I leased a '16 Base Soul EV for 36 months, so I'll let you know whether or not that was a good idea in February 2019.

Well, I extended my lease for 6 months until August 2019, and I just bought the car for the buyback price of $12.7K. That seems to be a similar amount to what used 2016 Soul EVs are going for, so it is not a fantastic deal, but it does seem fair. I figured that by now, there would be a lot more choices of longer-range cars, but that is not quite true yet. I looked long and hard at a new 2019 Chevy Bolt, which has some good discounts, but couldn't pull the trigger, figuring that very soon there will be a long-range Soul EV, the Hyundai Kona EV, and the Kia Niro EV (which just came out in limited quantities and is selling at a premium). The Leaf Plus was also an option, but the price approaches that of a Model 3 Standard Range Plus.

So, bottom line, I'm going to live with my '16 Soul EV for a while. I wish it had more range, but it has served me well.

 

[JejuSoul]

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I just bought a second 2015 Soul EV. It was manufactured on the same day as my existing car.
4 1/4 years ago my original car cost $20,000 USD.
Today I just bought that second car for $11,200 USD.

For me to have 'won' by choosing to lease rather than buy, the lease would need to be lower than $172.5 USD / month.

Three years ago I stated

...If you really want to get the best value EV deal then a 4 year old L eaf is hard to beat. If you choose carefully you will win on the battery warranty and get a free brand new battery. I think it is very unlikely that such a tactic will ever work with the Soul EV because I think the proportion of cars with failing batteries will be too low...

I was wrong. There are already numerous examples on this forum where this tactic is working.
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