Buying a 2018

[EricNH]

Hello. New to the forum. I'm interested in buying a 2018 Soul EV (don't want any other EV) to get the bigger battery and have longer left on the warranty. I see them on Carvana listing around $17,999. with one outlier at $14,999. They are from California (2), Arizona and Georgia. The mileage varies from 14000 to low 20s.

So many questions. Is that what 2018s usually cost? Is it safe to buy hot weather Soul EVs or is that still asking for battery degradation? Is 10k miles a year good or bad for an used EV?

btw I commute 11 miles each way to work, but occasionally (once a month) have to drive 70 miles round trip with no ability to charge at work. We live in New Hampshire so it gets cold.

 

[IanL]

Battery is, like the rest of the car, warranted for 7 years, provided the schedule maintenance has been done, So if you buy car from a hot climate, and find the State of Health (SOH) is under 70%, KIA will repair/replace. If you get a 30kWh model (from late 2017 - VIN has 10th character "J") you should be fine for 70 miles in winter.

 

[JejuSoul]

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Unless you have a heated garage do not buy a car from a 'hot' state if you live in a 'cold' state. They do not have battery heaters.

See - KIA US: 2018 Kia Soul EV Pricing

Battery Heating System : Oregon, Washington, and Eastern Region only

 

[EricNH]

Battery is, like the rest of the car, warranted for 7 years, provided the schedule maintenance has been done, So if you buy car from a hot climate, and find the State of Health (SOH) is under 70%, KIA will repair/replace. If you get a 30kWh model (from late 2017 - VIN has 10th character "J") you should be fine for 70 miles in winter.

Thanks. I've been looking for a 30kWh 2017 by VIN. Not many of those out there right now though.

 

[EricNH]

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Unless you have a heated garage do not buy a car from a 'hot' state if you live in a 'cold' state. They do not have battery heaters.

See - KIA US: 2018 Kia Soul EV Pricing

Battery Heating System : Oregon, Washington, and Eastern Region only

That's a great tip! What happens to one of those heaterless batteries in New Hampshire without the garage? More degradation?

 

[EricNH]

What's the worst case scenario range that people have in cold states Winter? With a 27kWh. A just before replacement kind of range? 60? Worse?

 

[MassDeduction]

That's a great tip! What happens to one of those heaterless batteries in New Hampshire without the garage? More degradation?

Batteries perform better in the heat, but degrade more quickly. Batteries perform more poorly in the cold, but degrade more slowly. That's why thermal management systems try to keep them somewhere in the middle.

So a battery heater is intended to improve performance, degradation would not normally be a concern in the cold except in extremely unusual circumstances well beyond what a car would experience in the average driveway.

And agreed, that's a great tip JejuSoul! My mom and dad have a Soul EV imported from the U.S. While we have relatively mild winters here in southwest-coastal Canada, it would nonetheless be interesting to check whether their Soul EV from a northern State or not.

Edit to add: Nevermind, it appears that the 2016 had it in all regions (according to this link: https://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/models/soul-ev/2016/pricing, ignoring the EVe variant that I think was California only?). And even stranger, the 2017 had it only in Eastern regions (not also in Washington and Oregon, at least according to this link: https://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/models/soul-ev/2017/pricing).

Even *more* weird is that the 2019 had the battery heater *only* in Oregon?! (According to this link, at least: https://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/models/soul-ev/2019/pricing)

 

[notfred]

Worst case, the electrolyte freezes and bursts the battery. 2nd worse case, charging at low temperatures (including regenerative braking) can mess up the chemistry inside the battery and also cause failures.

It all depends on where you live and where your car is going to be kept as to what temperatures the battery will see. I'm in Ottawa, Canada and so we see some significantly low temperatures in the winter. My car is in the (unheated but still sheltered) garage overnight while charging, but it normally sits outside in the parking lot at work during the day. My car has a battery heater. I see significant range difference between the summer and winter - 100km on the GoM in winter is not unusual.

 

[MarkCapeCod]

I decided quite a while ago that a 2018 or 2019 Kia Soul EV hit the sweet spot in features and price. I live on Cape Cod in MA and have a cottage in Northeast VT. I wanted an EV that could make that 280 mile trip, with the fast charging desert in the Northern 2/3 of New Hampshire. I wanted to keep the budget under $20K and felt that the difference between the pre-2018 and 2018+ in range was a must for our use case. We like boxy tall vehicles, had a 2006 Scion xB we bought new and is still being driven by our son, and my wife still has our 2011 Scion xB.

So this was our buying experience. We had time on our side so we could wait for the right car. It probably was 2 months overall. We found a CPO 2018 EV+ with about 9K on the odometer. It lived it's life in MA, and had the battery heater as listed on the Monroney. The Kia dealer was asking $19K initially, (too much). Then lowered the price slightly twice, but still over $18K. I liked the car, but not the price. I offered $17K and let the dealer know I was in no hurry and wouldn't budge on the price. The dealer accepted.

I've had the car for six weeks and am very happy with it. It easily surpasses the EPA rating in milder autumn weather (so far). SoulSpy shows consistent cell voltages and 100% SOH. There is nothing that needs attention under warranty. My skeptical wife loves driving it.

HTH,
Mark

 

[notfred]

Sounds like the perfect choice for you. Glad to hear things are going well with the car.

 

[mikejody]

Someone above said the 2017 model that has the 30 battery instead of the 27 "has a 10th character 'J'". Most VINs have much longer numbers. Does anyone know if this VIN would have the 27 or 30 battery? KNDJX3AE5H7019254

 

[IanL]

10th character H. 27 kWh, sorry.

However, here's something to weigh in the balance. The 27 kWh has the ability to set charging to stop at 80%. The 30 kWh can't do that, so I have to estimate time to charge to 80% and set start and end time. Not so good.

 

[curtis taing]

Car prices can vary based on factors such as location, condition, mileage, and market demand. For the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information, I recommend checking with local dealerships, online car marketplaces, or automotive valuation tools.
Regarding hot weather and battery degradation in electric vehicles (EVs), exposure to high temperatures over an extended period can contribute to battery degradation. However, modern EVs are equipped with thermal management systems to help mitigate the impact of temperature extremes.
However, for an electric vehicle, lower mileage might be more common due to factors like charging infrastructure availability and charging habits. It's important to consider how well the previous owner maintained the vehicle, including adherence to charging and maintenance recommendations.
When purchasing a used EV, especially one that has been exposed to hot weather, consider obtaining a detailed vehicle history report, checking the battery health (if possible), and consulting with the seller or a knowledgeable mechanic.