2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV vs 2020 Kia Soul

The 2020 Kia Soul had a boxy and bold styling that evolved from its previous generations. It featured a more futuristic rendition of its familiar design cues, with minimalistic headlight designs and a blacked-out A-pillar. The rear side windows had added angles, creating a character line that ran to the back of the vehicle. This design element was executed well, making the Soul stand out. Inside, the Soul maintained its useful and well-designed interior, with bold elements like tweeter speakers built into the dash vents. The trims ranged from the basic LX to the high-end GT-Line Turbo, each offering various features and driver-assistance technologies.

The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV had a shape optimized for aerodynamic efficiency, similar to other efficiency-first cars like the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius. Its more upright layout provided a commanding view of the road and excellent sightlines. The Bolt EV incorporated Chevrolet's signature design cues, such as the polygon lower grille and a "floating" roofline along the D-pillar. The cabin was futuristic, with flowing plastic panels and bright colors, resembling consumer electronics more than traditional cars. The Bolt EV had two trims: LT and Premier, each offering various features, including a 10.2-inch touchscreen, WiFi hotspot, and driver-assistance packages.

The 2020 Kia Soul was powered by a 2-liter, 4-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Despite the modest output, the CVT managed the power well, providing decent acceleration. The Soul also offered a Sport button and a manual mode for simulated gear changes. The base LX trim came with a 6-speed manual transmission, with the CVT as an option. The GT-Line Turbo featured a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine with 201 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The Soul's ride quality was impressive, balancing softness over bumps and firmness through turns. Fuel economy for the 2-liter engine and CVT was 27 mpg city, 33 highway, and 30 combined, while the Turbo returned 27, 32, and 29 mpg, respectively.

The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV featured a 66-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack powering an electric motor at the front wheels, producing 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. With 100% of the torque available at zero rpm, the Bolt EV had excellent low-end pickup, achieving a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds. The battery placement ensured a low center of gravity, making the Bolt EV fun to drive around town. However, the ride could be harsh over bumps, and the steering was twitchy at highway speeds. The Bolt EV provided 259 miles of range per the EPA, making it suitable for city driving and occasional longer trips.

The 2020 Kia Soul's boxy design offered 24.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats upright and 62.1 cubic feet with the seats folded. This was more than the Volkswagen Golf and some compact SUVs. The five-passenger cabin had great front and rear legroom and headroom, with plenty of storage compartments and innovative solutions throughout the interior.

The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV had 56.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 16.9 cubic feet with the seats up. The Premier trim featured a removable load floor for better organization. The Bolt EV's tall shape provided decent cabin space, with plenty of headroom for both front and rear passengers. However, legroom in the second row could be limited if the front seats were pushed back. The driver had excellent visibility, and the Bolt EV offered deep in-door pockets and a large cargo tray below the center console.

The 2020 Kia Soul came with Kia’s UVO infotainment system, with screen sizes varying by trim. The LX, S, X-Line, and GT-Line had a 7-inch screen, while the EX and GT Turbo had a 10.25-inch screen. The system featured easy menu navigation, bright fonts, and hard buttons and dials. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, enhancing the system's usefulness.

The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV had a different touchscreen from other GM vehicles, with a clunky layout and laggy performance. It focused on energy displays, with various ways to monitor charging and power usage. The system included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The fully digital instrument panel was customizable, providing energy usage information and range estimates. The Bolt EV also had a smartphone app for monitoring charging status and weather impacts on range.

The 2020 Kia Soul included standard safety features like front- and side-impact airbags, a reversing camera, traction control, hill-start assist, and a tire pressure monitoring system. The S trim added driver-assistance features like forward-collision warning and avoidance, lane-keep assist, lane-change assist, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-path detection. The GT-Line Turbo added adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, and pedestrian detection.

The 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV had standard safety features like airbags, traction control, and a backup camera. It also included Chevy’s Teen Driver feature. Advanced driver assistance features were available in option packages. The Driver Confidence I package added rear parking sensors, lane-change alert, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Driver Confidence II package added automatic high beams, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, a following distance indicator, lane-departure warning, and lane-keep assist. The Bolt EV received a five-star crash test rating from the NHTSA and was an IIHS 2019 Top Safety Pick.