2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV vs 2023 Kia Soul

Electric vehicles are the future. Even racing and off-road enthusiasts have accepted this reality with the knowledge that EVs can be fun and engaging. We’ll lose the smell and the sounds, but one of the key purposes of racing is to improve the breed, so why not welcome the transition to electric propulsion?

The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV could not be further from an enthusiast vehicle, but it’s just as important—if not more so—to the auto industry. Introduced for the 2017 model year and updated for 2022, the Bolt EV is the tip of GM’s EV spear. More EVs are coming, but it all starts here.

For 2020, the Bolt EV's range from a full charge was increased to 417 kilometres. That carries over to 2022, and the Bolt EV gets standard DC fast charging as well, making it a more realistic option for more car shoppers. But is it enough to get you to make the leap to EV?

The Kia Soul demonstrates that good ideas mean nothing without good execution. Launched for the 2010 model year, the Soul instantly drew attention with its distinctive boxy styling. But unlike the similarly styled Honda Element and Scion xB, the Soul has managed to stick around.

That’s because the Soul has style and substance in equal measure. It’s both a practical car and a good value, just one that happens to be more interesting to look at than most other vehicles sharing those traits. Now in its third generation, the Soul is an excellent compromise between car and crossover, boasting the tidy proportions of the former and the upright driving position of the latter. So, it makes sense to cross-shop it against both small hatchbacks and the gaggle of tiny crossovers that have hit the market since the Soul first appeared, such as the Hyundai Kona, Subaru Crosstrek, and Chevrolet Trax and Trailblazer.

The current-generation Kia Soul was introduced for the 2020 model year and gets a number of notable updates for 2023, including some styling tweaks. In Canada, the trim line-up now includes LX, EX, EX+, EX Premium, and GT-Line Limited. We drove the U.S. equivalent of a Kia Soul GT-Line Limited for this review.