When it comes to the Kia Soul EV and Mini Cooper SE, you can sing it’s electric and do the hustle. Alright, setting our lame dad jokes about these funky little cars aside, the Kia and Mini both deserve attention as affordable electric models, but which one is better? 

The Mini Cooper SE Vs. Kia Soul EV 

Size 

Both the Mini Cooper Electric and Kia Soul EV are spunky little cars with attitude. They maintain their iconic shapes despite needed to be charges up instead of fueled up. 

The Kia is slightly longer with a length of 161 inches compared to the Mini’s length of 151 inches. The Kia also has a larger wheelbase of 102 inches and height of 63 inches compared to the Mini’s 98-inch wheelbase and height of 56 inches. So we can declare that the Kia EV is a little bigger than the literally Mini Electric. 

Both of these electric vehicles also have bright pops of color in electric blues and yellows to set themselves apart from their nonelectric models. 

Performance 

The Kia Soul EV is equipped with a 30-kWh lithium-ion battery that’s connected to an electric motor that produces 109 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque. This allows you to go from 0 to 60 mph in 11.2 seconds with a top speed of 90 mpg to conserve range. 

This is a little slower than the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. Along with being a little slow, the Kia Soul EV also has a shorter range. A single charge provides a range of 111 miles with electric use only.  

The Mini Cooper SE took its motor from the BWM i3 and used it to power the front wheels instead of the rear. The Cooper pumps out 181 horsepower and 199 lb-foot torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds with a maximum speed of 93 mph. The Mini SE also has a range of 114 miles on an electric charge. 

So, the Mini Cooper EV has slightly more power than the Kia Soul EV, but both are disappointing when compared to other electric models. The Nissan Leaf is similar in price and can go 150 to 260 miles on a single charge.

How They Feel 

The Kia Soul EV isn’t receiving good reviews for how it feels. For having an engine that doesn’t produce sound, the cab still gets quite noisy. The battery placement under the seats makes the vehicle feel wobbly and seems to impact the handling. 

Nonelectric versions of the Soul seem to have a better turning radius and handling. The regenerative braking also feels a little soft, which doesn’t promote confidence in the ability to stop. 

At least it’s spacious with the ability to for five adults even with the batteries behind the front seats. 

The Mini Cooper SE can only fit four adults and also has regenerative braking that feels a bit week. However, this model seems to have improved handling and traction control compared to previous models. 

While the Kia Soul EV is only available in a few states and the Mini Cooper SE is coming to American in March 2020, it may be worth it to look at the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt instead of waiting to get your hands on one of these electric cars.