You’d probably be surprised to learn that Kia, with the Soul, was the first company to offer buyers a standard car with the option of choosing battery power instead of petrol or diesel.

That was back in 2014 and, at that time, the Soul EV had a range of just 100 miles. Things have moved on significantly since then and here we have the third generation model with a much greater range and, Kia claims, improved practicality and comfort.

So, let’s find out shall we?

Sitting behind the wheel the first thing I noticed is how many circles, or circular shapes, there are. It’s clearly a design theme and is a not-so-subtle demonstration of how much thought has gone into making the cabin a pleasant space to find yourself sat in.

The seats are comfortable and supportive and you don’t slide around side to side despite the apparent lack of bolstering. You sit high up but still feel as though you’re sitting in, rather than perched on, the seat. It’s electrically adjustable, including height and lumbar, as standard.

Visibility out of the front is excellent thanks to an reasonably upright driving position and narrow A-pillars. The shallow rear screen impairs the view out of the back a little but it’s the sharply-angled rear pillars that do the most damage. Fortunately rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera both make it into the standard equipment list.

There’s a seven-inch LCD display where you would normally find the analogue dials but they don’t offer any additional functionality. You can’t, for example, choose to display sat-nav maps or media information but it easy to read with crisp, clear graphics.

The dashboard is tidy and logically laid, with all the main controls and switches within easy reach. Handily many of the controls that you’ll be using the most, like the rotary dial for the fan heater – and large enough to find with only a cursory glance. Everything feels nicely damped too.

In general the quality of the interior is very good. It’s robust enough to withstand the daily rigours of family life and, as I’ve touched on already, a lot of thought has gone into creating a space with a degree of visual appeal and, it has to be said, with some success.

There are, inevitably, some harder plastics to be found but these are located in places where hands are unlikely to venture often. In places you’re likely to come into contact with more frequently you’l find softer, pleasing-to-the-touch materials.

A head-up display is included as standard, projecting sat-nav instructions, your speed and other useful information onto the windscreen directly in your line of sight. The graphics are bold, bright and big enough to read easily without proving too much of a distraction and drawing your focus away from the road.

The infotainment system is a doddle to use. The centrepiece is a high resolution 10.3in touchscreen that’s mounted reasonably high up on the dash – though not high enough to avoid diverting your gaze from the road to glance at it – and boasts excellent, accurate, graphics. It responds quickly to inputs and the menus are intuitively designed.

There’s an impressive amount of kit onboard. Sat-nav, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all standard and you’ll also benefit from online connectivity for the latest travel information. Audio is pumped out through a Harmon Kardon 10-speaker stereo with a subwoofer and there’s also a wireless phone charging pad.

You can download an app that will connect you to the car and keep you up tot date with the battery charging status and the vehicle’s location, should you misplace it. You can also send information the other way, such as a route to the sat-nav, or pre-heat the cabin before you get in.

The Soul has a tall, upright profile and, consequently, there’s loads of space for even the tallest of people. It’s also wide enough to ensure there’s no banging of elbows. Accidentally, at least.

There’s a decent amount of room in the back too. The rear bench will easily accommodate a pair of six-footers while two others occupy the front seats. It gets a little snug with three people in the back but the low bump running up the centre of the car means that there’s no shortage of space for their feet.

There’s lots of places to store your odds and ends including a decent-sized glove box, a large tray for your mobile in the centre console, and a pair of cup holders. The door bins aren’t huge but they will hold a bottle of water or other non-alcoholic beverage plus a few other bits and pieces.

It’s quiet in the cabin. Very, very quiet. There’s a little wind and road noise at cruising speeds but around urban areas the occasional thud from the suspension is about all you’ll ever hear.

The rear seats are split 40/60 which doesn’t offer a great deal of flexibility but the height-adjustable boot floor does mean that you get a flat surface when they’re folded away and it creates a separate storage area below. That said, the overall capacity of the boot is disappointing which, at just 315 litres, is not much better than some superminis.

There’s just the one model and it’s fitted with a 64kWh battery that, officially, will carry you 280 miles between charges. There’s 201bhp on tap and it’s put to good use: the Soul will sprint to 62mph in just 7.6 seconds. It feels eager from the moment you press the accelerator and pulls consistently all the way up to motorway speeds. With all that power being sent through the front wheels it’s all too easy to trigger the traction control when you’re pulling away from a standing start.

The ride is comfortable and the Soul’s body movements are well controlled over undulating B roads while the suspension does a good job of isolating occupants from the worst that our roads have to offer. It does lean a bit through corners but it’s never disconcerting. The steering is surprisingly quick but the car never feels twitchy on the motorway. It’s accurate enough that you can place the nose of the car precisely in corners.

Regenerative braking systems in EVs can often be a tad temperamental as they harvest energu while the car slows, making it difficult to slow the car smoothly, but the Soul’s are as progressive as those you’ll find on any car. You can adjust the amount of harvesting that goes on using paddles behind the steering wheel and, set to maximum, it’s possible to stop the car effectively just by lifting your foot off the accelerator.

The system can automatically increase the regenerative effort if it detects traffic slowing ahead.

If you’re thinking of buying an EV the Soul makes a strong case for itself. It is slightly handicapped by a small boot, rear seats that could be more flexible and slightly fidgety ride but it is very well equipped, is comfortable whichever seat you’re occupying and boasts a decent range.

Kia Soul EV

Price (after piCG): £34,545

Motor: 63kWh

Transmission: Single-speed auto

Max power: 201bhp

Max torque: 395Nm

Max speed: 105mph

0-62mph: 7.6sec

Range: 280 miles

AC charge time (230v): 31 hours (0-100%)

DC charge time (50kW): 75 minutes (0-80%)

For more information visit www.kia.co.uk