KiaSoul EV2020Electric/kia/soul-ev/2020/electric/

2020 Kia Soul EV

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2020 Soul EV.

Engine Electric

The 2020 Kia Soul EV is the all-electric variant of Kia’s boxy hatchback, powered solely by an electric motor. With 361 total owner complaints and a single recall, its reliability record sits between the model’s extremes—far below the 898 complaints logged for the 2015 model year, yet notably above the 17 complaints recorded for the 2017 model. This places the 2020 model year in a middle ground within the Soul EV’s complaint history, suggesting a moderate reliability profile relative to earlier iterations.

Model year202020192018201720162015

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length165.4 in
Overall width70.9 in
Overall height63.8 in
Wheelbase102.4 in
Curb weight3715 lb
Track (front / rear)61 / 61 in

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier Torque16.0-23.0 ft-lbs
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueFront: 43.0-; Rear: 58.0-
ABS Sensor TorqueFront: 6.0; Rear: 6.0
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness for ReplacementFront: 1.040; Rear: .331
Variation from Parallelism Thickness Variation.0002
Maximum Rotor RunoutFront: .0016; Rear: .002

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the coolant every 37,500 mi. The big-interval services (every 37,500 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

At 7,500 miCabin Air Filter (inspect)
Every 7,500 miAir Conditioning System (inspect) · Battery (inspect) · Brake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Brake Line (inspect) · Brake Linings (inspect) · Brake Pedal Assembly (inspect)
Every 15,000 miCabin Air Filter (inspect) · Cabin Air Filter (replace) · Hybrid Inverter (inspect coolant level)
At 30,000 miHybrid Inverter (inspect coolant level)
Every 37,500 miHybrid Inverter (drain, flush & refill coolant)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The provided year-by-year federal record traces a generation-wide decline from the high-volume complaint years of 2015 and 2016—898 and 802 complaints, respectively—down to markedly lower levels in 2017 through 2019, with annual complaints ranging from 17 to 213 and recalls stabilizing at three per year. For 2020 specifically, the data shows engine complaints leading at 154 filings, followed by 49 powertrain and 18 combined powertrain/engine complaints, plus 9 crash and 6 fire complaints, though the record supplies no year-by-year complaint, recall, or investigation total for this model year that would allow direct volume comparison to prior years. With no subsequent years included in the dataset, the 2020 model sits at the end of a downward-trending arc that saw dramatically reduced activity after 2016, yet its own profile indicates concentrated engine and powertrain complaints alongside 9 crash and 6 fire incidents whose root causes the data does not specify. That concentration of complaints, absent corresponding recall or investigation context for 2020, tempers the optimism of the preceding downward trend. Consequently, 2020 is a cautiously acceptable year to buy only if a qualified technician verifies engine and powertrain health beforehand, but it is not the strongest candidate in this generation based on the federal record provided.

1
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
138
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
1
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
361
Owner complaints
9 involved a crash · 6 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★
Frontal★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 361 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Engine154
Power Train49
Unknown Or Other28
Power Train,Engine18
Steering10
Unknown Or Other,Engine6
Electrical System,Engine6
Structure5

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

21V259000EngineReported 13/04/2021

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Soul, and 2021 Seltos vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which may result in engine damage. Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS)…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 138 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
CS2311_TSB_R42026-06-08StructureTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION: CYLINDER…
CS2312_TSB_R22026-06-08StructureTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER…
TSB_BOD3362026-06-04StructureTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides…
SC199_OWNR_SK3_32026-02-19Power TrainVOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC199 FL301) - This document…
TSB_CS2312_R12026-02-18StructureTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER…

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Soul EV. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 2020 Soul EV have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.