South Korea's No. 2 carmaker Kia Motors Corp. said Sunday its Soul electric vehicle was named the best city car among eco-friendly auto models by French journalists.

The Soul EV ranked No. 1 in the "Alternative Energy City Car" category in this year's Prix Auto Environment MAAF awards, the carmaker said.

In the Prix Auto Environment MAAF awards, first established in 2005, a jury of environmental and automotive journalists assess cars based on their technology related to sustainable mobility.

Aside from the latest accolade, the Kia Soul EV has also earned other awards overseas, including being named the Car of the Year in Norway by Dagbladet, Autofil and Dinside, as well as the 2015 Canadian Green Car Award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.

On home turf, the battery-powered Soul city car was the most widely sold model among EVs here last year.

A total of 414 Soul units were sold in the local market in 2014, accounting for more than a third of the 1,183 electric cars sold in the country over the one-year period, according to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. (Yonhap)