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Part of the Volkswagen ID concept, the ID.3 is a 5-door hatchback that comes with everything you need. First unveiled in 2019, it is a rear-wheel driven electric car that uses an APP310 permanent magnet brushless electric motor.
An all-electric offering from VW, the ID.3 is in the same mould of a Golf, and the German carmaker certainly hopes it will strike a chord with the car-buying public in the same way that its fossil fuel-driven predecessor did.
There are three different battery options available with the ID.3, Pure, Pro and Pro S, each providing various range capacities and charging times.
After Volkswagen first started selling the 1st edition ID in 2020, it was found to have a few software problems, which VW now says is a thing of the past. Since it first became available, the new Volkswagen ID.3 has become one of the most popular all-electric cars on European roads.
What makes it such a success story? In this car review, we'll cover everything you need to know about the model, including those all-important running costs, charging data and performance information, as well as what the ID.3 is like to own.
| Model Variant | Battery Size | Real World Range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pure | 45 kWh | 145 to 205 miles | |
| Pro | 58 kWh | 185 to 260 miles | |
| Pro S | 77 kWh | 240 to 340 miles |
The Pure ID.3 is the entry-level variant of the electric car, which has the lowest range. This is reflected in the price, of course. However, this Volkswagen ID version will offer more than enough range for most trips to the shops or daily commutes.
The Pure Volkswagen ID range in WLPT tests is an impressive 205 miles, but you would need near perfect conditions to achieve that in the real world. Of course, the Pro and Pro S editions of the electric car provide greater theoretical ranges. Like the Pure ID.3, however, it is unlikely that drivers would achieve these unless they were deliberately testing their electric motor's range capacity.
All 3 Volkswagen ID.3 variants offer good ranges even when there is a lot of traffic and stopping and starting involved.
The three battery sizes offered by VW make choosing an electric car a bit easier if you are happy with the WLTP range provided.
In short, Volkswagen has made it simple to select an ID.3 to suit your requirements without having to compare it too much to other electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf. The 58 kWh battery will be enough for nearly all motorists unless they intend to do long motorway drives frequently.
The interior space is not significantly compromised by either the Pure or the Pro. However, the Pro S electric ID.3 has an optional four-seat arrangement instead of the usual five seats due to the reduced legroom the battery necessarily affords.
The Volkswagen ID's electric motor takes a fair amount of time to power up from a standard three-pin British socket. It will take over 24 hours to charge a new Volkswagen ID.3 this way in most cases. With a 3.6 kW outlet, the task will take between 13 and 22 hours to charge an ID.3.
Install a 7 KW charger, or if you have one at the office you can make use of, and the ID.3 will charge in as little as seven hours if you are lucky. There again, a 22 kW electric outlet will charge an ID.3 in six hours. Of course, many motorists won't need so long to replenish their ID.3 since most electric cars are not run down to zero before recharging them. In this sense, the ID.3 as an electric car is quite good. A 150 kW electric charger at a public location would mean replenishing the electric motor of the 58kWh battery from 20% to 80% power within as little as half an hour.
Charging the three battery sizes from empty to full is not very expensive, depending on your tariff. The mid-range ID.3 would not set you back much more than £10 to fully power up at home. Overall, you can expect to pay about half the amount you'd expect to for a similar number of miles in a petrol-powered car. One of the key selling points of the ID.3 Volkswagen would undoubtedly like to impress upon anyone comparing electric vehicles nowadays.
With the ID.3, Volkswagen has produced a car that is very inexpensive to insure. That's because all three of the Volkswagen ID car variants sit in insurance group 29.
The ID.3 comes with a three-year warranty supplied by Volkswagen as standard. However, Volkswagen will only honour this in the third year of the car's life if you can keep your ID.3 under 60,000 miles in that time. In other words, there is no mileage limitation on the ID.3 warranty in years one and two.
Volkswagen also offers an extended warranty on its ID.3 model, just like it did for its Golf and other hatchback cars. Volkswagen says its customers can purchase these for £136 a year, but there is some fine print to read with the ID.3. A used ID.3 can also come with a two-year warranty. You will have to buy from a dealer Volkswagen has approved for this to be offered with your car purchase.
Like the other electric models of car Volkswagen manufactures, the servicing schedule is relatively straightforward with the ID.3. To be clear, your newly bought Volkswagen ID should be serviced once it is two years old. Following this inspection, every Volkswagen ID on the road ought to be serviced annually, or once 20,000 miles have been driven. Like other cars running on electricity, the Volkswagen ID is relatively easy to service, so the cost of having it done shouldn't be as much as a petrol-powered Golf, for example.
The Volkswagen ID is exempt from road tax in the UK. Run as a company car. The ID3 is also rated at just 1% for benefit in kind charges, much cheaper than the leading alternatives.
The Volkswagen ID weighs about 1,700 kilos which is heavy and affects its speed despite the low centre of gravity. The top speed of the Pro S Volkswagen ID is 99 mph, for example. That said, the rear-wheel driven Pro S ID3 will get from stationary to 62 mph in just 7.9 seconds, not bad by comparison to other electric cars of its size.
A Nissan Leaf will get from 0-62 mph in 7.9 seconds as well, so the Volkswagen ID is in good company. By way of comparison, the Renault Zoe R110 will achieve the same speed from a standing start in 9.5 seconds. The top speed of this particular electric car is 87 mph.
The ID.3 offers Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual driving modes. In Eco mode, the electric car will encourage you to use the accelerator less, but there is not much to tell these modes apart from one another.
The Volkswagen ID has two regeneration features from braking. The retardation option is good if you are zipping along on country roads, but it doesn't make much sense in urban conditions where you will use the brake pedal more often.
The 310 Nm of torque you get with this model is more than enough to have you feeling confident when filtering onto main roads and motorways. The car is designed to be nimble, like a typical hatchback, and you won't have any problems with it on busy city streets or finding a parking bay for it either, thanks to its turning circle.
Built on VW's MEB architecture, the ID.3 looks good at first glance, much like a Golf or any other hot hatch. There is good weight distribution, and overall the car looks well-balanced. The standard trim, the Life, comes with good looking 18-inch Aero wheels, too. You can also opt for up to six different metallic paint finishes if you want.
Some ID electric cars come with a panoramic sunroof, but not all. Even with the entry-level version, you will get a futuristic-looking front grille, and matrix LED headlamps and even a newly designed VW logo on the front.
As well as the aforementioned Life trim level, you can opt for Business, Family or Tech. Other than the panoramic sunroof, which is only supplied with the Family and Tech versions, there is very little to tell one ID.3 apart from the others externally. Most of the extra trim goes on the inside instead.
The car's dashboard – and every sub-brand trim level of it – is a bit let down by the interior space, which is full of plastic. Most reviews point out that this is one of the things that is under par with the car. However, the dashboard is still pretty good in the ID.3. It is fully digital, and you can configure it how you like. That said, most motorists will probably be happy with the display as it comes since you can see it easily through the steering wheel as it is.
The ID3 comes with a 10-inch touch-sensitive screen infotainment system. The audio is good, and there is a natural voice control system that comes as standard. Overall, the infotainment system is another very attractive thing about the car.
Expect air conditioning as standard with the car. However, you only get keyless entry and other systems with the higher specifications of the ID.3. A comfort pack also comes as standard.
The high roof of the ID.3 means it feels spacious in the back, but it also affords more storage space when you drop the rear seats down. Although it is a little shorter than a Nissan Leaf, you don't feel pushed from roominess inside.
There is a 385-litre boot capacity with an ID.3. Drop the seats in the back and you'll get an impressive 1,267 litres of space, however.
When it launched in September 2020, the ID.3 was given a five-star safety rating by NCAP, scoring highest for child occupant safety.
The Volkswagen ID is packed with safety features. For example, there are airbags in the front and the rear. There is an Isofix system in the passenger seat and the back of the car. Other safety systems that help with car control include lane assistance, for when you are steering inappropriately, and speed assistance, too.
The Life version of this production electric car starts from £32,470, although you could easily spend more by adding to the car's specification. The Business trim level price, by comparison, will set you back £35,710 from new. The Family starts at £36,540 while the top of the range Tech model's price is £39,500 before you consider add-ons.
