New Volkswagen ID.3 Review

The electric Volkswagen ID.3 starts at £2099 Advance Payment this month, down from £2999 (section updated October 2023).

Volkswagen ID.3 Motability Advance Payment Offers

So far, there have been two eras in Volkswagen's history. The first post-war period of the Beetle. And the second modern era, dominated by the company's biggest-selling model, the Golf. The third period starts now with this car, the ID.3, the first of many products from the Wolfsburg maker's new ID all-electric sub-brand.

We've had all-electric Volkswagens before of course (the e-Golf and the e-up!) but they've been based on the underpinnings of ordinary combustion models. The ID range will be very different, created around a purpose designed MEB electrified platform and built at a bespoke EV factory in Zwickau near Dresden. Ten new ID-series designs to be manufactured at this facility will be launched before 2025, including an SUV, a 7-seater, a luxury saloon, a coupe and commercial vehicles. The first offering though, is this ID.3, a Golf-sized hatch with Passat-sized interior space. And technology that aims to make you think again if you haven't yet considered a switch to electric motoring.

There are no significant dynamic or engineering changes here. Let's cover what you need to know. To start with, there are two choices of powertrain for this revised ID.3, with battery packs rated at 58 and 77kWh, allowing for respective WLTP-rated driving range figures of up to 265 and up to 339 miles. The primary electric motor option offers 204PS and takes the 58kWh version to 62mph in 7.3s (it's 7.7s for the heavier 77kWh variant). Expect a price-leading version with a smaller 45kWh battery and a 150PS electric motor along at some point. as before, all models drive the rear wheels through a single-speed auto gearbox. And all variants have the same limited 99mph top speed.

To fire everything up, you hit the starter button, then activate the gear selector, a rocker switch mounted on the steering column that twists in two directions: it's forward for 'drive' and the braking regeneration modes, And you twist back for neutral and reverse. Acceleration has been programmed to be linear and consistent rather than arriving all-in-a-rush. And weight has been kept to reasonable levels (1,670kgs is relatively light for an EV) which helps handling. As is compulsory for EVs, there's a pedestrian warning buzzer which works at under 12mph to warn pavement folk of your approach. The super-tight 10.2-metre turning circle is closer to that of an up! city car than a Golf.

The exterior changes here are subtle, but quite effective. There's a re-profiled front bumper with vertical air ducts. Plus a re-shaped bonnet, based around a completely new pressing that does away with the previous black panel below the windscreen to give the car a more elongated appearance and a sleeker drag coefficient. The tail lamps are different too, with distinctively-illuminating X-shaped daytime running lights and smarter scrolling indicators. Otherwise, things are much as before, which sees this as a slightly larger car than a comparable Golf. And this EV is 60mm taller than a Golf too, thanks to the need for battery installation in the thicker floor. There's a swept-back windscreen (raked to better accommodate the head-up display system).

Inside, the mid-life changes are much more evident, highlighted by a larger 12-inch central screen in place of the previous 10-inch monitor. This works with an optional cloud-based speech recognition system, now upgraded to provide faster reaction times, while the optional Head-up display now supports augmented reality functions. The trimming seems quite a bit more up-market - and appropriate for the relatively high prices Volkswagen wants here. Higher-grade plastics feature on the lower part of the dash (not before time), while higher-specified variants get smarter materials for the upper part of the dash too.

As before, there are plenty of stowage cubbies and a decently-sized central storage bin resides between the front seats. Due to a 145mm wheelbase increase over a Golf, rear seat room is almost Passat-like, but you don't get a huge boot, though the 385-litre capacity will be sufficient for most.

Volkswagen's goal with the ID.3 was to make the switch to full-EV motoring more affordable for more people - but that's not going to happen until it's quite a bit cheaper than it is right now. Pricing starts at around £40,000 for the core 58kWh 204PS version with base trim. If that's a little much, then you might want to wait for the forthcoming 45kWh 150PS variant your dealer will shortly be able to tell you about.

All models get Matrix LED headlamps, keyless entry, diamond-turned alloy wheels of at least 18-inches in size, 'Air Care' 'Climatronic' air conditioning, ambient lighting and a removeable luggage compartment floor. A 12-inch centre-dash infotainment screen is now standard across the range and features a neat 'touch-sensitive bar', using which you can swipe across various screen zones to control both stereo volume and cabin temperature. Volkswagen's latest natural voice control system also features, enabling you to ask the car virtually anything as long as you preface it by "Hello Volkswagen". We'd want to specify the clever head-up display system, which projects augmented-reality navigation arrows, hazard alerts and pedestrian detection messages onto the inside of the windscreen in front of you as you drive.

The brand has increased the ID.3's maximum DC rapid-charging rate from 125kW to 170kW, but otherwise, there are no changes on the battery front. As before, Volkswagen reckons that a typical ID.3 user will save about £730 a year in operating expenses over what they'd pay to run a comparable combustion-engined model. It's not only that your energy costs will be lower: you should also make savings in insurance, road tax and the fact that no oil changes are required. Volkswagen says that its aim is to make sure that the battery pack lasts as long as the car and, sure enough, that battery pack is warrantied to have at least 70% of its usable capacity after eight years or 100,000 miles.

As usual with an EV, around 80% of charging will be done via programmable overnight replenishment using owners' garage wallboxes - bespoke versions of these are available through Volkswagen. With the 58kWh version, a 7.4kW wallbox will charge the car in 9 hours 15 mins (12 hours 15 mins for the 77kWh version). Out and about, in the unlikely event that you find a 100kW rapid charger, around 180 miles-worth of electricity can be taken on board in just 30 minutes.

There are lots of things we like about the ID.3, but this mid-term update package was certainly much-needed. You'll appreciate the smarter inside finishing and the more sophisticated media systems, plus the charging time is faster and the exterior looks sleeker, though still quietly futuristic. Volkswagen's problem though, is that much the same kind of engineering can be had with arguably more appealing packaging with cousin CUPRA Born and Skoda Enyaq iV 60 models.

If it's the ID.3 that appeals though, you could find yourself liking this updated version much better than you might have done before. As previously, this really does feel like an authentic Volkswagen, with a rear-driven format that even has a few Beetle throw-backs. In half a century's time, there's just a chance that the ID.3 will command a place in automotive history alongside that seminal VW model. In the meantime though, the ID.3 has to sell well. And in this form, there's a much better chance of it doing just that.

People with a disability and carers who choose a new Volkswagen ID.3 through Motability will receive a brand new car, delivered by a Motability Specialist at a local VW dealership, complete with insurance, servicing and maintenance, full breakdown assistance, replacement tyre cover, windscreen repair or replacement cover plus a mileage allowance of 60,000 miles over three years.