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The Volkswagen ID.3 is, in the brand’s own words, as significant as the launch of the Beetle and the Golf. The reality is of a decent but far from class-leading electric vehicle with a few frustrating aspects, that’s far from being the dead-cert Golf replacement we might have imagined prior to its launch.
Still, as a used buy it shouldn’t be overlooked, because even if the infotainment system can be irritating to use and it’s nothing special to drive, it’s still a family-sized EV with a pretty competitive range, and the undeniable appeal that comes with that VW badge on the bonnet.
Since the ID.3 arrived its competition has only got tougher, with electric family cars now including the Renault Megane E-Tech, Kia Niro EV, Tesla Model 3, Vauxhall Astra Electric, and MG4, and in-house rivals like the sporty Cupra Born. All are well worth considering if you’re in the market for an ID.3.
The ID.3 has several things going for it. Volkswagen’s brand image can’t be ignored, that VW badge still commanding more respect than many mainstream rivals, but the ID.3 also promises a decent range, with 216 miles even in the smallest battery models and up to 341 miles in those with the most capacity.
It’s also very spacious, taking up similar road space to a VW Golf but, thanks to the benefits of packaging an EV’s mechanical components, a greater feeling of space. The boot’s pretty big too, if not as much as some rivals, and the expansive glass area means excellent visibility - which combined with electric power and a tight turning circle makes it particularly easy to drive in town.
It’s not all good news inside though, as the general interior quality and feel of the materials isn’t up there with the Golf, while the car’s infotainment system is near-maddening. Several interior functions rely on the touchscreen, which would be fine if it was more user-friendly and not so glitchy. So try before you buy.
The ID.3 is pleasant enough to drive, feeling agile thanks to its rear-wheel drive layout, and being very refined, and there’s enough regenerative braking for one-pedal style driving in most cases. The ride can feel a little firm, but less so than some rivals.
And that brings us to the number of alternatives out there. Everything from the Renault Megane E-Tech, Kia Niro EV, Tesla Model 3, and Vauxhall Astra Electric, to the mechanically similar Cupra Born is an option if you’re looking for a family EV, and in reality most are better cars than the Volkswagen too. Budget buyers might want to look at the slightly more conventional Nissan Leaf, or the fun-to-drive but less stylish MG4.
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The sensible thing to do here is to choose an ID.3 primarily based on battery size, as that’s the thing that will make a meaningful difference to your ownership experience. We’d opt for the 58kWh pack as a bare minimum, but if you see a model for sale listed as Pro S, you’re looking at one with a 77kWh pack and more than 300 miles of claimed range.
We’ve covered trim levels in more detail below but given most differ by only one or two items of equipment bundled into standard ‘packs’, it’s not worth choosing one specific trim over another - so just pick an ID.3 in a colour you like and with an appropriate battery pack, and you can’t go too far wrong.
Brace yourself, because things get complicated here. VW has seen fit to offer the ID.3 with an enormous range of trim levels and at a glance you’d be hard pressed to understand any kind of hierarchy. We’ve summed up the most significant equipment changes among the baffling trim line variants below.
The Volkswagen ID.3’s dimensions are:
The Volkswagen ID.3’s boot size is:
If the ID.3’s trim level lineup is difficult to understand, then taxing it should be much easier. All versions are electric, which means that for the time being at least, all models have zero-rate Vehicle Excise Duty, meaning you won’t pay anything to tax them each year.
Like a lot of electric cars the ID.3 sits in slightly higher insurance groups than a combustion equivalent might - while a Volkswagen Golf begins in group 14, the lowest-spec ID.3 Life started in group 19, and those groups rise to group 27, higher than the group 24 of the top Golfs (excluding the GTI/GTD/GTE performance versions). Still, an MG4 starts at group 27, so you can expect an ID.3 to cost less than that.
Read our full Volkswagen ID.3 review