Volkswagen ID.3
Specifications: Volkswagen ID.3 Pro Match 58kWh
Report 1: Volkswagen's smart EV joins the family
Volkswagen's popular small family EV has had a refresh - does it make a difference?
Date: 31 October 2024 | Current mileage: 310 | Claimed range: 269 miles | Actual range: 240 miles
The ID.3 wasn’t Volkswagen’s first attempt at an electric car, but it was the first model the company took really seriously. In the past, Volkswagen had dabbled in electric vehicles with models like the Volkswagen e-Up and the Volkswagen e-Golf, along with a few plug-in hybrids.
However, the VW ID.3 marked the first time Volkswagen went all-in on an EV, putting most of its chips on electric technology and setting out to create something as impactful as the VW Beetle or Golf - this time designed solely as an EV from the ground up.
Arguably, Volkswagen had been slow to embrace EVs until this point and the company moved quickly to get the VW ID.3 into production. In hindsight, perhaps a little too quickly, as the rush resulted in a car that was almost great but was held back by some rough finishes and reports of software glitches from owners.
With a good car trying to break through and only being hindered by issues that needed time and polishing to perfect, it was no surprise that Volkswagen opted for an early refresh of the ID3. Facelifted models began appearing from spring 2023 onwards.
You’d be hard-pressed to spot the exterior changes, though. Aside from subtle tweaks to the front and rear bumpers and the addition of a few new color options, not much has changed on the outside.
On the inside, however, the improvements in attention to detail are much more noticeable. The updated VW ID.3 features double-stitched leather on the dashboard and doors, backed by soft foam, replacing the hard plastic of the original version.
Then there’s the much-discussed software, which controls everything from air conditioning and navigation to charging details and more advanced settings. Volkswagen has fully overhauled the software, both in terms of user interface and backend performance. A new, larger 12.9-inch central screen replaces the previous 10-inch version with fiddly buttons, offering a significantly improved user experience.
Regarding batteries, the VW ID.3 has offered a range of options since its launch, balancing price and range. Initially, a 45kWh version was available, but this has since been discontinued, leaving the choices of 52kWh, 58kWh, and 77kWh battery packs.
If you opt for the range-topping GTX "hot hatch," that capacity nudges up to 79kWh. Depending on the battery choice, the range varies between 240 and 369 miles.
We chose the ID.3 Pro Match paired with the 58kWh battery and a 204PS motor. This mid-range option provides a good balance between usable range and affordability.
New prices start from a little over £30k, with this version priced at around £38,500. There are often attractive finance offers (including 0% interest) and dealer discounts, making it possible to secure a reasonable monthly payment on a PCP (though be mindful of the final balloon payment).
However, if that’s still too pricey - and let’s face it, it’s a significant amount for a hatchback - used models are becoming quite affordable. At the time of writing, early VW ID.3 examples were available for just over £12,000, with PCPs of under £150 per month. That’s cheap enough for buyers to start running the numbers before changing their next car.
For those who can charge at home using cheaper overnight tariffs and have the right driving patterns, the VW ID.3 presents a cost-effective way to own and drive a stylish, modern small hatchback.
That’s why we’re running this ID.3 for the next six months. We want to get to know this model better and provide an honest perspective on what it’s like to live with - from charging at home and using public charging points to understanding its real-world range and assessing whether it could be a cost-effective choice for you.
We recognize that EVs aren’t for everyone - some people may find them unsuitable for their needs right now. However, it’s possible that even if an EV wasn’t on your radar the last time you bought a car, it might be worth considering now.
Report 2: Putting on the miles and putting in the charges
The UK's charging infrastructure is finally improvingly - and quickly - as Dan discovers
Date: 20 November 2024 | Current mileage: 1045 | Claimed range: 269 miles | Actual range: 240 miles
I’ve been driving an EV of one sort or another as my regular car for the past four years and before that would drive them from time-to-time. Most of my charging is done at home with a Zappi 22kW fast charger and use of solar panels and cheap overnight/flexible electric tariffs to keep the costs as low as possible - factored into the solar panel calculations would be the savings on petrol/diesel costs.
But I also do a decent number of longer drives that require using rapid and ultra-rapid chargers and this is where I have seen a huge change, not just over the long term - four or five years - but also in the last 6-12 months.
Things are moving quickly and whereas before I’d look for 50Kw chargers - and be pleased when I found them - chargers offering 75kW-150kW are now springing up all over the place and finding seems to be getting easier and easier.
It’s anecdotal, but I’ve found myself using Zapmap a lot less to hunt them down and there are just … there. That shouldn’t be seen as a dig at Zapmap, which remains a must-have app for every EV driver.
It’s backed up by the data. In 2024, the UK experienced a significant expansion in EV charging infrastructure, adding over 20,000 new public charge points - a 38% increase from the previous year. That included 4353 rapid or ultra-rapid charge points, marking a 28% increase compared to the 3411 installed in 2023.
The spread of chargers is getting better too. Just a few years ago, a disproportionate amount were being installed in and around London, with the rest of the country left behind. Now the coverage is getting better with even smaller towns and villages getting their own fast chargers. That said, there is still much more work to do.
This has helped to alleviate one of the stumbling blocks to EV take-up - the dreaded range anxiety and the amount of time you’re parked up to charge. With one of the rapid chargers, I’m able to get the ID.3 from almost empty to 80% in just over half an hour or less and a full charge within 45 minutes.
That makes a huge difference. It not only makes it easier to live with, but lower range cars with smaller batteries suddenly aren’t so much of a problem. If they can be quickly and easily charged, you don’t necessarily need that bigger (more expensive) battery.
I’ve already got a few longer trips under my belt in the ID.3 in the weeks that I’ve been running it. One took me to Minehead for a weekend away. The less said about the weekend, the better, but from my house, that’s a 460 mile round trip.
I’m currently seeing a range of about 240 miles from the ID.3, so in theory, that’s enough to get there, charge once, and come back again. But I did something a little different. I left with a full charge and then fully charged again at Gloucester Services, which is 130 miles down the road.
If I’m going to the west country, I always use Gloucester Services as a stop-off. Like its more famous sister site Tebay in the north west, it’s a very well considered and very well run site with a farm shop vibe, good food and clean and modern facilities.
And that applies to chargers too. Not only is there a good spread of fast chargers, but they also advertise the price per kWh on the way in, so there are no surprises at the charger. Why aren’t more services doing this? It not only gives reassurance on the price, but also gives a bit of reassurance that when you turn up the chargers will be working too. The logic being if they’ve taken the time to advertise the charger and cost, they’re going to want you to use it.
Anyway, by the time I had grabbed some food and a cup of tea in the services, the 150kW charger had got the battery back to full in well under half an hour. And at 64p/kWh, it was the cheapest ultra rapid charge I’ve seen for a long time.
The return trip saw me make a stop here again and do the same. It was further confirmation for me that longer journeys in EVs are getting much easier than they were just a few years ago and being able to charge quickly means you don’t necessarily need that bigger battery.
On the ID.3, for instance, the price difference between the 58kWh battery, which I have, and 77kWh battery is more than £4000 - so that makes a substantial difference if you only occasionally do longer trips and know that charging will be quick and easy.
Report 3: ID.3 - an insider's view
With a few thousand miles covered, how is the ID.3 stacking up form behind the wheel?
Date: 16 December 2024 | Current mileage: 2198 | Claimed range: 269 miles | Actual range: 225 miles
With more than a few thousand miles under my belt with the Volkswagen ID.3, I’m really starting to get familiar with it from behind the wheel. And that means there’s a bunch of details that I’m really beginning to get impressed with. And a few areas that I think could be improved.
In my first update, I mentioned that the software and infotainment had benefitted from a major upgrade and the addition of a larger screen. For me, this has transformed the behind-the-wheel experience, as all the key information is clearly displayed and there’s space to highlight other options.
Coupled with Android Auto (Apple Carplay is also available), it's something of a seamless experience with every important app just a voice command or button push away. What I love about Google Maps (which is so good, I tend not to use manufacturers’ built-in systems) is that it not only offers a great user experience, but brings in your search history from your phone or desktop - that saves time if you’ve recently been researching a trip.
While Google Maps takes the lion’s share of screen space, other apps get chunks of screen real estate too, so you have a good sense of where you’re going, what you’re listening to (if anything, but Amazon Music, Spotify and Audible all connect effortlessly) and what the car is doing.
If a Whatsapp or text message arrives, this can be read aloud by the car on the move and you can give a voice-controlled reply. I find that the reply function is a bit hit-and-miss with some words misinterpreted if you don’t speak clearly and slowly enough.
But the on-board software has offered-up a few surprises too, with the screen going ‘spooky’ at Halloween, festive at Christmas and marking literal milestones along the way (see pics below) when you hit certain mileages. All completely unnecessary, of course, but this ‘gamification’ of driving has brought a few surprises over the weeks and a few smiles.
This VW ID.3 is fitted with a heads-up display. I’m generally not a fan of these, as they’re often too distracting, not positioned correctly and don’t give the information that you actually need.
However, the system on the ID.3 is pretty good and, impressively, is in part animated. That’s designed to grab your attention at key parts of a trip.
So, for instance, while it will show what speed you're doing throughout the trip, when you’re getting closer to your destination or the battery is running low, these warnings will be projected onto the windscreen as large icons that then fade. There really is no way to miss them and I have found them to be more useful than the equivalent on the dash-mounted screen.
Now onto a few things that I still think the VW ID.3 misses the mark on. You have to remember that Volkswagen tore-up its way of doing things when bringing its latest generation of EVs to market and didn’t bring much across from its conventionally powered cars - if at all. That includes some of the basics, like buttons and switches.
So you’ll find that the steering column stalks which on the right-hand side operate the drive system and on the left-hand side operate the lights and wipers are entirely different to the Golf. This is a shame, as those on the VW ID.3 are a bit fiddly - that left-hand one in particular, which in my opinion is trying to do too much.
The washer for the windscreen is a push-button on the end of the stalk and for the rear screen it’s a button on the top that needs to be flicked to the left. The issue is that the force you need to operate them means it’s all too easy to end up flashing the lights or switching an indicator on, as that stalk operates everything.
It’s only a small gripe, but that stalk gets used on every trip to indicate, operate lights and clean the windscreen, so it gets an out-sized level of attention and if there’s a niggle, that’s amplified too. But it isn’t a deal breaker and as the miles pile on, it’s something that I’m beginning to adapt to.
