Volkswagen ID.7 - Range, charging & running costs

Electric range, battery life and charge time

VW says the ID.7 Pro Match can do up to 383 miles on a charge, equating to a pretty punchy 4.9mi/kWh efficiency. We didn’t come anywhere close to that during our initial testing in some particularly poor weather conditions, and the inefficient stop-start nature of driving while also trying to nail down pictures and driving impressions. During a more thorough group test with its five main rivals, we found the VW ID.7 was the third most efficient on the test, but its 3.4mi/kWh still only equates to an overall real-world range of 262 miles based on the useable 77kWh battery pack. It is a shame that VW still charges extra for an energy-efficient heat pump, which is standard on many of the ID.7’s rivals. 

Rapid charging is possible at up to 170kW – matching the base Tesla, but falling short of the similarly priced (£50k) Tesla Model 3 Long Range, which is capable of 250kW top-ups. Either way, VW’s charging curve is sufficiently flat that the maker claims a 10-80 per cent refill is possible in 28 minutes - that’s roughly the same as the range-topping Tesla. Those who have access to a 7.4kW wallbox charger at home should be able to refill a flat battery (a worst-case scenario) in a little over 12 hours.

Tax

Electric cars like the ID.7 will cost company car drivers less in terms of lower Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rates compared with traditional petrol, diesel, or even hybrid-powered cars because of zero-tailpipe emissions. EVs also benefit from not having to pay road tax or the London congestion charge, at least until 2025. 

Insurance groups

Insurance for an electric car isn’t going to be as inexpensive as an equivalent petrol or diesel car, but the group 38 rating for the ID.7 is likely to be more affordable than the group 42 rating for the Model 3, or the group 48 rating for the BYD Seal.

Depreciation

The VW badge is a known quantity, which helps with regard to desirability and the predicted resale values of the ID.7 compared with its rivals. According to our expert data, the ID.7 is likely to retain 54 per cent of its resale value over three years or 36,000 miles, which is much better than the 40 to 47 per cent a Polestar 2 is expected to retain, or the 48 to 53 per cent the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is likely to maintain over the same period.