Volkswagen ID.3 review: an accomplished family EV with one major caveat

The Volkswagen ID.3 is an accomplished all-electric family hatchback. While it’s not a class leader, it gets the basics right, thanks to competitive pricing, decent range and a composed driving experience – all wrapped up in a practical package with a sharper look thanks to an earlier-than-expected facelift.

Interior quality has taken some steps in the right direction, too. However, the infotainment system is as slow and irksome as ever, and the touch-sensitive climate controls remain a bugbear. More software improvements, a larger central touchscreen and illuminated controls are coming in 2024, but we wish they’d arrive a little sooner.

About the Volkswagen ID.3

Before EVs took the world by storm, Volkswagen produced electric versions of its up! city car and Mk7 Golf hatchback, simply badged as the e-up! and e-Golf. It then spent a few years on the back foot in the wake of the dieselgate emissions scandal, but it’s fair to say the Volkswagen Group is once again on the march, having refocused its efforts towards a gleaming electric future.

The first member of its ID-badged all-electric models was the ID.3 hatchback. It made its debut in 2019 and hit the street the following year, with VW hoping that the ID.3 would one day become as iconic as the original Beetle and Golf.

Since then, the company’s stable of EVs has grown to include the ID.4 SUV, ID.5 coupe-SUV, ID. Buzz minibus and ID.7 saloon. More are on the way, the most important of which is likely to be the affordable electric supermini previewed by Volkswagen’s retro-inspired ID.2all and ID. GTI concepts.

As a five-door family hatchback, which is only slightly larger than the latest VW Golf, the list of ID.3 of rivals stretches far and wide. Among them are traditional petrol, diesel and hybrid hatches like the Golf, Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

However, its closest competitors are fellow electric hatchbacks, including the long-lived Nissan Leaf, sporty Cupra Born, classy Renault Megane E-Tech, comfort-focused Citroen e-C4 and much more affordable MG4 EV.  

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There’s also a raft of compact electric SUVs available for similar money, most notably our 2023 Car of the Year, the Hyundai Kona Electric, and its sister car, the Kia Niro EV. Higher-spec versions of the ID.3 also come close to matching the entry-level Tesla Model 3 on price, and customers may be persuaded by the saloon’s extra size, performance and high-end image.

Volkswagen initially offered the ID.3 with a choice of no fewer than eight trim levels, three battery sizes, and various power outputs for the rear-mounted electric motor. Thankfully, Volkswagen has scrapped the confusing trim structure in favour of four trim levels: Pro Essential, Pro Match, Pro S Essential, and Pro S Match. All Pro models come with a 58kWh battery that’s good for a range of up to 265 miles, while Pro S versions get the larger 77kWh battery that boosts the maximum range to 347 miles.

A high-performance GTX model will be coming soon, but for now, all versions use a 201bhp electric motor, still driving the rear wheels. Standard equipment includes a 5.3-inch digital driver’s display, 10-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, keyless go, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors and lots of driver-assistance tech. 

A critical differentiation between Pro and Pro S models is that Pro versions have the additional versatility of five seats, while Pro S models have only four. 

Volkswagen ID.3 Pro S long-term test

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Our chief sub-editor, Andy Pringle, runs the facelifted Volkswagen ID.3 on our long-term fleet. It’s the first time he’s had the keys to an all-electric car, and he’s been impressed with how simple it is to drive. The smooth and refined powertrain makes it the perfect urban runabout for him and his family.

However, despite improvements to the much-maligned infotainment system, Andy still feels it’s far from perfect and gets frustrated with how long it takes to complete actions once he presses a button. You can read the full long term test here...