All-new Volkswagen ID. Cross spied as butch Ford Puma rival gets into shape
The all-electric alternative to the Volkswagen T-Cross will go on sale before the end of 2026, and is expected to start from around £25k
The first prototype of the new Volkswagen ID. Cross has been spotted testing. The sighting comes just a few months after the concept model of the ruggedly handsome small electric SUV was revealed and only a couple days after we got to drive the ID. Cross Concept ourselves.
As the name suggests, the ID. Cross is the all-electric alternative to the popular VW T-Cross, which also means it will rival the likes of the Renault 4, Ford Puma Gen-E and Citroen e-C3 Aircross.
It appears this prototype has borrowed its petrol-powered sibling’s grille design, and possibly its front bumper as well, to serve as a disguise. Although VW’s efforts don’t conceal all that much, and it’s pretty obvious from these images of the prototype that the road-going ID. Cross will look almost identical to the concept.
That’s a good thing by the way, because the ID. Cross Concept managed to merge the familiar shape of the T-Cross with some of the bravado of Volkswagen’s Amarok pick-up truck. We can see the production version has a similarly muscular stance to the concept, thanks to flared wheelarches and a good amount of plastic cladding.
There does appear to be a body-colour decal on the car’s C-pillar, which we assume is hiding the same floating roof design we saw on the ID. Cross Concept. It incorporated three louvres as a nod to the original VW Type 2 Bus and new ID. Buzz MPV.
The wheels being pushed out to the every corners of the car helps it look bigger than it actually is, but will also to maximise cabin space. This is a benefit of the small SUV being based on a bespoke EV architecture, the MEB+ platform, which the ID. Cross will share with the ID. Polo supermini.
The Volkswagen ID. Cross is slated to arrive towards the end of 2026 and should cost around £25,000. If you can’t wait that long, right now you can save more than £5,000 on the award-winning Renault 4 through our very own Buy A Car service.
Volkswagen’s new naming strategy
As we said, the ID. Cross will be the zero-emissions counterpart of the T-Cross that’s been with us since 2018. It’s the same arrangement as with the petrol-powered Volkswagen Polo and all-electric ID. Polo that’s also arriving next year.
The new naming strategy for Volkswagen’s EVs keeps the ID. moniker that it’s been using for several years now, with the first model to wear it being the ID.3 hatchback. But the brand now wants to capitalise on the status and familiarity of badges like Polo, Golf and potentially others, plus the iconic GTI moniker.
Volkswagen will finally start to deliver on its long-held promise of offering truly affordable electric cars next year. Kicking things off will be the ID. Polo supermini that’ll be revealed in the first half of 2026, followed by the hot ID. Polo GTI, before the road-going ID. Cross is presented sometime in the summer.
Finally, the production version of the ID.EVERY1 concept shown back in April is set to arrive in 2027. It will cost less than £18,000 and rival the reborn Renault Twingo. We thought this car might be called the ID.1, however we now suspect it’ll be badged as either the ID. up! or the ID. Lupo, after the brand’s earlier entry-level city cars.
Volkswagen ID. Cross Concept design
We’ve been waiting quite a while to lay eyes on the ID. Cross – which we were previously told would be called the ID.2X – because the first shadowy teaser image was shared back in late 2023. The concept car revealed at the 2025 Munich Motor Show is not identical to the finished car we’ve now spied, but Volkswagen described it as ‘near-production’, so it’ll be pretty close.
The ID. Cross and the ID. Polo are both being designed around Volkswagen’s new ‘Pure Positive’ philosophy. Design boss Andreas Mindt says it's based on three core principles – stability, likeability and secret sauce – because “A Volkswagen must be likeable, unmistakable and inspire with its character.”
He added: “Few volume brands in the world can draw on such a strong heritage [like Volkswagen’s]. And that will always be in our toolkit on our journey into the future."
The upright front end features a thick glass-covered panel with an illuminated VW badge and lightbar above, which blends into the slim, 3D-effect LED headlights. The flat, subtly contoured bonnet reminds us of the Amarok, and this won’t be an SUV with chunky matte black bumpers, given the crossbar that’s finished in a ‘Golden Dusk’ hue that matches the 21-inch rims.
However, Volkswagen is keen to point out that the bumpers do protrude out, because the designers wanted to make these functional elements that offer extra protection against bumps and scraps. The glowing element in the centre is for the car’s various sensors.
From the side you see the floating roof design, with the Urban Jungle green paint broken up by the black A and C-pillars. The three louvres at the rear are a nod to the original VW Bus and new ID. Buzz MPV, while the angled shape of the C-pillar is derived from various generations of the Golf hatchback.
The clean, simple rear-end design is a refinement of what we saw on the ID.2all concept, including the lightbar with its illuminated VW badge, square 3D-effect tail-lights and horizontal lights that wrap around onto the sides.
Volkswagen ID. Cross Concept interior and practicality
The ID. Cross – like the ID. Polo, in fact – is supposed to show Volkswagen has been listening to the criticism from media and customers about its interiors. Inside, the pair will apparently feature a “high level of quality with soft materials, and the intelligent combination of digital and physical controls such as buttons and knobs in the steering wheel and cockpit, as well as the intuitive operating concept.”
We can already see Volkswagen’s commitment to this in the ID. Cross Concept, because the designers have gone back to the basics. By that we mean the square steering wheel features physical buttons that have been redesigned to be as clear to use as possible, while the dashboard gets physical climate control toggles. No more touch-sensitive sliders as on the ID.3, hallelujah!
The 11-inch instrument panel and 13-inch touchscreen have much simpler graphics than Volkswagen’s current software, with a soft colour scheme inspired by nature. The menu structures are apparently more intuitive too, which combined with a natural voice control and all those buttons we mentioned, plus a rotary controller on the centre console, are supposed to provide a more harmonious experience for the driver.
As well as being easy to live with, the interior of the ID. Cross Concept is designed to be “an oasis of well-being”. Hence the light, calming shade of beige called Vanilla Chai that’s used for almost all the surfaces, while the fabrics are made from bouclé yarn that, thanks to its fine, irregular loops, looks and feels soft.
Underneath the centre console, Volkswagen has also placed real eucalyptus leaves, which are visible through the translucent trim, and there’s a fragrance dispenser in the front cup-holders. Plus if you place your phone on the wireless charging pad with the screen facing down, this activates a ‘calm status’ that reduces the information shown on the two displays to a bare minimum.
The ID. Cross Concept is less than 4.2 metres long, the same as the Renault 4, yet Volkswagen says it offers “striking spaciousness in the rear”, with room inside the small SUV for five people. The 450-litre boot is 30 litres bigger than the R4’s, and unlike its French foe, the VW has a 25-litre frunk under the bonnet.
What range will the Volkswagen ID. Cross offer?
The ID. Cross will sit on Volkswagen’s new MEB+ platform, which will also be used by the ID. Polo, plus the Cupra Raval supermini and Skoda Epiq crossover that are hitting the streets in 2026. All four are part of the wider Volkswagen Group’s ‘Electric Urban Car Family’, and will be built in Spain.
Volkswagen has kept some important technical details about the ID. Cross Concept to itself, including the size of the battery. However it will apparently offer up to 261 miles of range from a single charge, while a 208bhp electric motor is used to drive the front wheels. The company has also said that, as spacious the car may be, its compact dimensions are perfect for driving in the city.
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