New Volkswagen ID.3 on the way with big improvements in range and quality

A comprehensive overhaul of the Volkswagen ID.3 is being prepared, with the brand promising a new look, a revised interior and big technology leaps in terms of efficiency and battery performance.

This is part of Volkswagen’s rejuvenation programme, which starts with a late-2025 launch of the new small car possibly called ID.Polo. The renosed ID.3 will then follow, using a modified version of the MEB platform.

VW’s development boss Kai Grünitz told Auto Express: “We will bring a re-skin for the ID.3, with a completely new design language going back to where we originally came from, and return to what Volkswagen is known for.”

His comments reference VW’s design head Andy Mindt, whose first all-new model will be the Polo-badged production version of the ID.2all concept. Our exclusive images show how the ID.2all’s styling could translate to the ID.3. We expect the updated family hatchback to feature a more defined two-box shape rather than the near-monovolume silhouette of the current ID.3.

VW will achieve this by pushing the base of the windscreen back and making it more upright, giving the car a longer bonnet and a more rounded nose – something we’ve already seen on the ID.2all concept. Volkswagen could also lower the roofline and raise the beltline, giving the ID.3 a more traditional hatchback shape, disguising the inherently taller body by using a black finish on the sills and lower parts of the front and rear bumpers.

In keeping with Mindt’s core design philosophy of familiarity and trustworthiness, the front end should retain a family resemblance to the ID.2all, in the shape of the headlights, ‘grille’ insert and lower bumper. This will also be reinforced by a solid C-pillar that apes the Golf’s, plus more pronounced wheelarches and large alloy wheels.

The tailgate is likely to be body-coloured, with critical aero elements more subtly integrated across both the rear screen and rear bumper. A full-width light bar is also expected, with simpler, cleaner lenses.

The exterior isn’t the only element likely to be revised, with more extensive changes planned for the cabin. A major part of this will be a reinvention of the dashboard and interfaces, with the introduction of some physical buttons, as seen on the ID.2all. A solid uplift in interior quality is also on the cards, with more textured and soft-touch materials to boost the ID.3’s image.

Volkswagen will also be making changes under the skin, with Grünitz telling us: “We also have a lot of improvements in terms of battery costs and performance, [and will] bring new features and driver-assistance functions. So there will be a huge improvement, both in terms of the cost for us, but also benefit for the customers.”

In current form, the ID.3 offers four battery sizes in the UK, from an ‘urban-focused’ 52kWh capacity through to the top-spec 79kWh battery pack on the hot GTX. The larger battery offers the longest range of any variant, at a quoted 369 miles, and we suspect this will only improve with new battery tech.

Fundamentally, the MEB platform will maintain many of its key technical elements, including a rear-drive layout and sophisticated multi-link rear suspension. The switch to front-mounted motors and a more basic rear suspension will be reserved for the smaller MEB Entry models.

GTX badge remains as VW says no to an ID.3 GTI

One thing the next ID.3 won’t do is morph into a GTI, with VW reserving that moniker for models that ‘feel’ like a GTI, instead of just looking like one.

Development boss Kai Grünitz told Auto Express: “Bringing performance to battery-electric vehicles is easy, you see that in all brands. But creating fun-driving vehicles is much more difficult, so the first question is ‘what’s the DNA of something like a GTI?’ How much power do we put in?”

Volkswagen will continue to refine the GTX brand, potentially bringing with it e-motors that mimic gearchanges, as seen on the likes of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N, and even expand the GTX branding into internal-combustion engines.

“We have a lot of ideas about what to do with this,” added Grünitz. “You will see this, both for GTI and GTX.”

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