Volkswagen ID.7 - Boot space, comfort & practicality

The Volkswagen ID.7’s large hatchback body gives it a practicality advantage over rivals in this large EV class that stick with the traditional saloon format. All ID.7 models come with front and rear parking sensors, plus a 360-degree camera system to help with visibility when parking—although the latter has a low-resolution feed for a car costing over £50,000, in our opinion. Standard LED matrix headlights provide very good visibility at night while also adjusting the beam pattern to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

Dimensions and size

The car’s length alone means the Volkswagen is a much more spacious car than a BYD Seal or Tesla Model 3. The ID.7 is 241mm longer than the Model 3, and 161mm longer than a Seal, so factor that into your calculations about where you’ll park it. The ID.7 isn’t as wide as the Seal, but it is taller than both of its rivals.

Seats, leg room, head room & passenger space

Adults who are six feet tall will have no trouble getting comfortable in either the front or the back seats. The vast length of the ID.7 is really felt in the back where kneeroom is limo-like, and (according to our tape measure) headroom is far more generous against the likes of the Tesla Model 3. The well-equipped Match trim comes with electric front seat adjustment, including electric lumbar adjustment, memory settings, and seat depth adjustment, so there’s plenty of scope to find a comfortable driving position.

Families with young children who need child seats will be pleased to find ISOFIX child seat mounting points conveniently hidden behind some removable plastic covers on the outer positions of the rear seats. There’s also an ISOFIX position on the front passenger seat to provide some flexibility in where you can put child seats.

Boot space

Put simply, the Volkswagen ID.7 has a huge 532-litre boot that dwarfs the Model 3’s 425-litre luggage area. Folding the rear seats down in the ID.7 increases capacity up to 1,586 litres, with the 60:40 split bench lying almost flat, making the IKEA run that little bit easier. All models get a variable-height boot floor to remove the annoying load lip and provide a space beneath the floor where you can store the charging cables or even the parcel shelf if you need to remove it.

Despite the saloon shape being less practical than a traditional estate, the ID.7 still has a roof-hinged hatch, which works wonders for accessibility when loading bigger items. The boot opening in the ID.7 is much bigger than the narrow, letterbox-like opening you’ll find in both the BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3, but if you need even more versatility, there's also the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer estate, which should prove to be one of the most versatile EVs around.

Towing

With the introduction of the Pro S version, the Volkswagen ID.7 can be ordered with a tow bar (for just over £1,000) to complement this version's 1,000kg braked towing capacity. That’s not a huge amount for this size and weight of car and is beaten by the brand’s own VW ID.4 electric SUV and its 1,200kg capacity.

If you want more capacity and still need some electrified driving, the plug-in eHybrid Volkswagen Tiguan can handle a 1,800 kg caravan or trailer.