Volkswagen previews tiny ID.1 electric car with tiny price of around £16,500
Apparently it has some “secret sauce”
This Volkswagen ID.Every1 concept car is a clear indication of the look of the forthcoming ID.1, slated to be the German company’s most affordable electric vehicle (EV) when it launches in two years’ time.
VW had already confirmed that in 2026 it will launch an electric car that is smaller and cheaper than the ID.3 family hatchback, which is currently going under the concept-car name of ID. 2all, but which will almost certainly become the ID.2.
And with the ID.2 forming the first vehicle in the company’s “Electric Urban Car Family”, then the impending ID.1 promises to follow up on its sibling’s good work and make VW EV ownership even more affordable for all when it lands in 2027.
Put simply, this teaser of the ID.1 is the all-electric replacement for the much-beloved Up city car, which went out of production in 2023.
The ID.2, by extension, will be a zero-emission alternative to a Polo, while the ID.3 – the first product to launch under Volkswagen’s ID electric sub-brand, back in 2020 – is to all intents and purposes an electric Golf.
Volkswagen wants to sell the ID.2 for €25,000 (£20,664 at current exchange rates) across Europe from next year, with the ID.1 pitched at the €20,000 (£16,531) level when it appears in showrooms from 2027.
Whether such low prices will be achievable in a right-hand-drive market such as ours remains to be seen, but the intent from Volkswagen is clearly to make desirable, mid-range EV ownership available to all.
In showing off the ID.Every1 off to the world, Volkswagen outlined its exterior dimensions, which are 3,880mm long, 1,816mm wide and 1,490mm tall.
That overall length means the proposed ID.1 will be longer than the Up it directly supersedes, but also a good 17-19cm shorter than either the ID.2 or the current-generation Polo.
Despite this, VW says the ID.Every1 is roomy enough within to be able to carry four people in comfort, while the boot holds up to 305 litres — about what you’d get in a Renault Clio, for instance.
This interior capacity is because the ID.1 will share the modular electric drive (MEB) front-wheel-drive electric underpinnings with other cars in VW’s urban EV family, including the ID.2.
Not much has been revealed on the drivetrain specifics of the ID.Every1 concept, apart from the fact it has a 70kW electric motor — which equates to 94bhp — that is strong enough to propel the city car to a top speed of 81mph.
The expected driving range should be “at least” 155 miles, accordingly, but the ID.Every1’s battery size has not been revealed at this stage, nor have its recharging speeds.
Volkswagen’s head of design, Andreas Mindt, was particularly effusive about the appearance of the ID.Every1 concept, which not only visually references the Up but also the original Golf hatchback of the 1970s, most specifically in the treatment of its window lines and the rear C-pillar of the bodywork.
Beyond that, he went on to compare the aesthetics of the ID.Every1 to the fabled “golden ratio”, even going so far as referencing Da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa.
The German company is also proud of the indentation in the ID.Every1’s roof, forming a “double-bubble” look not unlike that found on some sports cars, yet supposedly without compromising passenger headroom in the cabin.
It calls this feature, which incorporates a recessed high-level brake light and aerodynamic roof spoiler at the rear, the “secret sauce” which makes the ID.Every1 look so appealing.
Inside the ID.Every1, accessed by four main passenger doors despite its diminutive length, a horizontal dashboard design features the expected touchscreen infotainment display. But, tellingly, in the wake of stern criticism levelled at some of Volkswagen’s recent interfaces in its production cars, a series of proper, physical and “ergonomic” buttons to control the interior temperature, seat heating and audio volume are included below the screen itself.
The ID.1 will be the first car in the entire Volkswagen Group to be based on the company’s powerful new software system.
This will allow customers to avail themselves of “over-the-air” updates that will bring new levels of functionality to the car throughout its life cycle.
In this way, VW says that owners can “individually adapt the car to their needs” beyond the point of sale; kind of like an electronic version of vehicle modification. Cynics may be concernee VW will use this as a way to generate revenue from subscription services, too.
Thomas Schäfer, the CEO of Volkswagen’s passenger cars, said: “The ID.Every1 represents the last piece of the puzzle on our way to the widest model selection in the volume segment.
“We will then offer every customer the right car with the right drive system — including affordable all-electric entry-level mobility.
“Our goal is to be the world’s technologically leading high-volume manufacturer by 2030. And as a brand for everyone — just as you would expect from Volkswagen.”
Volkswagen plans to have nine new models on the market between now and 2027, with both the ID.2 and the ID.1 appearing as part of that product offensive.
Related articles
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- You might also be interested to read our review of the Volkswagen ID.5 GTX
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