Introducing the VW ID. Polo: Late to the party, but still in the running?
VW previously had no electric cars to offer below the ID.3. With the ID. Polo, the brand, is returning to the electric small car segment.
(Image: VW)
- Christoph M. Schwarzer
Volkswagen is presenting the ID. Polo: this is the production version of the ID.2all study, which was presented in March 2023. This is not yet an actual world premiere, just a preview. Nevertheless, this is the finished electric car. It is wrapped in a color scheme that might remind some people of the Polo Harlequin: Yellow, orange, red, purple and light green. The timetable has been set: the VW ID. Polo is due to be unveiled in May 2026 and will be in dealerships from fall 2026. It is unclear whether the abbreviation "ID" will be dropped. It cannot be ruled out that the electric car ID. Polo will not complement the Polo with a combustion engine, but replace it.
Five small electric cars
Volkswagen has set itself an internal target for the five foreseeable models based on the MEB Small (MEB stands for Modular Electrification Toolkit): The margin should be just as high as it used to be for vehicles with combustion engines in this segment. These five electric cars are the Cupra Raval, Skoda Epiq, VW ID. Polo and VW, ID. Cross, which will all be launched in 2026. The VW ID.1 subcompact will then follow at the end of 2027. As described, these are the foreseeable models on this basis. It is by no means impossible that there could be further seedlings from the vastness of the Group at some point.
For customers, there is normality in the design: the design, for which Andreas Mindt is responsible, is what customers actually expect from Volkswagen; the mixture of clarity and boredom that has made the brand successful for decades. The VW ID. Polo is the contemporary electric interpretation of a Golf III. The interior is at least as important as the exterior. Operation by wiping elements, the so-called sliders, is a thing of the past. Volkswagen has installed a rotary control for the volume, and the automatic climate control is also set using haptic push buttons. No more experiments.
VW ID. Polo (7 Bilder)
VW
)Compact on the outside, large on the inside
The length is 4.05 meters, the width 1.82 meters and the height 1.53 meters. The wheelbase is 2.6 meters. So far, so unspectacular. However, the trunk is comparatively voluminous in this segment. It benefits from a trough behind the rear axle: the capacity is over 400 liters – but VW has not yet revealed exactly how much. It should be noted that this is more than a VW Golf, which is around 20 cm longer. Neither confirmed nor denied is the option of folding down the front passenger seat to create space for long objects. There would be space for a ladder, a shelf, a surfboard or, for the more daring, even a place to sleep.
The MEB Small electric car family has front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive. The charging socket is located at the front right. Volkswagen had specified a charging time of just 20 minutes for the ID.2all study, for the standard charge from ten to 80 percent. Volkswagen has left open a factory specification as to what has become of this in the meantime, as well as other final data.
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From around 25,000 euros
How much does the people's fun cost? In order to compete with the Renault 5, for example, Volkswagen would have to offer two battery versions: One with a range of around 300 km for 25,000 euros. In contrast to Renault's current approach in the R5, VW promises that all ID. Polo are DC-capable. The larger battery in the ID. Polo will enable a good 400 kilometers of range in the WLTP and thus cost around 30,000 euros.
The fourth performance level for the electric motors will be the ID. Polo GTI will be. It will follow at the end of 2026 and has already been shown as a concept car: it will have an engine output of 166 kW and accelerate to 100 km/h in under seven seconds. The price is likely to be around 40,000 euros with good equipment.
Volkswagen is announcing two battery sizes and initially three power versions. Three different equipment levels will also be available. There is a special feature in the assistance systems: In addition to Travel Assist with Lane Change Assist, there will be traffic light recognition for the first time. The electric VW Polo is likely to face plenty of competition. The aforementioned Renault 5 must be counted among them, as well as the Peugeot e-208 and Opel Corsa Electric, which are likely to undergo a model change in the next 18 months. BMW is represented by the Mini. Toyota, the Hyundai Group and brands such as BYD are also likely to be well past the initial stage of considering their own offerings in the small battery-electric car segment.
(dmk)