Volkswagen is finally entering the compact EV segment with the ID. Polo, a name steeped in tradition. It is positioning the new model as an entry point into its electric lineup, priced just under €25,000. Next year, the even smaller ID. Up (name not confirmed yet) should become available at ± €20,000.
The Polo first hit the market in 1975 and has since become a cornerstone of the Volkswagen brand. Over six generations, more than 20 million units have been sold worldwide, making it one of the brand’s most successful vehicles.
The importance of the seventh, first electric generation to Volkswagen is reflected in its naming strategy. Volkswagen’s brand chief, Thomas Schäfer, emphasized last year that iconic VW model names could not simply be transferred to electric vehicles without substance.
As he puts it: “If it says Golf on the outside, it must be Golf on the inside.” With the new battery-electric compact car, Schäfer now evidently considers this condition fulfilled. Since September, it has been officially confirmed that the ID.2all concept, unveiled three years ago, will enter series production as the ID. Polo.
Likewise, all other future EV models will retain the iconic names of their predecessors: ID.3 becomes Golf, ID.4 becomes Tiguan, ID. 7 Passat, and, possibly, the ID.1 will be an ID. Up, although the last name isn’t as iconic as the other ones.
Familiar Polo DNA
Although the ID. Polo was still covered in camouflage at last year’s IAA in Munich; its future design language was already clearly recognizable. According to Chief Designer Andreas Mindt, his team created a compact car that “fully embodies the new, crystal-clear design language ‘Pure Positive’.” At the same time, the car remains unmistakably a Polo.
The ID. Polo features a distinctive smile, thanks to the shape of the lower air intake, the headlight design, the pupil-like LED light elements, and a glass-covered crossbar. Between the headlights, depending on the trim level, there is an LED strip and an illuminated VW logo.
The clean side profile also reinforces its Volkswagen identity. Notably, the rear door handles are no longer in their usual location, but are now discreetly integrated near the C-pillar, Renault-style. The C-pillar itself references the design heritage of the first Golf.
The rear design of the ID. Polo has been completely redeveloped, lending the ID. Polo a more powerful presence. Beneath the roof-edge spoiler, the rear window extends deep into the C-pillars, emphasizing the car’s width. Below this, the rear lights feature a glass-covered LED crossbar.
More space, a friendly atmosphere
The ID. Polo is based on the latest evolution of the MEB platform, MEB+. This enables significantly better use of space compared to the conventional Polo, which is built on the MQB platform. This is particularly remarkable because the ID. Polo, at 4,053 millimeters, is slightly shorter than the still-available MQB-based Polo, which measures 4,074 millimeters. Thanks to this efficient use of space, Volkswagen claims the five-seater ID. Polo will be more versatile than any of its predecessors.
Despite being shorter, the ID. Polo’s boot volume increases from 351 to 441 liters. With the rear seats folded down, the loading capacity rises to 1,243 liters, compared to 1,125 liters in the MQB-based Polo. The ID. Polo can also tow up to 1,200 kilograms, with a maximum vertical load of 75 kg, a feature not commonly found in this segment.
At the beginning of the year, VW presented the ID. Polo’s new interior, which, as we saw previously in the new ID.3 Neo will be adopted across all ID. models. Wolfsburg describes this as a new cockpit generation, “systemically optimized and customer-feedback oriented.” This includes fabric-covered surfaces on the dashboard and door inserts, as well as a consistent haptic experience across surfaces, buttons, dials, and handles. The goal: to create an inviting and friendly atmosphere.
The ‘Digital Cockpit’ offers various views, including integration of the navigation system’s map display. Using the ‘View’ button on the steering wheel, the driver can also switch to a retro view reminiscent of the instrument graphics from a late-1980s Golf I.
The Android-based infotainment system, ‘Innovision’, has also been newly developed and designed. In a panel below the infotainment screen, Volkswagen’s developers have integrated buttons for key climate functions and the hazard warning light switch. The multifunction steering wheel, with its clearly structured button fields, is also entirely new.
Three power levels at launch
Unlike the already available Cupra Raval, the ID. Polo will initially be offered in three power levels instead of four. Depending on the configuration, the front-wheel-drive system delivers 85, 99, or 155 kW. The top speed for all three variants is 160 kph. The sporty ID. Polo GTI with 166 kW is expected to follow in 2027.
In all cases, the electric motor is the APP290, specifically developed for front-wheel-drive models, which, according to VW’s naming convention, delivers 290 Nm of torque. The inverter, referred to by VW as the ‘pulse inverter’, is also completely new. This component was developed in-house and is produced within the Group.
Newmobility.news has already presented you with the full tech specs in March, so we won’t reiterate that. At the time, the effective range wasn’t disclosed yet. The smaller battery (37 kW) is expected to deliver up to 329 kilometers (WLTP), while the larger battery (52 kW) could achieve up to 455 kilometers, quite respectable figures for a compact car.
Premium-class extras
Optional extras for the new ID. Polo includes unusual features such as a Harman Kardon high-end sound system with 425 watts of audio power, ten speakers, including a center speaker for clear speech transmission, and a subwoofer. Also available is a large panoramic glass roof.
A novelty in this segment is the pneumatic massage function of the electrically adjustable 12-way front seats. Three massage programs are available, a feature typically found in more premium-class vehicles. The electrically adjustable driver’s seat also includes a memory function.
Thanks to the MEB+ platform and the latest software, the ID. Polo comes with a range of modern driver assistance systems as standard. Additionally, optional systems such as the next generation of ‘Travel Assist’ will be available. As the system uses a variety of online data, it has been renamed ‘Connected Travel Assist’.
This assistance system for assisted lateral and longitudinal guidance now also reacts to traffic lights. If the system detects a red light, it automatically brakes the ID. Polo to a standstill within the system’s limits. Also new and standard is one-pedal driving. The V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) function is also included as standard.
Three equipment levels, prices start at €24,990 in Belgium
The entry-level model for the ID. Polo is set to be the ‘Trend’ trim level, with prices starting at €24,990 in Belgium. This car will be ready to order in the summer. Equipment includes driver assistance systems such as ‘Side Assist’ and lane-keeping assist (including Emergency Assist), as well as features like LED headlights with high-beam assist, a multifunction leather steering wheel, and automatic climate control.
The next higher trim level, ‘Life’, is now available in an ‘Edition One’ version (with the larger battery and the 155 kW engine) to order from €33,795 (in Germany), featuring as standard driver assistance systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), a rear-view camera (‘Rear View’), a front parking aid, and a junction assist system. It also includes an auto-dimming interior mirror and electrically folding exterior mirrors with a memory function. Digital features like voice control, App Connect for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and inductive smartphone charging are also standard.
The top trim level is called ‘Style’ and can also be ordered as an ‘Edition One’, now. In this variant, the ID. Polo features advanced lighting technology, including LED-Matrix headlights with an illuminated LED light strip, 3D LED rear lights, and an illuminated VW emblem at the front and rear.
The interior features sport-comfort seats and ambient lighting. Features such as a heated steering wheel and seats, as well as a two-zone automatic climate control system, are also part of the premium equipment. Further innovations include ‘ID. Light’, which is now also displayed laterally in the doors, and the digital vehicle key (Mobile Device Key), which allows convenient access to the vehicle using a mobile device (smartphone or smartwatch). The price for this model isn’t available yet.
