VW ID3: Is it an EV game-changer?

[@doughayes9811]

Vicky's review completely captures the pros and cons of the ID3. I collected mine two weeks ago, my first electric car, and am finding that it makes few demands whilst being very easy to live with - and delivers a huge 'feel good factor.' On the heater control question (the review mentions them being buried in the menus), I have discovered that simply swiping on the 'virtual sliders,' at the base of the control screen, adjusts passenger and driver climate control temperatures. No need to dive into the menus - which, I'd agree, require some getting used to. If you are considering 'going electric,' and have maybe driven other sub £40k offerings, test drive an ID3. You'll want one!

[@paulblundell3053]

@Doug Hayes Hello Doug, just curious if you've found a way of turning off the lane assist permanently? I've heard it has to be turned off every time you get in the car if you find it's use intrusive. Thank you.

[@doughayes9811]

Yes, so far as I can tell, Lane Assist needs deselecting each time you start the car. On the plus side, it’s pretty well set up. Much less intrusive than on a Kia Soul or a Hyundai Kona, for example. You just get a discreet single tug at the wheel if you cross a white line without using your indicators. I’ve adapted by indicating more. On the open road, I’ve not had it intervene yet.

[@paulblundell3053]

@@doughayes9811 Thank you Doug.

[@8arcbal]

Thank you Vicky. Great presentation 👍

[@Pipsicle330]

I’ve been searching for an all electric car for ages that could have a tow bar fitted for carrying a cycle carrier. I’d all but given up then noticed a tow bar on the options list for this car. VW even says it’s not for towing anything but for using with cycle carriers. Well done VW, you have absolutely smashed the competition offering this. Can’t find another single rival that does.

[@mikegipson1224]

Kia e-niro and many others.

[@Pipsicle330]

@@mikegipson1224 Wrong. The e Niro cannot be configured with a tow bar on the UK website, all other versions of the Niro can. Look forward to hearing about the “many” others.

[@mikegipson1224]

Okay Tesla's.... All models I believe....

[@Pipsicle330]

@@mikegipson1224 Not close to being on my shopping list for a city runabout. So not many others then. Again, well done VW 👍

[@mikegipson1224]

@@Pipsicle330 Just wondering are they any more efficient than a roof rail bike carrier? That's a separate question as I've always wondered? Nothing to do with electric cars. 😁A bit off topic but wondering if you knew at all?

[@anthonyc8499]

Terrific review, thanks Vicky

[@devilfriend]

OMG, She's back!

[@jamesnasmith984]

Superb presentation. An enjoyable conversational style delivering a smooth, well-articulated flow of useful facts without a blur of statistics or industry jargon. Top notch job by the lady. Bravo.

[@renebergqvist599]

How on earth did you get under 3 miles / kWh. We now have 1000 miles on the ODO and get between 3,5 and 4,0 - total average just under 3,7 miles / kWh. Most of that is motorway in Denmark where the speed ranges from 75 to 80 mph. It has much better effciency than the Leaf on the motorway (the car it replaced). It almost matches our Model 3 LR awd - at least up to 70 mph.

[@Silver-st2zq]

Hills?

[@Muppetkeeper]

Isn't she an ex rally driver :-)

[@batandball617]

The road surfaces in Denmark are very smooth compared to U.K. spirited driving, headwinds and surface water all sap range.

[@robertday8619]

This car has more bugs in its software than an old dogs bed! and its interior design is cheap and ugly.

[@fredericborloo1910]

Quite a few reviewers and me would disagree with your consumption conclusion. I got 15 kWh/100km (4mi/kWh) on the highway at 15 C and 65mph ish. You will get at least 20kWh/100km (3Mi/kWh) on 70-75 ish mph highway driving in "Spring" conditions. You migh have been driving most of your route uphill, with headwind, in standing water, or on rougher road.

[@starsundsternchen802]

For comparing the power consumption with other ev's, you have to consider the losses during the standstill too. And the consumption of the ID3 is almost zero! Other ev's have a noticable consumption during standstill!

[@dominicrusho]

I saw one of these for the first time yesterday, and what struck me was just how large it seemed in person

[@ram64man]

Yes it’s size really reminds me of the golf plus in size

[@henryandrews2011]

Tall, but small footprint.

[@ram64man]

@@henryandrews2011 not really it's only a couple of inches shorter than th golf but height and width it slightly bigger than the golf mk7.5 so stance wise it's like the golf plus 7 e.g. ballooned a little

[@nunolp9067]

Yes it´s 4mm bigger than the golf, 10 mm larger and 610 mm higher than the golf. But in Sport mode it gets from 0 to 100kmph in 6,9s. The space inside equals the Passat.

[@reinplat]

Yes, it looks surprisingly big in real life compared to photos and videos.

[@NafaratMiyaMiya]

Good review! I enjoyed the details and the references to the competition!

[@MrZaragon62]

Just one fly In ID3/ ID4 ointment - the Skoda Enyaq & that does have lumbar support with a slightly lower retail price

[@g1981c]

considering range degradation over the years and in cold weather you could be looking at closer to 100 miles in worst case scenario which basically means this is a city car. then again it has the body style of a city car so at least it's not in denial about what it is.

[@josefv-y8m]

The degradation is hidden in the buffer of Brutto and Netto value for years and you will not see it really. For Winter you can buy a heat pump as option or better preheat the Car if plugged in at home, which preheats the battery, too.

[@g1981c]

@@josefv-y8m still whether this car is usable or not depends on where you live. i once drove from NYC to California and there was a stretch of desert somewhere in Arizona / Nevada with no gas stations for 100 miles - i actually turned back to fill up the tank because i realized i wasn't going to reach the next one with what was left in the tank. on other hand if you live in NYC there is always a gas station at most about 2 or 3 blocks away. similarly for EVs - depends on where you live. for me i could probably make this ID.3 work but the touch sensitive buttons turn me off.

[@josefv-y8m]

@@g1981c I was on vacation in this area at least 15 years ago...and yes it is really lonley. 😉 VW was fined for diesel gate and build electrifyamerica as one of the "punishment" ...which turns into an advantage now. If you calcalute a route on abetterrouteplaner.com you will stop very often at electrifyamerica from LA to NYC. I calculated this just for fun and found it very impressive that you can easily do such a long trip outside of the Tesla network. Most of the charging stations are at Walmart and upto 350kw...only usable for Taycan. In US you will get only the ID4, not the ID3, but 3 Years free of charge included at electrifyamerica.

[@davedyer3654]

No doubt it is a good car, but not a game changer, that was the Model 3! It is not as efficient as a Model 3 and no way it will do anywhere near 260 miles. Numerous owners have had problems with the 12volt battery and glitchy software. It is a car that has been released before it is ready, mainly so VW can use sales to offset their CO2 emission fines in 2021

[@SkywalkerPaul]

I test drove one yesterday. Great balanced car overall. It's going to sell a lot.

[@torjusekkje6264]

According to the previous review i saw, (Harry's Garage) This was the most efficient EV he'd ever driven Above 4 miles/kwt

[@alkhan5445]

I kind of fall in love with women who are into ANYTHING technical.

[@sevesellors2831]

Great review Vicky getting interesting now with the 500e, 208e , Corsa and now ID3.

[@conogrady9254]

It's great to see the prettiest parrot back on her perch!🥰

[@JMB1891]

Oh dear.

[@donlaight5943]

Con O'Grady you what?

[@ram64man]

The tour pro s with heat pump is an amazing car but vw please fix the window switches and remove some of the touch buttons to physical such as lights and hazard lights, and add more seat options like skoda enyaq. And please move that fuse box to driver side

[@FenderUsa]

Great review Vicky, I do like the look of these, though it's still too early in the EV game for me.

[@1derekwinter1]

@@Anonymous-ib8so What is actually your issue with her.Is she your ex?

[@paulsm77]

An estate version would be nice. Inability to put a roof rack on is a poor decision.

[@danielardelian2]

11:50 I believe that the "groundbreaking" aspect of this car is (HOPEFULLY) going to be the MASS PRODUCTION, a production volume that other EV manufacturers can't provide. I liked the video. I also own an ID3 and I mostly agree with the review, except that I got better consumption figures...

[@asaslam]

Great informative review

[@stephanweinberger]

Those touch "buttons" would drive me insane (especially on the steering wheel, as I like to sometimes change the position of my hands and e.g. grab the spokes); if they change that to physical buttons (or a 3rd-party manufacturer brings out a replacement) it would be my ideal car...

[@robotstobor3388]

it does 0-60mph in just over 7s, how fast do you need it to be.

[@donlaight5943]

Does it corner better if you lean it round the corners?

[@najinaji182]

I really like this car and would definitely trade my Ford in for this. I hope it comes with a in home charger I’m not sure I’ve heard about that just yet

[@soulboy5700]

Great review. Excellent presenter.

[@mangalores-x_x]

I feel EV enthusiast misunderstand something big here. VW declaring the ID 3 the third age is not about being the game changer in EV vehicles, it is them declaring that this is the future of VW vehicles, period. They thus pretty much declared that they see the breaking change where EV will now replace their massive IC production and they need to ramp up the ratio at which they sell EVs vs ICs. IMO people ignore too often that the reason normal car manufacturers had no EVs is because EVs are still a tiny market share of produced cars and thus for established manufacturers in the mass market like VW they need to time very precisely when they need to shift what amount of production from IC to EV because their major cash flow plainly still is in the IC market so a 50% market share in EVs while losing just a couple of % in IC market would be still shit in their overall sales and not good for them. With the ID3 VW now declared, they see the time to switch has come.

[@beverlyhenderson188]

I've lived with the ID3 for 2 weeks now. Its like a visit you wish would leave! I spend longer on side of road changing anything from volumn, temperature. But try using voice commands dont bother it buffers and buffers and buffers. Charging, having installed you wait in queue. Then it works incorrectly. Afrer driven fir 50 years this us first time of buying a true nightmare. Steer clear

[@newbeginnings8566]

Vicky is one hell of a good car reviewer... You get a full review without all the girly crap or macho crap... As for the ID3... Lovely but 25% too expensive and 30% under ranged... Also missing one or two features it should really have... Perhaps the ID3 V2 will get it better?

[@FlyingFun.]

My ebike gets 60 miles on a kWh easily, Weight of an ev is huge in comparison hence the 3 miles per kwh. It is just physics of course but with most journeys our family car does being with just one person ( my wife driving to work or shops ) in it seems a bit silly really. But my ebike is equally useless because if I leave it anywhere it will get stolen...

[@brucekennedy5274]

Arg... I’m keen on this as my next ev lease but I’m hearing a lot about poor efficiency, not just from this review. Having had a 40 kw leaf for 3 hrs I now know I really want about 200 real motorway miles, to enjoy those longer trips. Any Id3 58kw owners out there able to give me their real range experiences?

[@tjfSIM]

I’m not keen on all the shiny plastic around the screens and controls, it’s very distracting. Other than that it looks good and great build quality.

[@Cloudrak]

Oh well, atleast we can vinyl wrap it.

[@GeoLunar]

100kw charger if you can find one. The norm 50kw 2011 tech. Tesla with 250kw chargers, are just so far ahead of the game it makes me loose faith in the heratige OEM EV's. Maybe in 10 years time ill get back into a EV.

[@Silver-st2zq]

It will have to sell for half that price before EV get anywhere near to replacing normal engine cars.

[@josefv-y8m]

Why? a Golf with 200hp+ and similar features will cost the same or even more and this is a mass car...try to configure it on the VW Page. The TCO will be for sure cheaper in this case...lower Taxes less often to garage...no Oil change, brakes will last longer due to recuperation etc. The initial buying cost is only one aspect...

[@Silver-st2zq]

@@josefv-y8m Because you could buy two Ford Fiesta's or Renault Clio's for the price of it!

[@josefv-y8m]

@@Silver-st2zq and 5 Dacias

[@Silver-st2zq]

@@josefv-y8m Crazy money like said but some will just rush out to buy it because they are "Saving The Planet" and not thinking about how lithium batteries are produced or how clean the energy is they are using to charge it up.

[@josefv-y8m]

@@Silver-st2zq we had two days in germany this week with 70% green energy...and average of 52 over the year...getting better. With this you get the chance to improve over the years, decades, but burning oil means burning oil. Regarding Lithium...there is an ongoing project in germany to get Lithium from the already existing geothermal plants in Rhein Valley...and only 15kg are needed for a single car. For the mining in south America you need about 20000l water...and you need 10000l for growing up 1kg of meat. Food is much more an issue than a car which runs for 10 years with the amount of water for 2kg meat.

[@batandball617]

Poor internal build quality, poor efficiency, no lumbar support, no 5th seat in the 77kwh version, no rear speakers for the infotainment system. The bean counters have ripped quality and attention to detail from the id3. The user interface is simply atrocious, it’s not yet complete and that’s as kind as I can be. There has also been 12v phantom battery draining issues, if you want to pay £35k to be a beta tester, feel free. Such a squandered opportunity.

[@johngraydon506]

Can’t see the price in these cars less spec no way they won’t make a fortune if these sell ..

[@johnmfjw]

Call me old fashion but I don't like the futuristic dash, will stick to my Golf GTi.

[@daveg4644]

I'm just wondering if the car I test drove had its suspension in sport mode. Because it was horrid. Clattered and banged over bumps and imperfections on the roads I regularly use. It was fine on the dual carriageway but on poor surfaces and twisty B roads I found it bumpy and uncomfortable. My wife and father-in-law hated the ride as passengers. It certainly wasn't over £10k better and nowhere near as comfortable as the MG5 long range which I also drove on the same roads.

[@hammmodjabeer7278]

Thanks Vicky amazing car 😍

[@freestick19822000]

A nice informative review. Although would be nice to use km and liters, well, real measures 😁

[@Darthadios]

That gear lever is like from old 70´s Citroën.

[@foregonereality]

I'm not liking where the mainstream manufacturers are going - they're trying too hard to imitate tesla whereas I wish they'd focus more on improving their already established vehicles - say the e-Golf was built on the MEB platform and continued to have buttons and dials as opposed to glitchy difficult to access touch screens for when the car is moving. I'm all for hydrogen and electric but being extreme for the sake of being extreme with design is going too far.

[@wobby1516]

The Kia Nero’s efficiency takes a lot of beating, and you get more for your bucks, sorry VW.

[@josefv-y8m]

Watch Tesla Björn's efficiency and 1000km Tests...he is very happy with the ID3. And the most sold EV in Norway immediately...

[@wobby1516]

@@josefv-y8m whatever floats your boat. I still think the Nero is a better car.

[@carlarrowsmith]

@@josefv-y8m THe version he tested came with a heat pump, the ones here have it as an option.

[@josefv-y8m]

@@carlarrowsmith same in Germany, only in Norway it is Standard

[@mikegipson1224]

Not a game changer but a step in the right direction...

[@decnijfkris3706]

cheap only 40500 euros.Whose gonna buy that?

[@philipc239]

Driving starts 06:00

[@Optimus79Prime]

I like this lady

[@SuperSheddar]

Vicky.. how on earth did you manage to get a polar charger to work?? That never happens

[@superset5]

High 5 vicky

[@Mr031068]

No lumber support? That’s an oversight Vw on a £30k car especially important to tall people like myself

[@slinemfc]

Adjustable boot floor as an option? Lack of lumbar. Car companies are going basic but charging, pun intended, premium prices. And you don't even get the variety of cables to charge it included?

[@edstratton]

No lumbar support mentioned by the reviewer? WHY?? She's only reviewing one particular spec of car and it looks like she couldn't even be bothered to check if lumbar support is an option on the ID.3. It IS!!!!! Serious oversight. It really pisses me off when reviewers misinform people due to lack of basic research.

[@NigelRudyard]

These early gen electrics have issues to be ironed out, plus the 45 kWh battery won't be any use as a company car. Definitely moving the market on a bit, though. Solid and professional review from Vicky, as ever.

[@ChrisJones-vq6nt]

For the price the inside is nasty😁

[@edstratton]

I've watched a lot of reviews of the ID.3 and this is definitely one of the better ones. However, I was annoyed that she implied that the ID.3 doesn't come with lumbar support and electric seat adjustment, when in fact you can have those things as options.

[@JD-env1]

I would say the interior is the opposite of futuristic. It looks like an mid 00's Asus laptop.

[@DennisBloodnokPhotographyVideo]

Inside the first forty seconds of this video, the "Elephant-in-the-Room" has been identified. The ID3 is a relatively small car. It is in the same size-class as the VW Golf, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra etc.. £30K to £40K for what is a small-family car is a ridiculous price !! Especially when you see the link below :- kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGbUYa2Nm9J5iac The car industry has, on-mass, taken the general public for a ride in recent years. In-terms of real-value, the ID3 is a car which starts at around £14K for the basic, short-range, no options version of the car. Then , with all of the options (IE Automatic This, Electric That and AirConditioned Something Else) plus the long-range battery , the car is worth £25K. £40K Plus for a family hatchback is taking the proverbial.

[@richardstone512]

I love the rwd... I would never drive eniro etc... This is sporty... This is fine for the enthusiast... If you don't care that your car is like a turtle or how it looks or that it has luxuries on the inside I can see why someone would like a Hyundai or eniro over it and only care about the efficiency

[@TG-pd3ft]

so 45k for the equivalent of a VW Up that costs 1/4 of that amount... I can't see people accepting that.

[@josefv-y8m]

Best sold EV in Norway immediately in October tells a lot. If price would be a reason to buy a car, we would all drive Dacia. 😉 It is all about luxury and convenience, and not about price. No single Golf should have been sold, since this is no cheap car, too.

[@tuc-dh4df]

Twenty grand to much.

[@GeordiLaForgery]

£36000. Also: LOL

[@Beorn.]

Way way over priced. No thanks..

[@7spower998]

2:50 Frunkless gives the ID.3 RWD handling characteristics vs the frunk full of stuff will make the vehicle handles like a FWD.

[@Saj14356]

Looks like Honda Civic type R the old edition...

[@mikegipson1224]

So you pay hefty price for the 77KW version and can only seat 4? And poor efficiency...

[@izpodpolja]

Re efficiency: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V6ucyFGKWuSQzvI8lMzvvWJHrBS82echMVJH37kwgjE/edit#gid=735351678

[@mikegipson1224]

@@izpodpolja Where is this from please? I was just reinforcing what the Video advised.

[@izpodpolja]

@@mikegipson1224 Bjorn Nyland's channel - all the videos are also there, sorry for not providing the source

[@mikegipson1224]

@@izpodpolja yep Bjorn is really good. I know he also says take into account the temperature as well. Especially if a car does not have a heat pump it will be affected by temp. So yes people need to do a lot of research

[@izpodpolja]

@@mikegipson1224 Yep, the problem is that range with BEVs is such a fickle mistress - depends a lot on how you drive, when you drive & so on. That is why charging infrastructure should be the focal point - cars are actually good enough (albeit still a bit pricey).

[@Bowl_of_roses]

My i3 often gets over 5 miles per kwH, so this seems quite inefficient at about 3.

[@PabloTBrave]

There might be an ID3 for your lifestyle but not necessarily your budget this isn't a VW only problem EV are still more expensive than ICE. In 2019 !the average price of a medium sized car was £21-24k not the 30k + for EVs .

[@nicholasriley3569]

Seems to drive OK but the badly designed control interface with non-physical buttons that can easily alter settings by accident could prove to be very irritating on a daily basis.

[@antoniopalmero4063]

It’s a good car, Yes of course there are some compromises with electric vehicles but these will diminish over time. At least it’s not pumping out black smoke like most diesels I see every day on our roads.

[@markcompton6750]

Looks like a DS3...

[@12alocin]

Specsavers!

[@eamonnmcdermott1939]

Don't buy if you want reliability!!

[@whowhy9023]

At this price Tesla model3 is a no brainier. This vW is a pathetic car , slow charge , short range and high price why would anyone buy this?

[@caerphoto]

“short range and high price why would anyone buy this?” Because it’s actually around the same range as a Tesla and can be bought for almost £11,000 less, among other things.

[@caerphoto]

​@goodfella21f it’s not.

[@Beorn.]

Anyone considering buying one of these should Google vwid3 problems first. Personally I wouldn't go anywhere near one.

[@robotstobor3388]

watch Harry Metcalfe, his review is much better.

[@hassana22]

👍

[@reneotter]

Foolish driving at wrong side of the road.

[@davidhallowell9211]

Very poor efficiency. My Ioniq will easily give 4.5 mile per kWh on motorway and 5.5 round town.

[@richardshiggins704]

It all comes down to range . Tesla has this clinched .

[@minniesaab7255]

💚💚💚💚💚

[@JackKing12.]

Looks dull..

[@markplott4820]

CarGurusUK - the VW iD3 is Garbage , the KONA EV, e-NIRO and Ampera-e are all better CARS. the iD3 sales have Already TANKED , was #3 in 2020 and in 2021 January dropped to #25 in Europe.

[@explosheep]

yes it's an ev game changer for children's toy car. everything is super small when you sit inside.

[@cartmann227]

No.