One of the most iconic cars of the last 50 years has just gone all-electric for the very first time
Volkswagen reveals first electric Polo hatchback
QUICK SUMMARY
Volkswagen has revealed the first electric Polo hatchback. To be priced from just over £20,000, the ID. Polo has a range of between 204 and 282 miles, depending on battery size, and a cabin that is as functional as it is highly-equipped.
To arrive later this year in three configurations – and with a sportier GTI model to come later – the VW ID. Polo is available to order imminently.
Revealed today, and with order books opening imminently, the new Polo is a big deal for Volkswagen. This is a small but well-priced and seemingly practical car that will suit a great many drivers simply looking for an EV that works exactly the way their current compact car does.
Three variants will be available at launch, with power outputs of 85, 99 and 155 kW (that’s 116, 135 and 211 in metric horsepower, or PS). The first two have a 37 kWh battery that charges at up to 90 kW and which Volkswagen claims can fill from 10 to 80 percent in around 27 minutes. The all-important range figure for that battery is up to 204 miles.
The most powerful of the trio gets a larger 52 kWh battery, which is good for 282 miles of range, Volkswagen says. It has a maximum charge rate of 105 kW and can be filled from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 24 minutes. There’s also a sporty GTI model coming later, which VW says will produce 166 kW (226 PS). All variants have a single motor and are front-wheel-drive.
Article continues belowAs you’d expect from any car carrying the Polo name, the new car is compact. It’s a five-seater that measures a fraction over 4.0 metres long, 1.8m wide, and has a wheelbase of 1.53m. The 1,243-litre boot is 25 percent larger than that of the current Polo, and comfortably larger than that of the Renault 5 E-Tech too.
Inside, the new ID. Polo has a cabin that rights many of the wrongs committed by earlier electric Volkswagens. Gone are the touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons of the ID.3, replaced by physical, tactile switchgear. There’s also a proper set of window controls, instead of just two with a button to switch their operating between front and rear, and a simple set of rocker switches for interior temperature.
Intriguingly, the ID.Polo’s 10-inch driver display includes an optional set of digital gauges styled like the analogue dials of a 1980’s Volkswagen. This screen is joined by a 13-inch central touchscreen for the infotainment system, which includes VW’s own voice assistant, plus support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other tech includes ambient lighting, and plush optional extras like a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and 12-way electrically adjustable front seats with massage function – a luxury not offered by any other cars in this segment.
Other grown-up features include the option for 19-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting all round, a vehicle-to-load function for powering appliances and electric devices like e-bikes from the charge socket, and a whole suite of active driver assistance systems. This includes Connected Travel Assist, which can spot traffic lights and bring the car to a stop if the driver hasn’t noticed a red light ahead.
Best of all is the price, which starts at €24,995 in Europe. That’s the equivalent of £21,700 today, so while the ID. Polo won’t quite dip below the £20,000 figure like the smaller Renault Twingo, it’ll square up nicely against the Renault 5, which starts at £21,495.
The new ID. Polo feels like a properly exciting moment for Volkswagen, and for small electric cars in general. If it drives well and lives up to the spec sheet, then VW is surely onto a winner.
