This is our first look at what will eventually become the VW ID.1, an all-electric city car slated to launch in 2027 with a starting price of circa €20,000 (we don’t know if it will come in here at that price yet). Going under the concept-car moniker of ‘ID. Every1' for now, this highly affordable machine will form part of what Volkswagen is calling the ‘Electric Urban Car Family’.
Will the ID.1 be the first vehicle to launch in the family?
No, that honour will go to the ID.2, which is currently also in its concept-car phase as the ID. 2all, and which is due to go on sale in 2026 with a starting price of around €25,000. If you’re struggling to size up all of Volkswagen’s electric hatchbacks, then think of it like this: the ID.3 is the electric alternative to a Golf, the ID.2 will be a zero-emission Polo option and this ID.1 is going to be the replacement for the now-defunct (and once offered as an electric car) Volkswagen Up.
Do we have any technical details as yet?
Not too much for the ID. Every1, although Volkswagen does say it - and every other model in the Electric Urban Car Family - will sit on the modular electric drive (MEB) platform with front-wheel drive. It’s also happy to reveal that the concept version has a 70kW electric motor and a range of ‘at least’ 250km. This allows the 95hp ID.Every1 to hit a theoretical top speed of 130km/h, although no 0-100km/h time has been confirmed as yet.
Volkswagen has also confirmed that, size-wise, the ID. Every1 fits into the product range exactly where predicted. At 3,880mm long, the concept electric car is longer than the VW Up (3,600mm), but considerably shorter than either the ID. 2all (4,050mm) or the current Polo (4,074mm). The German firm reckons that the ID. Every1 is still big enough to fit four people inside, plus 305 litres of luggage in the boot space, because it’s also 1,490mm tall and 1,816mm wide.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the ID. Every1, and indeed the showroom-bound ID.1 as and when it appears, is that it will be the first model in the entire Volkswagen Group of manufacturers that will use powerful new software architecture. Amongst other things, this allows for extensive ‘over-the-air’ updates, so that this entry-level ID can be upgraded with new functions throughout its life cycle, meaning owners can individually adapt the car to their needs even after they’ve bought it and driven it out of the showroom.
What do the people behind this say?
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.”
And Kai Grünitz, member of the VW board of management responsible for development, added: “In the future model, we talk about Customer Defined Vehicles. The ID. Every1 shows that we are putting our customers, their wishes, interests and preferences at the centre of vehicle development more consistently than ever.”
So, what’s next in Volkswagen’s release plan?
There will be another preview of the Electric Urban Car Family in autumn of this year, with fully nine new Volkswagen models scheduled for launch by 2027, including both the ID.2 (next year) and the ID.1 (in two years’ time).
Is there anything else you can add about the ID. Every1 concept?
We’ve got a few pointers on the styling, courtesy of Andreas Mindt, VW’s head of design, who said: “Our ambition was to create something bold yet accessible. The ID. Every1 has a self-assured appearance but remains likeable - thanks to details such as the dynamic front lights and the ‘smiling’ rear. These design elements make it more than just a car: they give it character and an identity that people can relate to.”
More specifically, the five-door ID. Every1 (and eventual ID.1 production model) carries over the design language seen on the ID. 2all, including the emblematic C-pillar and window lines of the original Golf. It also references its direct ancestor, the Up, with its compact dimensions and crisp proportionality. Mindt adds: “The widely flared wheel housings over the large 19-inch wheels, and the athletic and clearly designed surfaces of the silhouette ensure stability.
“The slightly cheeky smile at the front is a particularly likeable feature. A secret sauce element is the roof drawn in in the middle, as is usually known from sports cars. All these design elements lend the ID. Every1 a charismatic identity with which people can identify.”
Did he just say “secret sauce”?
Yes. Volkswagen is very proud of the ID.1’s ‘double-bubble’ roof, which has a lowered central section but which, apparently, doesn’t restrict headroom within the car. This feature incorporates the high-level brake light at the back, which is integrated in the recess in the centre of the roof, while the outer surfaces in the roof-end strip are drawn out to the rear to form an aerodynamic spoiler.
Finally, the inside shows a clean, minimalist, horizontal dash, while Volkswagen proclaims it will have ‘lounge-like seating’ within and also as much passenger space as a Polo. A central touchscreen display will handle the infotainment, but interestingly Volkswagen explicitly says that there are ‘ergonomic buttons’ below this feature which control interior temperature, seat heating and audio volume; stung by the criticism of earlier ID models’ interfaces, it seems the company is reverting back to physical switchgear to placate its customer base.
Beyond that, other features included a squared-off, two-spoke, multifunction steering wheel and a high level of configurability to various interior storage mechanisms.