Although the oversaturation of electric luxury cars tilts average pricing upwards, we’ve made some huge strides in mass-market EVs over the past decade. It’s awesome that electric cars exist in the $30,000 to $40,000 range that are way better than a Nissan Leaf, but lots of us can’t justify even that. So how about a new EV for even less? This is the Volkswagen ID. Every1, and it’s VW’s vision of a genuinely affordable electric car.
While we’ve already seen Volkswagen’s ID. 2all electric subcompact concept, the ID. Every1 sits below that in both pricing and model hierarchy. Pitched as a €20,000 electric car, it’s expected to be a full €5,000, or around $5,400 cheaper than the future ID.2, fighting price-wise with cars like the Nissan Versa.
Size-wise, the ID. Every1 sits between the up! and the Polo, although those probably aren’t great measures for North Americans so here’s a better one. With a length of 152.8 inches, this thing’s 1.4 inches longer than a Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback. However, Volkswagen claims its skateboard packaging and front-mounted electric motor give it more interior space than its footprint suggests, and we all like a car that’s small on the outside but relatively big on the inside.
What’s more, this thing certainly doesn’t look like a cost-cut special. Setting aside the fanciful 19-inch alloy wheels, there’s some brilliant stuff going on with the shape. The mask encapsulating the headlights is pure old-school Golf, the flared fenders add some drama to the surfacing, and virtually extending the rear window is a great nod to the beloved up! city car.
The result is the promise of an inexpensive car that doesn’t look cheap, but also one that’s not trying to imitate something way beyond its segment. Tricky feat to pull off, that.
Moving inside the ID. Every1, I spy physical controls, including a Kia-style horizontally mounted volume scroll wheel, dedicated heated seat switches, climate control temperature switches, and a whole bunch of real buttons on the steering wheel.
After the uproar around capacitive touch controls, a return to normal buttons is welcome, especially since they give a car like this a premium feel. It’s the same deal with having a separate digital gauge cluster, because cramming everything into the center screen would just feel like cost-cutting.
At the same time, Volkswagen hasn’t forgotten to keep the cabin of the ID. Every1 cheerful.
Splashes of orange adorn the door cards, steering wheel, air vents, and console accessories, and it’s the sort of brightness I adore. In the greater push to make everything in life from your rental car to your soap minimalist and premium, the world’s been almost eradicated of color. Bright hues now seem targeted only at the rich, and you know what? Screw that, give me some orange, or some lime, or some yellow, or some magenta. Speaking of color, the glovebox arrangement seems especially inspired, with one enclosed compartment and one big tray with orange elasticated straps, and that’s before we get to the center console.
Volkswagen has this vision that the center console of the ID. Every1 consists of modules and shelves that slide fore and aft, a bit like the console of the ID.Buzz on steroids. How about a color-coordinated Bluetooth speaker? An armrest-and-travel case thingy with orange accents? Sure, why not. The former should make mildly boisterous beach visits more spontaneous, while the latter simply seems like a nice place to rest an elbow.
So, this little electric Volkswagen concept looks great, seems quite practical, and should be relatively cheap when it reaches production. After all, €20,000 is about $21,551, or about the same price as a well-equipped Nissan Versa. There’s a good chance a production version simply won’t come to America, but that might be for good reason. It doesn’t sound like this Volkswagen would be an enormous hit on this side of the pond.
On paper, the specs of the ID. Every1 concept seem very Fiat 500e. We’re talking 155 miles of range, 94 horsepower, and a top speed of 81 mph. Considering there are parts of America where 80 mph seems like the general speed of traffic, a short-range right-lane proposition would be a difficult pill for American consumers outside of major metropolitan areas to swallow.
Still, the ID. Every1 looks just about perfect for Europe, and Volkswagen’s claim of a production version by 2027 is exceptionally exciting. While I picture the mass market model ditching the 19-inch wheels and growing larger mirrors, I’m hoping Volkswagen doesn’t stray too far from what it’s shown off today.
Top graphic credit: Volkswagen
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The fact that I’m going to have to be in the office 5 days a week for the rest of this administration is making me really consider something along these lines. Like, if I could find a really cheap lease on a 500e or ioniq 6 around here, I’d probably take the plunge.
Love the look, and if I ever have to go back to commuting the range would be fine. But as long as my wife and I still work from home (it’s been 5 years as of St Patrick’s Day this year), and we work for a not-for-profit healthcare company that doesn’t answer to shareholders but is very sensitive to cost, so that’s unlikely to change, we will keep running ICE or an EREV since most of our driving these days is long trips.
Gimmie 150 horsepower, and a solid state battery for a 210 mile range, and it’s viable in America. At 81 mph/150 mile range, it’s just not. The rest of it is outstanding, as long as that bluetooth isn’t the only speaker in the car.
Now just wait for Skoda to make version with more usable interior.
VW with the ID. naming is getting as silly as Cadillac with their – iq suffixes, but Cadillac at least has the decency not to use numbers or punctuation inside words – that feels like putting parts of the shell inside an M&M, those things are meant to be separated!
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This thing is so incredibly boring. It only looks good because it’s a concept.
Once you remove the tight tolerances, correct stance and ride height, and those lovely wheels – you’re left with the generic unbranded car that gets used in insurance commercials.
That is an astute point about changes made for production, however, I’d still take this over the over-styled nonsense from Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota.
how cute, it’ll cost $35,000 when released and only have 150 mile range.