What’s it like?
The Volkswagen ID.3 was the vanguard of a whole new era of VW electric vehicles (EVs) – the ID sub-brand launching with this Golf-sized zero-emission hatchback, followed by the ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs, as well as the ID.7. Yet it was the ID.3 carrying the weight of the whole project on its shoulders at first, with its smoothed-off looks, minimalist interior and promise of reasonable range at an affordable price setting the template for these German EVs.
Not without its detractors – chiefly because of the passenger compartment which wasn’t initially quite up to Volkswagen’s usual standards, both in terms of build quality and ease of use – the ID.3 nevertheless makes for a good used-EV proposition. This is partly because it is a rear-wheel-drive car in all specifications and all variants are quite sprightly of performance, but especially so in its later 286hp and GTX guises. Rivals to the ID.3 over its life include the related Cupra Born, as well as vehicles such as the Renault Megane E-Tech, Nissan Leaf, Peugeot E-308 and Opel Astra Electric, among more.
Which model to go for?
Originally, Volkswagen launched the ID.3 with two distinct versions, both of which have a 204hp electric motor on the rear axle. The Plus had a 58kWh battery pack and a range of 419km, along with a 0-100km/h time of 7.3 seconds. Meanwhile, the Pro S had an enlarged battery pack of 77kWh, boosting range to 557km but adding to the 0-100km/h sprint due to the heavier power bank, resulting in a 7.9-second time.
In 2023, the ID.3 family was overhauled and given a fresher look on the outside, thanks to more aerodynamic bumpers in the main. Spotting an updated version is quite easy, because the black strip which ran widthways on the bonnet beneath the windscreen on pre-facelift cars was deleted, so the 2023-on VWs look like they have a much longer bonnet as a result, as the panel in question is all body-coloured. Also, at the rear, the lamp clusters on the revised ID.3s have an X-shaped motif.
The battery packs didn’t change at this point for the existing two ID.3 cars, but an even more affordable, shorter-range Pure model became available, complete with a 150hp motor and 52kWh battery, delivering a range of around 350km.
More updates followed throughout the rest of 2023 and 2024, including a potent 286hp ‘APP550’ motor above the 204hp item, as well as an increase to 170hp for the 52kWh Pure, which also improved its efficiency to permit the basic ID.3 to travel up to 388km to a charge.
Volkswagen also added a dedicated performance model of the ID.3, the 326hp GTX, which took its styling cues from Golf GTIs of the past. It gained a slightly larger battery pack of 79kWh, allowing a quoted range of 595km, while the 0-100km/h time was down to just 5.6 seconds.
In 2026, Volkswagen announced a second facelift and update programme for the EV, so wide-reaching that the company christened the revised hatchback as the ID.3 Neo.
Most used ID.3s on the Irish second-hand market are 204hp cars, though, so really all you’re choosing from is how much range you want. If you’re an urban driver, the 58kWh VW is going to be fine for your needs. If you sometimes venture further afield on major roads and motorways, though, we’d recommend the 77kWh variant instead.
Does anything go wrong?
Infotainment, infotainment, infotainment. The thing that bugged most critics of the car at launch turned out to be the buggiest thing in the Volkswagen ID.3, so earlier, pre-facelift examples can suffer with malfunctioning software. Otherwise, what you want to check with a 2020-23 car is that you can live with its interface, even if it’s all working as intended from the factory. There are changes made in the facelifted vehicles from 2023-onwards which were designed to mitigate some of the blunders VW made first time around with the ID.3 (i.e., temperature control sliders on the dashboard which didn’t light up at night).
There have been three recalls in total for the Volkswagen ID.3, which related to possible overheating of the high-voltage battery’s cells during charging; a missing retainer tab on the roof module; and a protective earthed conductor on the charger which may become detached.