The one thing stopping most people switching to an electric car? The eye-watering prices most manufacturers charge. We’ve started to see a few more affordable electric cars trickle out, with Dacia’s option the cheapest at £15000. But Volkswagen just unveiled one of the best value electric cars, and I think it’s excellent.
The freshly unveiled ID.EVERY1 is Volkswagen’s latest attempt at an affordable electric car, priced at roughly $21500/£17000/€20000. It’s not going to shatter performance records, but for what you’re paying, it looks like a cracking little city car with all the right ingredients.
Volkswagen is positioning the ID.EVERY1 as a no-nonsense, practical electric car built on the company’s modular platform. That means it has the same bones used for the ID.2all and the sportier ID.GTI. The result? A front-wheel-drive compact that should be small enough to squeeze into tight European parking spaces while still offering enough room inside for four passengers and a respectable 10.8 cubic feet of cargo space.
Performance-wise, it’s not exactly going to blow your socks off, but it isn’t trying to. With a 70 kW (94 horsepower) electric motor, it’ll manage over 80 mph. It’s not much, but it’s more than enough for zipping around city streets and the occasional motorway jaunt. The range is rated at a solid 155 miles, which isn’t revolutionary but should be plenty for daily commutes and errands. If you want more range and power, you’ll be paying a lot more elsewhere.
One of the most interesting parts of the ID.EVERY1 is its software. Volkswagen claims it’ll be the first model to run on a brand-new, high-powered software architecture. It’ll probably look something like Rivian‘s, thanks to the pair’s recent partnership. That should make the car more “future-proof,” with the ability to receive meaningful updates throughout its lifetime.
Looks-wise, it’s a cheerful little thing. Volkswagen says it was designed to be “bold yet accessible,” with dynamic front lights and a “smiling” rear end. Whether it’s cute or just trying too hard is subjective, but it certainly has more personality than some of the drearier EVs on the market.
Before you start planning your budget EV future, though, there’s a catch – Volkswagen is keeping this one firmly in Europe. The ID.EVERY1 is being pitched as a car “from Europe for Europe.” It’s not clear if this includes the UK or not, but we expect to find out shortly. Either way, you’ll need to wait until 2027 when production starts on this £17000/€20000 electric car.