Volkswagen ID.Every1 unveiled with £17k price and 155-mile range
Volkswagen has officially unveiled the ID.Every1 – its new electric city car – and confirmed everything from its dimensions to range and power almost two years ahead of its launch.
The ID.Every1 is the spiritual successor to the e-Up and will serve as VW’s entry-level EV, priced from around £17,000 when it goes on sale in 2027.
Volkswagen says it will be a car ‘from Europe, for Europe’ and will spearhead its attempts to regain the mainstream dominance that has slipped away from it in recent years.
While still a city car, the ID.Every1 is almost 30cm longer than the Up but, at 3.88m, it’s positioned neatly between the previous Up, the current Polo and the similarly sized ID.2, which is due to arrive in 2026.
Like the ID.2, the ID.Every1 is based on a new front-wheel-drive version of the VW Group’s MEB platform. Unusually for a car two years from production, VW also shared some powertrain details. The ID.Every1 concept uses a 94bhp motor and has a top speed of 81mph. Battery capacity hasn’t been announced but VW said it should do ‘at least’ 155 miles on a charge. While these figures are for the concept, to quote them so early suggests VW is confident the production car will stick to them.
The new images of the car confirm that it sticks closely to the clean, simple design teased in sketches in February and pays homage to previous Volkswagen designs. As revealed in the sketches, the Volkswagen ID.Every1 has a boxy overall design with a wide stance emphasised by short front and rear overhangs.
At the front the squared off nose and thin grille area is reminiscent of later Mk2 Polos while upward flicks on the lower bumper and outer headlight edges give the car a ‘smile’ which its designers say is key to make the car likeable. At the rear, the C pillar is inspired by the Mk1 Golf and the full-width tailgate glass pays homage to the Up and early Golfs and is topped with protruding ‘wings’ which aid aerodynamics. These also form part of a ‘floating roof’ where the centre of the roof dips in from the sides. Flush fit door handles help create smooth clear flanks and VW says that there are no unnecessary or ‘trend-based’ elements which could prematurely age the design.
Inside, there’s an emphasis on space and simplicity. VW says the ID.Every1 will offer the same interior space as the current Polo, despite being 20cm shorter. There’s ‘lounge-like’ seating for four and a 305-litre boot.
Sustainable materials, including recycled plastic bottles are widely used, including on the mottled dashboard topper. Beneath that there’s a slimline digital instrument panel for the driver and a two-part lower dash. On the passenger side this offers an enclosed glovebox and a configurable open space with straps where a tablet or separate shelf can be attached.
Like current VW EVs, there’s a big (probably 15-inch) touchscreen standing proud of the dash. Below that there are (praise be!) proper physical buttons for the air con, seat heating and audio volume, in place of the stupid sliders in current ID cars.
To enhance the feeling of space in the car, the concept features lots of light-coloured materials and the centre console takes the shape of a sloped modular ‘multitool’. This slides backwards and forwards like the Buzz Box in the ID.Buzz and contains adjustable shelves for front and rear passengers, as well as acting as an armrest.
VW says the new model will feature an advanced software suite that will not only provide over-the-air updates throughout the car’s life but also allow subsequent owners to add functions not specified by the car’s first buyer.
Volkswagen repeatedly referenced the Up in its announcements about the ID.Every1, giving hope that name could be revived for the production version, although the brand does have other city car names it could fall back on. Whatever its name, the ID.Every1 is set to compete with the revived Renault Twingo, new Nissan Micra and upcoming Dacia Spring replacement in the sub-compact EV sector.
