The Volkswagen ID.3 1st Edition is not cheap

VW has more than 30,000 reservations in the bank for the ID.3, and soon enough early adopters will get their cars. The order books have now fully opened for the 1st Edition, and unsurprisingly it’s quite expensive. Or is it?

Cheaper models with less range, performance and kit will follow, but if you want to be among the first to get your mitts on VW’s purpose-built EV, you’ll need to part with £38,880.

That’s sounds like a lot, but remember the UK Government will give you £3,000 off (because electricity), so you’ll actually only pay £35,880. Still a lot – that makes the ID.3 1st Edition around £5,000 more than a top-spec Mini Electric or Honda E, but just under £5,000 cheaper than an entry-level Tesla Model 3.

The 1st Edition gets a 58kWh battery good for 260 miles of range. The Model 3 Standard Range Plus can do 254 miles, while the Honda and Mini can only do around 140 miles at most.

A 100kW CCS charger can add 180 miles of range in about half an hour, while the 201bhp motor means it’ll keep pace with a Golf GTI up to around 37mph, and hit 62mph in a respectable 7.3 seconds. The top speed is 99mph.

It’s the first car based on the VW Group’s MEB platform, giving it the footprint of a Golf but the turning circle of an Up. Click on these words to watch TG’s very own Jack Rix talk you around what is undoubtedly one of this year’s most significant new cars.

What do you reckon?