Volkswagen ID.3 review

This is Volkswagen's mainstream electric family hatch, given an early facelift. Which it rather needed.

First because having arrived among the vanguard of hatches this size, it inevitably found itself surrounded by newer rivals stealing some of its thunder. And second because the original ID.3 just wasn't quite Volkswagen enough. It didn't have the necessary feeling of interior quality. Plus it was in many ways quirky or just plain irritating. This is the fix.

Those new hatchback rivals? The Renault Megane electric, MG4, Vauxhall Astra Electric and Peugeot e-308. An all-new Nissan Leaf will be along shortly. You might also be cross-shopping with any number of compact-ish electric crossovers such as the Kia Niro EV and Hyundai Kona electric, both on their second generations, and Honda e:Ny-1. 

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES?

The facelift makes the ID.3 slightly less oddball. VW pitched the first ID.3 as the car to pick up the baton from the Golf. But it wasn't that. Whereas a Golf always feels comfortingly conventional, the ID.3 looked a bit radical and its operation took a bit of learning. You could imagine people taking half an hour's headscratching before they managed to drive a rentacar ID out of the airport multi-storey.

The bonnet now looks longer, because its old half-black split paint treatment has gone. So the ID.3 looks more like a car and less like a future spacepod. Changes to the front bumper make it look wider as well as helping some air slip past the wheels more easily. The front wings look longer because they're no longer broken up by a badge plaque. The tail lights are wider and more detailed.

The original ID.3 was sparse inside, with acres of angular and hard-surfaced plastics. Maybe this was VW telling us we'd arrived in a new world. Maybe it couldn't afford soft mouldings in the aftermath of the diesel scandal.

But whatever, VW's customers rose up with one voice: if this was supposed to replace the Golf, they wanted the same sense of premium quality please. VW has now acquiesced. The dash and doors are now clad in soft-touch and stitched surfaces. And much nicer it is in here too.

Like the furniture, the original screens and software felt like they'd been done in a rush. Software updates have improved the screen systems. Although perhaps not enough.

AND WHAT'S THE SAME?

It's a purpose-built electric platform. Unusually, it's rear-drive, the motor and its inverter being tucked under the boot floor. 'Rear-engined like a Beetle', as they say in Wolfsburg.

This means a long wheelbase, with the slab battery tucked under the passenger cell. Thus the roof is taller than you'd expect. Still, it's a roomy family car, more so than a Megane or electric Astra, thanks to better leg space for the back passengers.

RWD means a tightish turning circle, but it also means the regenerative braking is fairly meek, to avoid the danger of rear-wheel skids on slippery surfaces. That's why FWD or AWD e-cars can extract more regeneration and have the potential to be more efficient in variable-speed driving.

Useable battery sizes are 58kWh (ID.3 Pro) and 77kWh (ID.3 Pro S). A smaller 45kWh battery option has been dropped, as has a less powerful motor. Both versions of the post-facelift car have the same 204bhp.

Which means the cheaper one is slightly quicker – 7.4 sec 0-62 instead of 7.9 – because it's 100kg lighter. Frankly, compared with the Renault Megane electric, both are too heavy.

The WLTP range figures are 266 miles for the smaller battery and an impressive 347 for the bigger one. That's a likely four hours motorway driving (240 miles) on the 77kWh car, and more miles than that in any other UK condition. For extra info on range, charging and energy consumption, click the 'buying' tab.

HOW IS IT TO DRIVE?

A Golf is comfy and refined, but also has a gently amusing side. You might expect the ID.3 to be similar, especially as rear-drive has the potential to add a little cheekiness.

But no. VW has doubled down on the comfort and refinement. It's stable, smooth-riding and wonderfully quiet – not just in its absence of engine sound of course, but also the limo-like hush of tyres, suspension and wind.

It's stable, relaxed and precise in its steering, accelerator and brakes. But there's no feedback or engagement. The Megane, MG4 and Astra are all more fun. For more details click the 'driving' tab.

Want to know what the best electric cars are? Click here for the top 20

Although the Nissan Leaf was a decade ahead of it, the ID.3 was quite a radical car for VW. The shape, software and interior were admirably brave, but in hindsight maybe a bit too much. It was a massive engineering effort, but shoved on sale in a tearing rush as an atonement for dieselgate. The cutting of corners – cheap cabin furniture and rough-edged software – was painfully obvious.

The facelifted car's control systems can still be infuriating, but their actual logic and graphics have been steadily improving with OTA software updates.

The facelift addresses the too-radical-for-some exterior, and bare cabin. It's a nice place to sit now.

The ID.3's best qualities haven't been messed with. It's roomy, quiet, comfortable and soothing. It's efficient and has a good range. It's satisfying to drive, just not much fun for a hatchback. Albeit more fun than the crossovers you might be cross-shopping with.

All of which gives it a definite character and likeability among an increasingly busy lineup of rivals.