2026 VW ID.Polo
I can't believe it. This can't be true. We must earnestly ask you to reconsider your decision to purchase the new ID.Polo. This is all the more regrettable given that we would actually like to wish this car all the best for the VW
Group's recovery.
But there are management decisions that offer plenty of room for improvement. One really does sometimes wonder how the pride many employees feel in having created this car is distroyed here by decisions made by
upper management.
In Germany, it often feels as though you’re essentially close to the benefits this country has to offer, but somehow, due to poor decisions or carelessness, you’re prevented from taking advantage of them.
But let's start from the beginning: A German multinational corporation is being urged to finally bring an affordable, fully electric car to market. Well, it takes time for the bosses to come around to the idea of an
electric ‘Volkswagen’.
But now it's here and will soon be available for purchase. Really? Is it something to look forward to? You’ll probably be able to buy the €25,000 version once VW has fleeced all the first-time buyers, as is
common practice in this business.
The amount to be paid for the Trend version is as expected. You'll have to make some compromises, like choosing steel rims instead of alloy ones. Never mind. In particular, front and rear areas with interior lighting will be
lacking, though some people won't miss them at all.
Contrary to what everyone expected, namely, a significantly stripped-down interior, that won't be the case; there will only be minor changes to the coverings, which is acceptable. They, indeed, not, but you’ll be able to buy
back a lot of things for a small amount of money, including a 99 kW (135 hp) engine instead of an 85 kW (115 hp) one.
It may be nonsense, but it’s your own choice. The only thing you don't get is the much more interesting feature: the larger battery. To do that, you have to start from scratch, in principle buying a more expensive car for
€33,795, exactly €8,800 more than the base model.
| This assessment is based on the information provided by the current configurator. |
The only truly worthwhile extra is something you can only get for a lot of money or, when you really think about it, a huge amount of money. And yet the car really does have what it takes to function as the only car in a
household with a limited budget. You could even go on holiday with it.
The trunk is huge for a car in this class. Even adults can sit fairly comfortably in the back. Even in the base model, the rear seatbacks can be folded down in a 40/60 split. You could even tow 500 kg . And all of that is
possible, cept for the right battery.
€8,800, four years ago, we were upset that we had to pay €6,500 extra for additional 25 kWh more of the Hyundai Kona battery, but here it’s only 15 kWh, even though battery prices have certainly gone down again since
then.
We just bought 12.66 kWh, and even though people always assumed that home battery storage systems were much more expensive than those in cars, this one only cost about €3,000. Hey, VW, where do you buy your
batteries, since you don't make them yourselves?
Or do you use the additional pay to make up for the shortcomings of the basic version? The pressure at car dealerships to buy the larger battery will be intense. The customer goes in expecting to spend €25,000 and then
leaves with a sum of at least €33,000.
At the same time, the LFP battery in the base model is increasingly proving to be high-maintenance. According to Mazda, you should charge it to 100 percent at least once a week, because otherwise it will lose track of its
charge level and may display an incorrect reading.
| VW is planning similar measures. |
Perhaps also a downward calibration: park the car with the battery below 20 percent and then turn it on. The program then 'burns through' the 20 percent and recharges to 100 percent. We've never taken care of our NMC
battery this way before.
Vehicle To Load (as an extra) is a great idea, but we've heard about restrictions that, if not followed, could void the battery warranty. We're imagining this specifically for a lease return.
The conclusion is that this is a good product of which the contributors can rightly be proud, but at €25,000, it’s unfortunately only suitable as a second car. The larger battery is far too expensive, even when you take into
account the slightly increased charging capacity.
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