This Will Be Volkswagen's Cheapest Electric Car

The concept debuts in March, but the production model isn't coming until 2027.

Photo by: Volkswagen

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

Updated: Feb 13, 2025 at 7:00am ET

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[UPDATE] Volkswagen has published two revealing design sketches ahead of the ID.1 concept's debut on March 5.

It's been nearly two years since Volkswagen unveiled the ID.2all concept as a window into the future of its €25,000 ($26,000) electric car. That future is still not here, considering that a production model won't hit the market until sometime next year. Nevertheless, VW is already eager to preview an even cheaper EV. It doesn't have a name, but this teaser gives us a good idea of how it will look. The full reveal will take place in early March.

VW promises that the entry-level EV will carry a starting price of approximately €20,000 ($20,800) when it goes on sale in 2027. It's unclear whether it'll be called ID.1 one or something else, but as Carmoses reports, VW did file to trademark "ID.EVERY1" with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). That's likely the name of the concept car previewed here, and by extension, it should imply the road-going model will be called the ID.1.

Photos by: Volkswagen

Volkswagen had intended to co-develop the ID.1 with Renault, but the two automakers ultimately decided to part ways last year. The French have already previewed the reborn Twingo, an electric city car scheduled to go on sale in 2026, about a year before the ID.1. In May 2024, Renault CEO Luca de Meo described the failed collaboration as a "lost opportunity." Like VW's diminutive EV, the new Twingo will cost around €20,000.

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The ID.1 will be mechanically related to the ID.2 by riding on the MEB Small platform. Unlike the regular MEB used for the ID.3 and larger electric cars, it will be engineered primarily for front-wheel drive cars. Battery sizes have not been disclosed, but the ID2.all had an estimated WLTP range of 280 miles (450 kilometers). It took around 20 minutes to replenish the battery from 10% to 80%

Meanwhile, VW showed the ID.1 today during a meeting with factory employees in Wolfsburg. Company CEO Thomas Schäfer didn't miss the opportunity to hype up the car: "An affordable, high-quality, and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe—that's the Champions League of automotive engineering!"