Volkswagen’s new ID. Polo EV secured 25,000 orders in weeks — Now, it’s even cheaper
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Volkswagen opened pre-orders for the ID. Polo with a 37 kWh battery starting at 24,995 euros (~$29,000), undercutting the 52 kWh version (33,795 euros) by nearly 9,000 euros.
- The ID. Polo had already secured 25,000 orders within weeks of the larger-battery variant going on sale in late April, with VW framing the car as its answer to Chinese EV brands like BYD and Chery.
- The 37 kWh LFP battery delivers 207 miles (334 km) of WLTP range, supports 90 kW DC fast charging (10–80% in ~23 minutes), and is aimed at city commutes and errands.
- Volkswagen is offering two power outputs with the 37 kWh pack — 85 kW (114 hp) and 99 kW (133 hp) — with a 155 kW (208 hp) 52 kWh version and a 166 kW (223 hp) GTI hot hatch arriving this fall.
- Even the base ID. Polo Trend includes standard V2L (vehicle-to-load at 3.6 kW), a 10" Digital Cockpit, a 13" Innovision infotainment screen, and physical buttons — features that were VW selling points on the larger-battery launch.
- VW simultaneously opened orders for the ID. Cross, the electric counterpart to the T-Cross, starting at 27,995 euros (~$32,000).
Why it matters: The sub-$30,000 price puts Volkswagen in direct cost competition with Chinese EV brands on their home European turf — a reversal for a legacy automaker losing ground to BYD and Chery. With 25,000 orders already booked, a GTI variant due this fall, and the ID. Cross launching alongside it, VW is using the Polo platform as its most aggressive affordable-EV counteroffensive yet.
![Volkswagen ID. Polo GTI leaks as a spicy new EV hot hatch [Images]](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/Volkswagen-ID-Polo-GTI-leaks.jpeg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1400)
![Volkswagen reveals the first electric GTI, a 222 hp EV hot hatch for $45,000 [Images]](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/Volkswagen-first-electric-GTI-ID-Polo.jpeg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1400)
