PoloDriver

Following the announcement in September that the good-looking ID 2all concept will enter production as the ID Polo, Volkswagen has announced full details of the technical specification of its smallest – for now – electric car. Released at a covered prototype design and drive workshop event based in Barcelona, the ID Polo will have an eventual choice of four power outputs and two batteries.

Set to be stripped of its Polo Harlequin-inspired camouflage in April or May 2026, the ID Polo will be available with three power outputs: 113bhp (85kW), 132bhp (99kW), and 208bhp (155kW). The most powerful model of the new all-electric Polo family, the 223bhp (166kW) ID Polo GTI will arrive later in the year. Power for all ID Polos will come from the new latest generation APP290 motor. Here’s what else you need to know.

What batteries will the ID Polo have?
Lower-powered 113 and 132bhp models will be fitted with a 37kWh (net) lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the first time this chemistry has been used on an electric Volkswagen. Both the 208bhp ID Polo and 223bhp ID Polo GTI will come with a 52kWh (net) battery that uses nickel manganese cobalt chemistry, a more traditional set-up used on electric cars for over a decade.

The LFP battery can be charged at DC rapid-charging points at up to 90kW of power, while the NMC unit can accept up to 130kW. The ultimate range of the 52kWh ID Polo is up to 280 miles, eclipsing the official distances offered by the larger battery models of notable rivals such as the Fiat Grande Panda Electric (44kWh, 199 miles), Renault 5 E-Tech Electric (52kWh, 248 miles), and the Vauxhall Corsa Electric (51kWh, 266 miles).

What about the platform technology?
Not only does the ID Polo set a Volkswagen electric car precedent by using a ‘heritage’ name, but it’s also the first VW EV to use a front-wheel drive platform. Based on a development of the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electric Drive Matrix named MEB+, the new drivetrain allows for the reduction of both components and weight. This permeates through to cost savings which is essential for the ID Polo to reach its target price of €25,000.

Whichever battery is specified, the PowerCo-produced unified cell unit is integrated into the car’s flat underbody. Using new cell-to-pack technology, as the name suggests, the cells are combined directly into the battery pack itself, rather than via an intermediate step using module housings. This has the double benefits of reducing both weight and price, and increasing energy density and potential range.

The ID Polo has been developed with a collaborative approach within the Brand Group Core of the wider Volkswagen Group. Spanish brands Seat and Cupra led the new ‘Electric Urban Car Family’ project, which also includes the Cupra Raval, Skoda Epiq and forthcoming Volkswagen ID Cross SUV. Key technologies such as the chassis, drive, steering, software, and assistance systems stem from the MEB+ platform. The Spanish connection continues into production, too: the ID Polo will be built at the Seat and Cupra factory in Martorell, just as previous Polos were produced at the Volkswagen Navarra plant in Pamplona until July 2024.

Is the ID Polo the same size as a Polo?
The need for less installation space pays dividends, too. Compared to the current MQB-based internal combustion-engined Polo, passengers have an extra 19mm of interior length, while the boot can hold 435 litres of luggage. This is up by 24 per cent compared with the petrol-powered Polo’s 351 litres, and with the rear seats folded down, the load volume of the ID Polo increases 1,243 litres – over 100 litres more than the combustion Polo. Overall, the ID Polo is comparable in size to the petrol Polo.

*37kWh battery **1.0 TSI 95, 7-speed DSG

Not only is the technology powering the ID Polo the very latest in Volkswagen powertrain innovations, next-generation assistance systems also make their way to the new electric member of the Polo family. The enhanced Travel Assist system offers traffic light and stop sign recognition, assisted lane changes on motorways, as well as lateral and longitudinal guidance.

The design of the ID Polo was carried out at the Volkswagen Design Centre in Wolfsburg, and the car is the first production model to feature VW’s new ‘Pure Positive’ design language. You don’t need to strip away the camouflage that much to see that very little has changed from the ID 2all concept of 2023. The covered prototype drive cars still feature covered dashboards so the interior remains under wraps for now, but we suspect it won’t be long until the covers are taken from that, too.

When will the ID Polo be available to buy?
The market launch of the ID Polo is expected to be in spring 2026, with first deliveries arriving with customers in the autumn. The Volkswagen France website opened a priority ‘access’ programme – imaginatively named ‘ID Polo Access’ – since 23 September, where interested parties can register their interest in the new car. Additional benefits include priority access to the ordering of ID models – ID Polo order books are said to open in May 2026 – a €500 WeCharge charging credit, ‘exclusive content’ (including behind the scenes information on the ID Polo project) and ‘experiences and surprises’. ID Polo Access is billed as ‘a way to transform an automobile launch into a true shared experience.’

It also, excitingly, states that the full reveal of the electric Polo will be in February 2026. The French Volkswagen website also lists available trim levels as ID Polo Trend (113bhp/37kWh), ID Polo Life and ID Polo Style (both cars 132bhp/208bhp and 37kWh/52kWh). It also says the larger battery models will arrive first, in mid-September 2026, with the smaller battery versions due for a mid-November arrival. The ID Polo GTI is said to be available from March 2027. We watch and wait…

There’s no denying that the ID Polo has a huge responsibility resting on its – neatly designed – shoulders. It has to reset the public’s perception of Volkswagen’s range of ID-badged electric cars and their associated foibles, whether that be digital controls or a lack of ‘character’; it is the first VW to carry a ‘heritage’ name into the electric age; and it has to be an entry point into the zero-emission Volkswagen family.

Are there other new electric VWs to come?
‘The ID Polo marks the beginning of a new generation of Volkswagen: with a fresh design, intuitive operation, top quality and first-class driving characteristics – and finally with a proper name again,’ said Thomas Schäfer, member of the board of management of Volkswagen AG, Brand Group Core and CEO of the Volkswagen brand. ‘With an entry-level price starting at €25,000, we are making electric mobility accessible to many people in Europe. And this is just the beginning – in 2026, we will launch six new electric models.’

The ID Polo is one of four new Volkswagen electric models in the small car and compact segment, and a fleet of almost production-ready ID prototypes is undergoing final testing in numerous regions worldwide. With the full exterior and interior reveal of the car imminent, specification details for UK models will be released in the coming months. This year might have been a celebration for the Polo’s 50th anniversary but with the arrival of both the ID Polo and ID Polo GTI in 2026, the party isn’t over quite yet.