Volkswagen has released the first official pictures of its next electric car ahead of the public debut at the 2025 Munich motor show. But the big news isn’t what you can make out through the camouflaging graphics – rather it’s that VW has confirmed this new electric supermini will be called the Volkswagen ID.Polo.
Up until this point, all of its ID family of electric vehicles (EVs) have followed a numbered naming strategy – starting with the VW ID.3 and currently going all the way up to the VW ID.7. The new ID.Polo has previously been shown in concept form as the ID.2all, but instead becomes the first VW EV to use a familiar name from the company’s rock-solid back catalogue.
The ID.Polo will go on sale in 2026, alongside the conventional VW Polo. The timing is almost perfect, since the model has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. A fanfare reinforced by the presence of a disguised ID.Polo GTI hot hatch variant alongside the standard model.
Explaining the name change, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer said: ‘Our model names are firmly anchored in people’s minds. They stand for a strong brand and embody characteristics such as quality, timeless design and technologies for all. That’s why we’re moving our well-known names into the future. The ID.Polo is just the beginning.’
The ID part will remain for these future electric variants, as VW thinks it helps buyers identify (possibly pun intended) its most advanced and forward-looking technology. Every next-generation ID model will adopt a familiar moniker; the 2025 Munich show line-up also includes a concept for the ID.Cross, a compact electric SUV that will soon be sold alongside the Volkswagen T-Cross.
What will the VW ID.Polo be like?
While the ID.Polo pictured is still camouflaged at the moment, this is the production vehicle, and VW has revealed quite a few German-market details. How much will be relevant to the UK we can’t say for sure just yet but here’s what we know so far.
It’s based on a ‘next-generation’ MEB+ platform – an evolution of the Modular Electric Drive Matrix that underpins the ID.3 and a number of other EVs across several brands. The ID.Polo will also be the first Volkswagen to use the firm’s new ‘Pure Positive’ design language. This doesn’t look like a massive departure to us, and it’s still recognisably a VW.
Three power outputs and two battery capacities are planned, with a fourth power output arriving with the GTI version, which will debut in full later in 2026. This hottest model will have a 166kW electric motor – equivalent to 226hp.
There will be three as yet unnamed trim levels in Europe, with the entry-level version targeting a price of under 25,000 Euros (currently around £21,725). That should ensure the ID.Polo is suitably competitive despite charging into one of the most dynamic and interesting areas of the electric car market.
VW is promising lots of driver assistance technology, including much that will be new to the supermini class. Expect the new ID.Polo to be able to change lanes autonomously, recognised traffic light signals, and have a Park Assist Plus system that’s able to memorise and repeat tricky parking manoeuvres.
Best of all, we’re also told there will be buttons and knobs in the cabin (and on the steering wheel) alongside the touchscreen controls that have become so predominant in recent years. This is a sign that VW is actually listening to feedback and responding to improve the ownership experience.
What this means for you
The small electric car sector is already one of the most exciting areas of the UK car market, and the arrival of the new ID.Polo will only add to this impression.
The established rivals are very good, with the new VW butting-up against everything from the Renault 5 E-Tech to the Fiat Grande Panda Electric, not to mention the Hyundai Inster and BYD Dolphin Surf. Which means the ID.Polo will also have to be exceptional if it wants to be properly competitive.
Volkswagen has also committed to selling the existing Polo alongside this new model – in Europe at least – so buyers will still have the choice to stick with petrol if they prefer.
Expert’s view: Can the VW ID.Polo make an impact?
It would have been easy for Volkswagen to wait until the next-generation ID.3 came around and undertaken this change with an ID.Golf – an even stronger name, and probably a slightly less competitive battle ground. Instead, it’s elected to move more quickly and take on one of the most interesting and high-quality areas of the electric market with this new ID.Polo.
That, to me, speaks of great confidence. With an evolved EV platform, a good amount of choice in terms of performance and driving range, and a competitive asking price, the ID.Polo could be a serious challenger to the current status quo. While the looks don’t seem that exciting, not everyone wants to stand out like a Renault 5 or Grande Panda driver, and VW has historically always successfully trodden a conservative and often universal design path.
That ‘the first electric GTI’ will follow shortly after also sound promising for driving enthusiasts (though the Polo GTI has never been quite as thrilling as the equivalent and more famous Golf GTI). The real icing on the cake for me, however, is the talk of proper physical controls returning to VW interiors – a victory for safety and good sense, I hope.
cj hubbard – Head of the Bauer digital automotive content hub
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