The article was originally produced on August 25, 2020, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Volkswagen's electric eye-catcher, the ID .3, is finally ready for our roads, and we've taken it for a test drive. 

The next three articles I will publish are about electric cars. First up is the test drive of Volkswagen's new folk electric car ID.3. I have written about it before when it was presented in Germany. Then I got an exclusive photo session with the car in a studio and the opportunity to talk to experts on site. You can read that article here. Now the model is in Sweden and I have test driven it on Swedish roads. 

Gunpowder on ID.3

Volkswagen has put a lot of effort into the ID.3. The model is the most important for a long time for the brand. The ID initiative will bring Volkswagen into the electrified age. The ID.3 is first out, the model after that will be the ID.4, which is a small SUV. 

In terms of design, the production-ready ID.3 is almost exactly the same car as the prototype I got to photograph in Germany. It has about as much space as the Golf and it feels like a minibus when you sit in the car. Thanks to large windows all around, you have a good view. 

Absence of humor

The driver's environment is completely digital and the doors unlock automatically when you approach the car. The car is also activated when you sit in the driver's seat. To drive away, just touch a shifter to the right of the steering wheel. Then it's just a matter of pressing the gas pedal and you roll away. Volkswagen has spent a lot of time on details and a very fun one is precisely the gas and brake pedals. The symbols for "play" and "pause" have been set here. A detail I actually more expected to find in a Tesla than an austere German car that normally shines with its absence of humor. 

As the car is still not completely production-ready and ready for the customer, some systems are not quite ready. Among other things, Apple CarPlay was not integrated, but it will be later this fall. 

On the other hand, some technical details have been modernized unnecessarily, for example, the driver's window lifter buttons to open the rear windows have been slimmed down. Now you only have two buttons and a button to shift these to control the front or rear windows. It feels like the answer to the question no one has asked. 

Fun behind the wheel

But the ID.3 gets its revenge on the road, it's great fun to drive. I can only say wow! I'm sold on electric cars and the ID.3 is no exception. On winding country roads, it sits like an iron and there are few performance cars that can match the ID.3 in driving feel. Acceleration is direct and thanks to the low center of gravity, the car takes curves without worrying about the chassis. You have incredible fun behind the wheel of the ID.3! In city traffic, it behaves as expected: quiet, smooth and easy to drive. 

But then we come to a main concern that is not Volkswagen's fault, but still lies on their shoulders: the charging. You cannot charge your German electric car in Tesla's fast charging stations. If you want 350 kW charging, Ionity applies. It's a charging chain the Volkswagen group has entered into. If you buy an ID.3, you get a card with an agreement that simplifies everything, but when I, as a test driver, was going to register my credit card, it ended up that Ionity had reserved a total of over SEK 6,000 to the transactions failed due to an error in the app. It was frustrating and it's also frustrating how few Ionity stations there are compared to Tesla's fast chargers. But it is hopefully something that will improve over time. 

Electric people for the people

I've written it before when it came to electric cars and I'm writing it again. If you have your own house and are considering an electric car for your everyday chores, the ID.3 is definitely a car you should look at. You quickly get used to the technical details and you will have great joy behind the wheel. But you can certainly expect that you will not be alone with your ID.3 because this will be the new electric folk for the people.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max

Basic price from	SEK 527,900
Engine	Electric, 204 hp. Torque 310 Nm
Transmission	Rear engine, rear wheel drive
Acceleration	0-100 in 7.3 seconds
Top speed	160 km/h (electronically limited)
Consumption	15.4–16.9 kW/100 km (WLTP)
Scope	426 km
Weight	1,805 kg
Web	www.volkswagen.se