Volkswagen unveils lower-cost entry level ID.3 Pro

Volkswagen has announced its entry level ID.3 Pro is now available to order, bringing the entry price to £28,670. This is part of the car maker's brief to make e-mobility affordable set out by the I.D. concept of 2016.

The Pro electric motor option is available across the ID.3’s Life, Business and Family specifications, and offers a second, 145 PS power output in addition to the introductory 204 PS Pro Performance version. Despite the different motor output to the Pro Performance models, the impressive range of the ID.3 remains the same, with up to 263 miles available on the ID.3 Life Pro from its 58 kWh (net) battery capacity.

In Pro guise, the ID.3 produces 145 PS and 270 Nm of torque – a 15 Nm advantage over the 1.5-litre, 150 PS TSI unit found in many petrol Volkswagen models. This is delivered, as per the rest of the ID.3 range, via a one-speed gearbox, with the car’s full torque output available from a standstill – a virtue of electric vehicle powertrains. This translates to a 0-62 mph sprint in 9.6 seconds.

In Life specification, the ID.3 Pro starts at £28,670[1] – with a £1,320 step-up to the ID.3 Life Pro Performance. The ID.3 Pro’s charging performance remains unchanged, which means that the same speedy 35-minute recharge to 80% capacity at a 100 kW CCS Direct Current charger is achievable.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s wider electrification strategy goes from strength to strength, with UK customers now able to order the ID.4 1ST Edition – the second model in the brand’s far-reaching and acclaimed future of e-mobility. This compact SUV is set to become one of the world’s most popular electric vehicles, as it will be sold in all major markets.

Further additions to the ID.3 family will arrive during 2021, again bolstering one of the model’s key strengths and reasons for its success. These include the smallest Pure model with a 45 kWh battery. Full details and timings of these new variants will be released in due course.

Joe Laurence, ID. Family Product Manager at Volkswagen UK, said: “Its transmission may be an innovative one-speed unit, but the ID.3 is metaphorically stepping up a gear with the Pro variant, because it provides an alternative to the top-spec Pro Performance model which has been on sale since September. All of the same features and talents are available on the Pro model, albeit with a slightly lower power output.

“Like many other Volkswagen models, the ID.3 range aims to offer plenty of choice for the customer – and that includes powertrain options. And, of course, making ‘The Electric People’s Car’ accessible to an even wider band of the EV-buying public is a direct and welcome result of this.”