At the end of April 2026, VW started advance sales for the first models of its new all-electric small car ID Polo. The Life and Style variants still cost well over 30,000 euros, even after deducting possible purchase bonuses.
VW offers Polo entry-level model Trend
In mid-July, around two and a half months after the more expensive models, VW activated the basic Polo Trend in its configurator. Golem reports this, among other things. The ID Polo Trend will then be available at a starting price of 24,995 euros, as stated in the original VW announcement.
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For the comparatively low price, buyers have to make some compromises. The ID Polo Trend comes with a 37 kilowatt-hour battery (LFP) instead of a 52-kilowatt-hour battery (NMC) like the Life and Style variants. The maximum charging power has been reduced from 105 to 90 kilowatts.
Compromises on battery and range
VW specifies the range of the trend model as up to 329 kilometers according to WLTP. According to the manufacturer, the two more expensive models can travel up to 450 kilometers on one battery charge. The system output of 85 and 99 kilowatts is also below the 155 kilowatts of Life and Style.
From autumn 2026, a GTI version of the ID Polo will be available for pre-order, which comes with a 166-kilowatt drive and 52-kilowatt-hour battery. The range should be around 424 kilometers. VW has not yet announced a specific price for the ID Polo GTI. According to ADAC, the top model should cost less than 40,000 euros.
Competition from China: VW is planning clear-cutting
VW is currently under enormous pressure. Overcapacity, weaker sales markets and competition from China are putting a strain on the Wolfsburg-based group, as car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer explains in the standard podcast Topic of the Day. Accordingly, Chinese cars are “better, cheaper and have more technology”. Dudenhöffer recommends that VW accept some kind of development aid from China.
Electric cars: 5 prejudices and what’s true about them
VW is now responding with clear-cutting. According to a so-called future plan that the supervisory board is discussing, 100,000 jobs are at risk. Four VW plants in Germany, where a total of around 40,000 people work, are facing closure in the short or medium term, as Manager Magazine reported at the end of June.
