A model range which starts at a mite over £50,000 doesn’t feel especially ‘people’s car’, yet that’s exactly where the Volkswagen ID 5 sits.
As the name suggests, it’s the latest in company's electrical onslaught, though its styling – from most angles – isn’t a vast departure from the Volkswagen ID 4 that came before it. It’s one of those oh-so-fashionable crossover coupes, only in the world of EVs they do at least provide a slight aerodynamical benefit for a mite more range. You’ll just pay handsomely for the benefit – like-for-like, an ID 5 is about six grand more than an ID 4, though the gap closes up on the leasing market.
Still, people obviously love these things, otherwise sensible brands like Skoda and Volvo wouldn’t have jumped aboard the trend. And the ID 5 is a likeable take on the formula, if a little bland in some of its detailing. A softer-edged car makes a change from the industry’s broader obsession with aesthetic aggression, though, so let’s chalk up the friendlier lines of this car as a win.
Unlike the ID 4, all versions pack VW’s larger 77kWh battery, giving every ID 5 a WLTP range over 300 miles, though VW’s proud claims that it’ll charge at 135kW pale in comparison to the 350kW proffered by its gaggle of rivals from Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. All of which are spun from a similar platform-sharing philosophy to the one VW helped pioneer decades ago.
