Volkswagen ID.3 1ST Edition now on the ROAD in the UK as first customer cars handed over

Volkswagen ID.3 1ST Edition first UK customer cars handed over

The first electric Volkswagen ID.3s are now on the road in the UK as VW’s electric revolution takes its first steps in to the ‘Third Age’ of VW.

Is the arrival of the first VW ID.3 customer cars in the UK a big deal? Well, yes and no.

No, under normal circumstances the handing-over of the first cars of a new model is just part of the process and not exactly newsworthy. But the ID.3 is a bit different.

Not only is VW talking a big gamble on electric cars, prioritising them over the bread and butter Golf and the rest of the ICE range, it’s declaring the arrival of the ID.3 as the ‘Third Age’ of VW, comparable to the arrival of the VW Beetle after the war and the VW Golf in the 1970s.

So yes, the handing over of the first ID.3’s to UK customers can be considered a big deal if, and it’s still an if, it manages to do for VW what the Beetle and Golf did respectively.

Initially, the only ID.3s arriving are the First Edition models with big spec and mid-range powertrain, but it won’t be too long before VW rolls out both less and more powerful models – and different trim levels – to give the ID.3 a wider appeal.

Andrew Savvas, VW UK MD, said:

Today we are seeing the first UK customers drive away in the ID.3 1^ST Edition, the first Volkswagen Group product on the new MEB platform. This is a significant moment, and the start of a massive shift. Some of my colleagues were there for this moment in 1974 when the first Golfs were delivered in the UK, and over 35 million have been sold since. Today I feel a sense of genuine excitement.

Next up from VW’s electric ID blitz will be the ID.4, and it will be revealed officially in a few days.