Volkswagen ID Polo: the electric supermini we’ve been waiting for
The interior’s use of many more physical buttons than you will find in other VWs of late is reason enough to welcome the ID Polo’s arrival.
Gone are the slidey heater and volume controls that have frustrated VW drivers since they were introduced via the Mk8 Golf; in their place are more conventional climate control buttons. They’re not all that different from the ones you find in the Renault 5, actually, and that’s no bad thing.
And, yes, there are four window switches on the driver’s door once again. The ID Polo’s dashboard features a 10in driver’s display and 13in infotainment touchscreen, and it even offers ChatGPT AI. This stuff is more evolution than revolution, but the big digital widgets and simple menus make using the tech on the go easy enough.
More fun is the addition of ‘retro’ displays for both screens, which turn the clean, modern front-end look into one emulating that of the Mk1 Golf. That means dials for not only speed and power but also an illustrated tape deck. It’s a nice touch that offers something different from the competition.
That said, while a mix of sustainably sourced fabrics and plastics add to the ID Polo’s green credentials, it’s a shame that there’s only the option of a grey or black cabin theme, while the seats can only be wrapped in cloth, with no leather or synthetic leather options. There’s also some cheap-feeling, scratchy plastic in easy reach on the top of the door trims, revealing where costs have been kept down.
The space in the back doesn’t leave you feeling short-changed, however. In fact, with enough knee, foot and even head room for a six-footer to get comfortable, the ID Polo is one of the roomiest cars in the 4m-long hatchback class. The middle rear seat naturally offers less space than the outer pair but, thanks to a flat floor, will still be fine for smaller passengers on shorter journeys-which isn’t something that can be said for the Renault 5.
Better yet, this decent rear passenger space doesn’t hamper the boot. Far from it: with 441 litres of space that includes an almost flat loading lip and a large underfloor storage area, the ID Polo has 115 litres more room than the 5 and 90 litres more than the Hyundai Inster even when the Korean car’s rear bench is slid forward.
The ID Polo shames every other car in the class to a similar degree. It even has 60 litres more room than the current Golf and 90 litres more than the petrol Polo.
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