Volkswagen ID 3: electric Nissan Leaf rival to be revealed today

In early May, Volkswagen claimed to have received 15,000 pre-orders in a week, with the greatest demand in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, the UK and Sweden. Each country has received an allocation of ID 3 models, although it is not known how many of those intended for the UK have been pre-ordered.

Initial problems with Volkswagen's IT systems struggling to keep up with heavy traffic from users were shortly rectified.

The Golf-sized ID 3 will be officially launched at this year's Frankfurt motor show, after which those who have pre-booked a First edition will be able to firm up their order. Orders for the general ID 3 production run will also start then.

The first production car to launch using the Volkswagen Group’s new MEB electric architecture, the ID 3 will be offered with three different battery sizes, and Volkswagen says the entry-level version will cost less than €30,000 (£25,500) in Germany.

Opinion: how the Volkswagen ID 3 got its name

Volkswagen says the ID 3's name comes from the firm's internal nomenclature for the compact A-segment, and the new model's opening of the third major chapter in the brand's history, after the Volkswagen Beetle and Volkswagen Golf. The title also "signals the potential for expansion" into bigger and smaller models in the future.

Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann said that the start of ID pre-booking ushered in “the third major chapter of strategic importance in the history of our brand, following the Beetle and the Golf”. He added: “With the ID 3, we are making the electric car fit for mass mobility.”

Stackmann said that the ID 3 represented a "major milestone" for Volkswagen, adding: "The world is currently in a process of transformation. Volkswagen is not only part of, but is also shaping, this transformation. 

"We are pursuing a focused powertrain strategy. Volkswagen has opted consistently for the battery-electric drive system. This is currently the most efficient technology for reducing CO2 emissions and meeting the ambitious CO2 reduction targets. E-mobility will become our lead technology."

The ID range is understood to be planned to run from one to 10, with the numbers replacing the titles given to previously seen concepts: the ID Crozz SUV, Vizzion saloon, Buzz MPV and van and Roomzz luxury SUV. Autocar has also revealed the firm is working on an entry-level 'people's car'.

Volkswagen says the ID 3 First edition will be priced at under €40,000 (£34,000) in Germany, with customers in the UK required to pay a £750 deposit. UK pricing details have yet to be confirmed, and the pre-booking will only be open for the 30,000 special editions, although those who secure a slot can cancel their order with a full refund. The UK is one of the "key" markets for the car, alongside Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and France.

Customers who pre-book an ID 3 will be able to order their cars after it is launched at this year’s Frankfurt motor show in September. Those orders will become binding in April 2020, with customers able to cancel and obtain a full refund until then.

The First edition will be offered in a choice of four colours and three versions, all featuring large wheel rims. There will also be three trim levels - First, First Plus and First Max – although only the Plus trim will be offered in the UK. This will feature "extensive" comfort features including voice control, a navigation system, exterior IQ lighting and a bi-colour exterior and interior design.  

In the markets where it is available, the range-topping Max trim includes a panoramic sunroof and augmented-reality head-up display. 

Volkswagen also said the ID 3 First edition will be offered with 2000kWh of free charging at public charging points using the firm's We Charge app, on a European charging network. That includes charge points on the Ionity network, which is expanding into the UK. VW also has a deal with Tesco to install 600 rapid chargers at its supermarkets by 2020, although it is not yet confirmed if access to these would be part of the 2000kWh deal.

The ID 3 is 4100mm long, 1800mm wide and 1530mm high, making it 155mm longer, 9mm wider and 77mm higher than the seventh-generation Golf, although the electric powertrain means that it is set to offer substantially more interior space. Stackmann added: "From the outside, the ID 3 will be as large as a Golf. In the interior, it will be as spacious as a medium-sized car."