The new version of the Volkswagen Volkswagen e-up has gone on sale in the UK with an official range of 159 miles and a starting price of £19,695, including the £3500 government grant.
Revealed at the Frankfurt motor show last year, the upgraded electric city car switches the 18.7kWh lithium ion battery of the original model for a larger 32.3kWh version. VW says the battery is capable of charging at 40kW, taking 60 minutes to charge to 80 per cent.
Power comes from an 82bhp electric motor, which allows the e-Up to achieve a 0-62mph time of 11.9sec and a top speed of 81mph.
The new e-Up also gains the upgrades made to the recently revamped petrol-engined Up, including a new multifunction camera offering Land Assist, curtain airbags and a smartphone integration cradle.
The range-topping e-Up comes with standard heated front seats and windscreen, climate control, automatic windscreen wipers and electrically heated wing mirrors.Differentiating the electric version from the standard Up, the e-Up also features special 15-inch wheels, and bespoke bumpers and running lights.
The post-grant £19,965 price compares to the £19,300 starting price of the Seat e-Mii and £16,955 cost of the Skoda Citigo-e iV, both of which share a drivetrain and architecture. It is substantially cheaper than the £24,625 list price of the previous-generation e-Up.
The revamped e-Up is part of a major electric car push for Volkswagen, with the firm also unveiling its new ID 3 at Frankfurt last year.
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Looks to be a good value bev,
As others have said the honda e is less appliance and more of an emotive purchase but for vfm these have it well and truly beaten.
If you pay £12,500 for a
If you pay £12,500 for a petrol city car, about £2000 is Vat, you then pay £140 a year in road tax. If you do 6,000 miles a year at 50 mpg you spend about £600 on fuel each year, of which more than half goes to the government.
The EV buyer pays more Vat, but then pretty much gets it all back through the grant. They dont pay any road tax, and only 5% Vat on the electricty they buy.
Over 10 years the government is around £6,500 worse off, and the car buyer has spent slightly more on the EV and plugging it in than just buying the petrol version and fuel.
Although not a typical company car, the governments losses would be much greater.
I dont see the grant and free road tax can last too much longer. Taxing the fuel is going to be rather more difficult
artill wrote:
And at 10 years you might be needing a new battery. For the petrol car more likely a cheaper clutch or gearbox.
Sadly small EV cars are still too expensive.
£12,500
Would £12.500 get you an new ICE 5 door UP with the same spec, sub 12 second to 60, no congestion charge and such a refined drive.
Thought not !
Win Win
A far better car than the previous gen for several £££'s less, who said Electric cars weren't going anywhere.