Volkswagen ID.5 Review & Prices

Much like a Golden Retriever in a baseball cap and running shoes, the Volkswagen ID5 is the sporty-looking version of the sensible ID4 electric SUV. It’s much the same car, but where the ID4 has a big, boxy rear end the ID5 has a rakish roofline instead.

You still get tall, bluff front and rear ends - a la ID4 - with big, aggressive head lights and curves aplenty. At the back is the same light bar too, but the ID5 has a little boot spoiler on the edge of the tailgate. It’s a decent looking thing, less frumpy than the ID4, though still less distinctive than the Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback and Skoda Enyaq Coupe.

At first glance the interior is much the same fare as the outside, sleek and minimalistic with a few swoopy lines on the dashboard and a pair of modern-looking displays. It doesn’t take long to realise that the interior quality isn’t up to par though, with far too many scratchy, hard plastics in easy to reach places spoiling the cabin.

Volkswagen ID.5: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 226-344 miles
Efficiency: 3.7-3.9 miles per kWh
Battery size: 52kWh / 77kWh / 79kWh
Max charge speed: 135kW
Charge time AC: 12hrs, 0-100% at 7kW / 8hrs, 0-100% at 22kW
Charge time DC: 30 mins, 20-80% at 135kW
Charge port location: Left right
Power outputs: 170hp / 286hp / 344hp

It’s a shame as there are some really clever touches inside the ID5. The latest version of the infotainment is slick and easy to use, unlike some recent Volkswagen attempts, and the optional augmented reality head-up display is reassuring on the motorway as you don’t need to look away from the road as often. Yes the touchscreen climate controls are still a bit fiddly to use, but they don’t take long to get used to.

The seats are especially comfortable with loads of adjustability, and there’s good front cabin storage including a deep centre console cubby and big door pockets. The rear bench is comfy, with good legroom and a surprisingly large amount of headroom for such a low roofline. It’s just a shame the boot’s shape is compromised by the sloping tailgate, because while it’s larger than the ID4’s at 549 litres, you can’t fit particularly boxy items in.

Still, with a comfy interior and a big boot the ID5 makes for a great road trip EV, especially with a claimed range of up to 343 miles with the biggest battery. The entry-level model has a smaller battery with a max range of 226 miles.

We managed respectable efficiency of 3.6mi/kWh on a long drive, largely on the motorway, in the long range model. That equates to a real-world range of 277 miles - 80% of Volkswagen’s claim.

A twisty road is far from fun in the ID5 though, with steering that’s devoid of any sense of what the front wheels are doing. You need to put a lot of angle into turning the steering wheel, even in sport mode, so while there’s plenty of grip you’re best off driving the ID5 at a moderate pace.

Motorways are much better, even if there’s a touch too much wind noise, but the clever suite of driving assistance tech combined with a good high-speed comfort make the ID5 an easy car to cover ground in.

The city is where it feels most at home, though it’s a tricky car to place on the road. The bonnet lines make it hard to judge the ID5’s size, which combined with the slow steering and spongy brakes can knock your confidence when manoeuvring down a tight city street. Bigger bumps are absorbed rather effectively, but potholes and cracked roads aren’t smoothed out as well as they are in alternatives such as the Volvo EX30 and Kia EV6.

Good looks, useful practicality and real-world efficiency mean the ID5 is a perfectly adequate family SUV, but it does lose its shine thanks to some disappointing driving characteristics and questionable interior materials.

Still, it’s worth considering, so you can check out our new Volkswagen ID5 deals or have a look at our ID5 leasing options instead. You can also browse used ID5s from our network of trusted dealers, or other used Volkswagens if you’re open to other options. When it’s time to switch, Carwow can even help you sell your current car.

Volkswagen has dropped the price of the ID5 over its production run, which is good because it was initially listed similarly to the posher Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback - without the plush cabin. It’s still not cheap; the entry-level 226-mile ID5 Match Pure starts at more than the Kia EV6, which is a superior all rounder and has more range.

You do get heated front seats and steering wheel as standard, as well as LED headlights and a rear view camera, but you’ll need the pricier Match Pro to get the bigger battery, LED taillights and upgraded Matrix headlights.

The range-topping GTX has less range than the Match Pro at 327 claimed miles, but more power and more standard kit, including 20-inch wheels, three-zone climate control, sports suspension and an adjustable-height boot floor.

The sporty looks don’t translate into a sporty drive, but the Volkswagen ID5 is a consummate cruiser and simple to drive around town

In town

The electric steering may be light and easy to flick around, but it’s actually rather slow - requiring a lot of input - which can be a bit annoying when navigating city streets, especially as you can’t see the ID5’s corners out the windscreen. It’s all very low effort though, with finger-light controls and a well-judged accelerator pedal.

The raised driving position aids visibility ahead, although the angled rear roof section means a small rear window and a compromised view out the back. You do get surround parking sensors and a rear-view camera as standard to help with parking manoeuvres, but 360-degree cameras are unavailable on the Match Pure.

The suspension is quite firm though, and while bigger potholes and speed bumps don’t unsettle the ID5, rougher road surfaces do transmit noise and vibration into the cabin.

On the motorway

At motorway speeds the suspension feels as though it settles down and the ID5 cruises along with impressive levels of refinement. There is a bit of wind noise from the wing mirrors, noticeable here thanks to the silent electric drivetrain and lack of road noise.

Adaptive cruise control and lane assist combine to make the ID5 a great long-distance companion, aided by the comfortable seats and airy cabin. The entry-level model does require some coaxing for overtaking manoeuvres at higher speeds, something you won’t have to worry about in the rapid twin-motor GTX version.

On a twisty road

There’s not a whole lot of fun to be had down a winding road in the ID5. The firm suspension limits body lean and outright grip is good, but it lacks that playful character that is more apparent in alternatives like the Ford Mustang Mach-E. It’s certainly not a deal-breaker in the context of a family-friendly electric SUV, but some alternatives such as the Cupra Tavascan and Hyundai Ioniq 5 manage to be both comfortable and more fun to drive.

The ID5 offers plenty of passenger space, although the luggage compartment is a bit compromised

The front seats are heated as standard and offer lots of adjustability, they even have their own armrests so there’s no awkward elbow-touching with your passenger. The steering wheel has the usual rake and reach adjustments, so getting the perfect driving position shouldn’t be an issue, and electrically adjustable seats are optional on Match Pro models but standard on the GTX.

The interior comes with some handy storage spots, from large boor bins to big gulp-sized cup holders in the centre console. There’s a closable cubby just behind the cup holders and a tiny glovebox that can keep a few smaller items out of sight.

Space in the back seats

The ID5 offers plenty of space in the back for a pair of adults or three teenagers, even for longer trips. The shallow roofline compromises headroom a bit for taller passengers compared to the ID4, but only by 5mm. The completely flat floor makes it easy to slide into the centre seat, and while it’s a bit narrower than the outer pews it’s still comfortable - and has its own headrest.

Clearly marked ISOFIX mounting points are placed in the outer rear seats, and getting a baby seat in is aided by the wide-opening doors and the car’s raised height. There are some large door bins and front seat back pockets for storage, and the centre seat back also folds down to become an armrest, complete with a pair of cup holders.

Boot space

The ID5 has a generous 549 litres of boot space with the rear seats up. That’s actually six litres more than you get in the ID4 and way bigger than the 402 litres you get in a Ford Mustang Mach-E, although the Ford does have a small 81-litre storage compartment up front.

The ID5 is also slightly more luggage-friendly than the Audi Q4 e-tron, which offers 535 litres. The loading area is nice and flat, with only a small loading lip which can be minimised even further with the standard adjustable boot floor. You get shopping hooks as standard, but a luggage net and partition only come on the range-topping GTX model, which is a bit cheeky.

The clean and modern design is let down by too many cheap materials, though the infotainment is a highlight

The ID5 is practically identical to the ID4 inside, so you get a thoroughly modern and uncluttered cabin with two digital screens mounted on the dashboard that give you access to the various on-board features. The ID5 only comes in Match Pure, Match Pro and GTX Edition trims, with the GTX having by far and away the most standard kit.

Unfortunately, the hard plastics used on the doors, centre console and lower section of the dashboard are all the more disappointing in the higher-spec ID5s - especially when you look inside the cabins of the Audi Q4 e-tron and even the Nissan Ariya.

The 12.9-inch infotainment screen offers sharp graphics, quick response times and all the features you could want at this level. That includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, DAB radio and over-the-air update capabilities. There’s also a wireless smartphone charger fitted to all trims.

The touch-sensitive buttons along the bottom of the screen for the climate controls can be frustrating to use – especially while on the move. The steering wheel features similar haptic feedback pads which can be inadvertently activated while driving, and unfortunately the ID5 hasn’t received the latest button-operated steering wheel as per other Volkswagen models.

A six-speaker, 140-watt audio system is standard, and an augmented reality head-up display is offered on all but the base trim.

The ID5 is offered in three power outputs and battery sizes. The Match Pure has a single electric motor powering the rear wheels and it produces 170hp. This gives it an 8.9-second 0-62mph time; perfectly fine around town, but it does run out of puff on the motorway, so you may want to stretch to one of the more powerful versions if you spend a lot of time at higher speeds.

The larger 77kWh battery pack translates into 344 miles of claimed range, though that’s still trailing behind the 390 miles that the extended range Ford Capri can manage.

GTX Edition models get an additional electric motor for the front axle, which pushes power up to 344hp and reduces the 0-62mph sprint to 5.4 seconds. It also reduces the range slightly to 327 miles. The GTX feels far quicker than the single-motor models but it still lags behind the twin-motor Kia EV6 with its 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds.

Using a standard 7kW home wallbox will have the battery charged from 0-100% in around 12 hours. Find a 130kW public fast charger and you can zap the battery from 10-80% in just over 30 minutes. The all-electric ID5 benefits from a 0% Benefit-In-Kind tax rate, handy for company car buyers.

Private buyers will pay £10 for the first year of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), rising to £195 from the second year onwards.

The Volkswagen ID4 was tested by Euro NCAP in 2021 and received a full five-star rating. These results apply to the ID5 as well, which means a 93% score for adult occupant safety, 89% for child occupants and a stellar 85% for safety assist devices.

Standard active and passive safety devices include adaptive cruise control, road sign display, lane assist, rear-view camera and autonomous brake assist. The optional augmented reality head-up display is particularly useful for highlighting traffic activity in front of you in the dark.

The Volkswagen ID range is still relatively new to the market and as such it is still too early to tell if there are any common long-term faults with the platform. That being said, Volkswagen came in a lowly 29th out of 32 manufacturers in the 2024 Driver Power reliability survey, which isn’t a confidence-inspiring result.

The ID5 shares a lot of components with other Volkswagen Group products, but the fewer moving parts in an electric vehicle should in theory make it a reliable vehicle in the years to come.

You get a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, extendable for an additional year. The high voltage battery pack comes with an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.