Car of the Year Awards 2021: Small Electric Car of the Year
This class embraces nimble city cars and handy small cars and continues onwards to encompass everything up to and including family-sized SUVs no more than 4.5 metres long...
Volkswagen ID.3 Pro Performance Life
Having taken victory in our group test against the Citroën e-C4 and Kia e-Niro, Volkswagen’s new family hatchback has emerged as the most well-rounded small electric car you can currently buy. The ID.3’s official 263-mile range is among the best in the class (only the pricier Hyundai Kona Electric and e-Niro Long Range are better), while the e-Niro Medium Range can’t go anywhere near as far on a charge.
And what of the ID.3’s other key strengths? For a start, there’s its handling; featuring rear-wheel drive, nicely weighted and accurate steering and fine body control, it’s genuinely fun to drive. It’s right at the sharp end for performance, too, matching the acceleration of the e-Niro Long Range and pummelling the rest of its key rivals, including the e-C4 and Peugeot e-208.
Meanwhile, it’s practical enough to stand comparison with the roomiest cars in the class, and it’ll be cheap to run for both company car drivers and private buyers, thanks to minimal benefit-in-kind tax, slow predicted depreciation and competitive PCP finance rates, with even cheaper versions on the way
We like
> Long official range
> Fun to drive
> Practical interior
> Slow predicted depreciation
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