Note: This article was written as part of a commercial content partnership between CompleteCar.ie and Volkswagen.
It has been a bit of a waiting game for the past couple of years when ordering a new electric car. Issues with computer chips, made worse by other supply chain problems and, more recently, a distinct lack of staff working in the major shipping ports has often meant a several-month wait for a new car.
Those days are over, or at least they are if you're thinking of buying a new Volkswagen ID. electric model over the 232 period this year. Volkswagen Ireland has told us that the "supply issues from last year on these models are resolved and there is stock available for immediate delivery." That covers the ID.3, ID.4 (currently Ireland's best-selling EV) and the sleek ID.5 and what's more, there are tempting finance rates available through Volkswagen Financial Services, too.
From 0 per cent APR across the ID. range (ID.3, ID.4, ID.5)
Volkswagen Ireland is now offering a from zero per cent APR* deal on ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 stock. The ID.3 starts with monthly repayments from just €199, the ID.4 costs from €189 per month on a zero per cent APR finance package and the ID.5 will set you back from €399 per month on a zero per cent APR finance package.
Experience Electric Sales Event
From June 9-17, Volkswagen retailers across the county will host the 'Experience Electric Sales Event'. Anyone interested in find out more about electric cars is invited to pop into a Volkswagen retailer during the event to learn more about owning and driving a Volkswagen ID., government incentives, charging solutions, test driving an ID. model and to discover more about PCP finance from zero per cent APR* across the ID. range.
So, what do you get for your money?
Well, the ID.3 range kicks off with the Pro model, which comes as standard with a 58kWh battery pack, giving it a range of up to 424km on one charge and a starting price of €42,212 (including all grants and supports).
Pro versions get lots of equipment - there's a leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel with multi-function buttons, an armrest between the front seats and another in the back, a 30-colour ambient lighting system, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, a four-speaker stereo and two rear cupholders. Oh, and the accelerator and brake pedals are marked with 'Play' and 'Pause' logos.
As far as safety is concerned, Pro models get seven airbags, three ISOFIX points for child seats, a rear seatbelt warning, automated emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, speed-sensitive power steering that can help you swerve away from danger in an emergency, a pedestrian warning sound that activates below 30km/h, and a system that monitors for driver drowsiness. There's also road sign recognition, the 'e-call' emergency phone service and a tyre pressure monitor.
You want tech? You've got tech - as standard, the ID.3 comes with a 10-inch central touchscreen, which also has touch-sensitive sliders for cabin temperature and stereo volume, climate control, keyless ignition (actually all you need to do is sit in and put your foot on the brake - a feature common to all Volkswagen ID models), adaptive cruise control (that uses radar to keep you a safe distance from the car in front) and 'Car-2-X' technology that allows the ID.3 to communicate with other vehicles and roadside information beacons to get safety warnings. There are four USB-C connections (two in the front, two in the back) that allow for a wired Android Auto connection, and there's also wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity, plus a wireless phone charger.
You also get voice control, built-in navigation, heated front seats and driving profile selection, which allows you to pick from Sport, Normal and Eco driving modes.
OK, that's the ID.3 - what about the ID.4?
Larger and more spacious than the (already pretty roomy) ID.3, the ID.4's prices start at €42,993 after state subsidies for the Life model with a 148hp electric motor, a 52kWh battery and a range of up to 357km. For that price you get 19-inch alloy wheels, a 10-inch touchscreen with built-in navigation, wireless smartphone charging, a 'Winter Pack' that includes heated seats and mirrors, front and rear centre armrests, 30-colour interior lighting and the ArtVelours seat upholstery.
With the same motor and battery, for €51,265 after state subsidies you can get the ID.4 in Style form. This comes with a panoramic sunroof, thermal insulation and acoustic glass (keeps the warmth in and the noise out), three-zone climate control, a contrast-colour roof, a rear-view camera, keyless entry and ignition, an anti-theft alarm, tinted rear windows, high-tech 'Matrix' LED headlights, an illuminated bar in the front grille and 3D LED brake lights with 'scrolling' indicators.
For €51,745 you can upgrade the Life model to the bigger 77kWh battery, with a 174hp electric motor, giving it a range of 525km. There's also a Life DX model, with the same battery and motor, for €58,980 coming with the rear-view camera, keyless entry and ignition, intelligent parking assistance, anti-theft alarm and tinted rear windows. For €60,725 you can have the ID.4 Business with the 77kWh battery and 174hp motor. It also gets 'Matrix' LED headlights, an illuminated front bar and the 3D LED brake lights.
Then, for €63,105, you can have the ID.4 Style with the 77kWh battery and a range of 518km. That comes with the panoramic sunroof, thermal and acoustic glass, three-zone climate control and a contrast-colour roof.
There are three more standard ID.4 models - the Family (€61,265, 77kWh battery, 174hp motor, 518km range, panoramic sunroof, thermal and acoustic glass, three-zone climate control and a contrast-colour roof); the Tech (€67,825, 77kWh battery, 204hp electric motor, 513km range, head-up display, the bigger 12-inch central touchscreen, 'Travel Assist' offering more advanced lane-keeping and active cruise control, a blind-spot warning, a 360-degree parking camera system, panoramic sunroof, power seats with a massage function, three-zone climate control, 'Easy Open' electric tailgate you can activate by waving your foot under the back bumper, 'Trained Parking' that actually remembers and geo-locates your commonly-used parking manoeuvres, and the contrast roof colour); and the Max (€71,745, 77kWh battery, 204hp motor, 510km range and which adds a more efficient heat pump heating system, sports seats with a massage function and adaptive suspension). These three models are all only available from current stock, though, so if you want one of those, be quick.
At the top of the ID.4 line-up is the GTX. This is the sporty ID.4 and gets a second electric motor mounted in the front, giving it 299hp and four-wheel drive.
The GTX model costs €67,980, and has the 77kWh battery with a range of 500km. Standard equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, progressive power steering, GTX badging, a sporty GTX exterior styling pack, GTX-specific front seats with red contrast stitching and special GTX footplates inside the doors.
There are also GTX Business (€66,000, 500km range) and GTX Max (€76,650 485km range) variants, but again, these are available only from stock.
Don't forget the Volkswagen ID.5
The Volkswagen ID.5 takes all of the ID.4's mechanical package but wraps it in a sleeker, sportier, more coupe-like body. The entry-level model is the ID.5 Business, which costs €63,185, has the 77kWh battery, the 174hp electric motor and a range of 530km. Standard equipment includes a rear-view camera, advanced keyless access, intelligent parking assistance, a 12-inch central touchscreen, 'Matrix' LED headlights and adaptive cruise control.
Or you can upgrade to the ID.5 Style, which costs €64,680, has a 525km range and comes with a panoramic sunroof, thermally insulated and acoustic glass, three-zone climate control and a luggage net.
There are also three 'stock-only' models - the ID.5 Family (€61,410, 525km range, comes with a panoramic sunroof, thermally insulated and acoustic glass, three-zone climate control and a luggage net); the ID.5 Tech (€67,230, 519km range, comes with the augmented reality head-up display, Travel Assist, blind-spot monitor, surround camera view, powered front seats with massage function, easy-open tailgate, trained parking and a 450-watt sound system with a sub-woofer); and the ID.5 Max (€69,650, 516km range, adds adaptive suspension, heat-pump heating and progressive power steering). Again, be quick if you want one of those.
As with the ID.4, the ID.5 range is topped by the four-wheel-drive, 299hp, two-motor, sporty GTX model. This costs €70,035, has a 516km range and comes with 20-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, progressive power steering, GTX badging, a sporty GTX exterior styling pack, GTX-specific front seats with red contrast stitching and special GTX footplates inside the doors. There are also stock-only ID.5 GTX Business (€66,500, 516km range) and ID.5 GTX Max (€78,840, 497km range) models.
The small print from Volkswagen Ireland
Models for illustrative purposes only. Bestselling claim based on most recently published monthly figures. For verification see simi.ie.
* Finance example: ID.4 Life 52kWh with OTRP of €44,343; deposit/part-exchange of €13,541.40; and 36 monthly payments of €189 at APR of zero per cent. Total cost of credit: €0.00. Optional final payment: €23,997.60. OTRP is price after grants and SEAI subsidies. APR is available on selected new models only. No minimum deposit requirement. Finance offers available on new retail sales ordered before June 30 2023 and registered before July 31 2023. Offers available on selected stock models only, subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time. Information correct at time of publication. ID.5 and ID.4 energy consumption (max-min): combined 18.1-16.4kWh/100km. CO2 emissions: 0g/km. The specific battery consumption and emission values are the official figures obtained from tests under standardised EU test conditions in accordance with the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP).