Looking at an ID3 as a company car for the next 3 years. In the process of booking a test drive, but has anyone lived with one?

The important question is how easy is it to get a bike in the back? Medium 29er/ 54cm road bike OK, maybe with both wheels off?
We have a van for big trips, so it’s mainly if I take a bike away when going somewhere with work.

Potentially lots of other home charger questions as well, but I’ll trawl the other threads when the time comes.

I looked at one and I doubt you’d have a problem. I’ve got an ID 4 and can easily get an XL 29 FS with just the front wheel out.

My i3 is the same sort of size and can get a large gravel bike in with both wheels on and the front seat on the passenger side moved all the way forward.

I have an Egolf and can get a bike in the back with front wheel removed.
Think the id3 is slightly bigger internally than the egolf so you should be fine

Ive got an ID3 and it’s is plenty big enough to put a bike in.
Just bear in mind that it is not approved for roof bars or a rear-mounted rack, so unless you’re always carrying it in the back then you’d need to get the towbar as well.

Given the discussion with the local VW dealer this weekend gone if you ordered now you’ll just about be driving it in 3 years time (30 month lead time for EVs apparently). ICE was 1 year.

Given the discussion with the local VW dealer this weekend gone if you ordered now you’ll just about be driving it in 3 years time

We looked at an ID3 about 6 months ago, they wouldnt commit to a delivery time frame

Interesting info on lead times- looking at leasing for company car use, and delivery quoted as December/ January

Good news on the size, sounds like it should work for us.

I’d take delivery estimates with a pinch of salt.

Ordered my company car Skoda Enyaq (same platform as the id3) in June last year, and still haven’t got a factory build slot confirmed. Estimate keeps getting pushed back every month. Now showing October, which would make it 16 months from order to delivery, assuming it doesn’t get pushed back again.

Interesting info on lead times- looking at leasing for company car use, and delivery quoted as December/ January

We ended up going for a BMW i3 on lease. Had a build slot which would fit with handing back our current lease car ( 7 months ) each month it just kept getting pushed back. In the end we cancelled and have kept the current lease car.

Got an ID3, great car. Fits an xl 29er in the back with front wheel off. Nice to drive, decent range, no issues since getting it last September.

I’ve had a family pro performance for 10months, previously had a Tesla M3 so it’s quite difficult to be gushing about it compared to the Tesla, but its nice enough.

They’re pretty big in the back, so Just front wheel off on my med bikes.

The only complaint I’ve had is that the infotainment system isn’t great. Version 3 will hopefully be better that I need updating at a dealer, yours will probably come with it already.

When test driving, fiddle with the seat height mine was at max height and it was an awful position and gave me neck ache for days after a 30min test drive. When the new car arrived I eventually managed to drop the seat to its lowest position and it’s now great.

Matrix headlights are fantastic

Tyres are self sealing, so if you rip the sidewall its a tow job. AA can tow it with some special wheels.

ID3 owner here, got it a year ago. It’s great; two bikes with front wheels off no bother (but they are 27.5) so you might need the back wheels off too.
Fun to drive, plenty fast enough, range is great for what we use it for.
No home charger for us so we rely on public chargers and it’s fine. We have some a few minutes walk away or we use the fast charger at Tesco during the weekly shop. Last resort is the granny charger plugged into a neighbour’s overnight in exchange for a bottle of wine.

Cupra Born is an iD3 with better looks (taste) and defintely better infotainment. I’d get that instead, except it’s built on the same production line so I assume delivery is equally delayed….

I’ve also been looking at an ID3 but it just seems bonkers to plan to buy a car in 2 years time when a) you need it now and b) it’s an evolving technology and (eg) batteries may be quite different in 2 years. Also – how are we going to reach the target of phasing out fossil cars if there aren’t actually any BEV to buy?

My wife has grown to strongly dislike her ID3. The first thing she does when she gets in is turn the overly aggressive lane keeping assist off, the other predictive driving assistance can’t be turned off and makes smooth driving difficult. It wallows in the corners and is not at all nice to drive with any urgency. Not the point of it I suppose.

The infotainment isn’t the best, but you kind of get used to it. Build quality feels okay but materials are a a bit cheap, and although the passenger space is excellent the boot is pretty small.

A LLS trail bike is pretty tight really and as pointed out, we didn’t realise roof bars were a no no.

I like VW generally, but wouldn’t buy another ID3.

ID3 driver here.

I’ve got mine on a 4 year lease through work.

Nice to drive, nippy, rear wheel drive so it feels nice accelerating out of corners.

Infotainment system (Android Auto) is a PIA with my Galaxy A12 but works a treat with my work A32.

Large 29er XC bike goes inside no problem with the wheels off.

I agree with the point above about the lane assistance being aggressive but the rest of the driver aids (radar cruise control and sign post reading) are great. Although it does pick up the HGV 50mph signs on the A9 and slows down from 60 which can be tedious.

Only a couple of minor niggles though and which are completely outweighed by the positives above , oh and the free electricity on offer at Tesco just down the road.

Most reviews of that VAG EV platform say get the Skoda not the VW or Audi as the Enyaq is the better car. I haven’t seen a Seat review yet.

The Lane assist is crap. I switch mine off at the end of the road when I’m waiting at the lights. Once in a blue moon the lights are green when I get there and the car will then attempt to kill me by swerving me away from the kerb into oncoming traffic at a narrow bit. Meh, you get used to it 😂

I’ve had one for a year.

The most hateful car I’ve ever had. Even the fact that it’s free doesn’t help it.

Infotainment system never works properly. Bordering on dangerous to use while driving.

Lane assist that will swerve at any given chance.

Front assist that will attempt an emergency stop if its sees a leaf in the road.

Horrible seating position.

It does go sideways very easily which is fun in the dry but gets a bit tedious in the damp/cold. Forget about driving it if it snows.

Fits a bike in easy and costs me absolutely zero run.

I’m supposed to love them as I work for VW but honestly they are horrendous.

Have a look at the ev database websssite. I think that max dc charging speed is a pretty important metric to consider. Do 80 to 90% of your charging at home but on those occasions when you want to add a quick squirt to get home you want to be able to do asap. The VAG cars aren’t the quickest in this respect.

The Skoda (VAG) we ordered will charge at around 500 miles per hour (miles into the battery that is) if you can find a capable charger.

I’d have thought that’s ok for a quick get you home.

at around 500 miles per hour

Was that from the salesman or for a future not currently released model as not according to EV database it’s not. Quickest Skoda shown is 350 miles per hour peak, which isn’t bad but not the best.
You only get that peak rate from a low state of charge (SOC), when battery temp is right and when the charger is capable of delivering it. It then tapers down in rate and again I think the VWs taper quite conservatively from 60% on.

So to update post drive on a few points:
-In many aspects it was as expected. Felt like a golf size wise, maybe a little higher and roomier inside. Tight turning circle though. Boot with seats up or down seems decent sized.
-Delivery defo this year, as soon as October, according to the dealer (pinch of salt taken, but that’s a very different story to some posts above)
-smooth, easy drive down the motorway for a junction and through town. Most of my driving is a mix of the two, so nice to test both.
-touchscreen I was prepared to hate, but worked fine for me.

-I don’t disagree having read the comments about the Cupra and Skoda options, but neither are as cheap to lease (strict budget from work) or available in the same timeframe as the ID3 that I can see.

Maybe I should add that I am comparing it to a 2.5 year old Toyota hybrid, so wasn’t expecting anything very different from that, and I was right. In many ways it was a bit dull, but then I’m not a massive car person, without much else to compare to I would be happy enough to drive it for a few years then give it back. Maybe if I had to stump up £40k+ and keep it then I would be more picky.

@pedlad Looking at the 62kW model. On a 20-80% charge the best average charge power is 85kW. But we we’re talking splash and dash where the max power is 130kW according to the database you referenced. Again based on that database, that gives a splash and dash rate of around 460 miles per hour.  And that’s assuming the the 205 mile range they give. The official figure (ok I know) is 262 miles.

I’ve had mine 7 month and love 95% of it, my complaints are the Lane assist and brake assist (they are both horrible) and the fact they made a car you can’t put roof bars on 🥴

Had an ID3 for a year and did almost 19,000 miles in it. In general it was a pretty good car that saved me almost as much in petrol as it cost to lease it.

It was undriveable in snow, range was much poorer than advertised. I actually think that the carplay integration was pretty good and the native satnav, which included WeCharge, was reasonable on long journeys.

But biggest issue for EV drivers is access to and speed of DC journey charging. Been in a few queues this summer now…

Another critic of the ID.3 here. I work for a company that’s involved with EV infrastructure and was given the keys to one for a few days (common practice where I work as it’s key for us to know what the market is doing). It’s an utterly hateful thing, and I was relieved to get back into my 18 year old Golf.

The whole thing felt cheap. It didn’t drive very nicely, it’s not quick (esp. compared to most EVs), and simple things like the heat/aircon controls and the cruise were diabolical, eclipsed only by the clusterf*ck that is the infotainment and nav.

Oh, and at 5’10” my head was nearly touching the headlining and when you put the sun visor down it obscured 3/5ths of the windscreen.

Shockingly bad car. Find something else (Hyundai, Kia, Peugeot…)

You’d probably just about get an FS 29er in the boot with the front wheel off and the passenger seat all the way forward.

The brakes… I forgot to mention the brakes.

You get the most abrupt transition from the motor braking to the discs coming on. Expect your passengers to complain a lot. The pedal feel is weird too. Very mushy until you get some real pressure on, then it’s like a block of wood.

As for lead times, we’ve had cars on order for 12months that haven’t even been accepted by the factory.

One more month of it then my Arteon Shooting Brake arrives.

So, in the “kind of like a Golf” bracket, what do folk prefer? Any love for the e-Nero ?

My Ioniq EV is decent but there’s no long range version, however there is a long range Kona. Charging speeds are slow, but they are honest with the range numbers and it’s a competent car. Everything works pretty well except the binging and bonging which may irritate you more or less. The infotainment is a bit annoying but few reviewers complained about it so maybe it’s just me.

I preferred the Leaf as a car, but it comes with a Chakademus connector which might annoy me.

@willard has an Emperor Nero.

Any love for the e-Nero ?

Yup. Big love here. Had my e-Niro 4+ for 16 months now and very happy with it. Drives well, super practical and very efficient. I’ve had a seat in the new Niro EV and it’s even better. Usefully larger inside and great interior (better than the EV6 I also sat in)

The Niro EV is a serious contender for when I replace the e-Niro next year.

“Arteon shooting brake” – electric Passat estate…..

Still, if it gets aspirational folk buying fewer massive suvs that must be a good thing!

The brakes… I forgot to mention the brakes.

Ah, yes. The brakes. In addition to being terrible there’s little to no regenerative braking, which means if you’re going down even the slightest incline you’re constantly trimming the brakes to avoid gaining speed.

Pretty sure they put drum brakes on at least one end of the ID3 too.

Arteon isn’t an EV, just the old Passat CC and has a hybrid option. So yes, a Passat, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Arteon shooting brake is a lovely looking car.

Pretty sure they put drum brakes on at least one end of the ID3 too

Tbh an ev wouldn’t be a bad application for a drum brake at all.

Less sliders and pistons to seize up through non use.

Of all the vehicles I’ve had over the years the drums have been the least problematic of all the brakes.

The first thing she does when she gets in is turn the overly aggressive lane keeping assist off

This system drives me crazy, even dangerous sometimes (like overtaking a cyclist for instance).

Brakes aren’t great for such a heavy car, but otherwise quite nice to drive. Would have got a Cupra if It was available as you get more bang for buck but had to wait 7 months for it. The ID3 is pretty basic for a £35k car, it doesnt even have any rear stereo speakers!

I think that max dc charging speed is a pretty important metric to consider.

It’s the overall charging curve that’s important. eg a car that has a max speed of 170kw for a short stint then charging speed drops off a cliff is not as good as a car that peaks at say 130kw but then only gradually Ramps down.

The VAG cars aren’t the quickest in this respect.

I was under the impression that some of the Audi’s are really good. They have such a big buffer at either end of the battery so that the charging curve/speed stays high for much longer that many other cars.

For balance, my wife has an ID3 and I think it’s a cracking car. It went thru a phase where it was kicking me out of reverse for no good reason which made me want to punch the steering wheel through the bulkhead but it was because I was unweighting the seat turning around. Slight change of technique and all good. Also re lane assist I just switch it off but wouldn’t call it dangerous.

Anyhow, the point above on how fast it is, is interesting. My car is a Tesla M3P and obviously the ID is not as fast but it’s still a powerful car. Not as impressive off the line as it is rolling admittedly but 30-70 joining a motorway for instance is plenty good. You can add speed at an impressive rate if you boot it.

I’m 6ft and have no issues getting the seat/wheel in good comfortable position. Ours is specced with a heat pump and the AC knocks the spots off the Tesla. Also apple carplay is better than the Tesla equivalent IMO. And the range indicator doesn’t tell blatant lies like the Tesla!

The Cupra looked great in the photos but in the flesh I’m not so sure, it’s ID3 roots are clear and it just looks not quite right to my eye.. like it’s trying to be something it can’t quite be, like it’s too tall for a cupra hatchback.

All told I often find myself taking the ID over the Tesla for local journeys. Obviously long runs it’s Tesla every time, like our summer holiday to Cornwall which I documented on the main EV thread.