All-electric Volkswagen ID.Polo interior revealed

Phill Tromans
Tue, 06 Jan 2026

• New electric hatchback interior revealed
• Updated look and features form basis for future models
• No more haptic, touch-sensitive controls
• Prices expected to start around £22,000

Volkswagen has revealed the interior of the new ID.Polo, the all-new electric hatchback that arrives later this year.

The headline would appear to be the return of physical buttons to the steering wheel, with the hard-to-use touch-sensitive panels seemingly banished. The same looks to be true of the window switches, with individual toggles for each pane.

There's also new materials for a better feeling of quality than previous versions plus upgraded software for the car's infotainment system.

VW had previously revealed the first exterior pictures of the ID.Polo and a performance variant – the VW ID.Polo GTI – but we’ll have to wait to see them fully revealed without any disguises. The move follows the reveal of the ID.2all Concept car back in 2023, which heralded the new electric Volkswagen Polo.

When the VW ID.Polo goes on sale, it will rival small electric cars like the Renault 5 and Fiat Grande Panda.

2026 Volkswagen ID.Polo prices and release date

No firm release date has been announced, but we can expect to see the production Volkswagen ID.Polo in 2026. The disguised car you see here was on display at the Munich Motor Show in 2025. While exact prices haven’t been confirmed, VW has previously said that it aims to start the range at around £22,000.

2026 Volkswagen ID.Polo styling, interior and technology

The look of the new VW ID.Polo is taken directly from the VW ID.2all concept car, with a short sloping bonnet, and sleek headlight a la Volkswagen ID.7. There are hidden rear door handles, a full-width rear light bar and illuminated rear badge and an integrated roof spoiler.

The official interior pictures confirm the look from earlier sketches with a 12.9-inch central touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital driver display, as well as physical buttons for key functions like heating and audio. Soft-touch materials should improve the interior quality aided by classy-looking controls with knurled finishes on the dials. There's an all-new steering wheel with buttons to control various features.

A fun feature is the inclusion of a retro display inspired by the VW Golf of the 1980s. A press of a button on the steering wheel or within the infotainment system can bring this up on the digital driver display.

The interior design is known by VW as "Pure Positive" and, the company says, focuses on displays with clear information and tidy menus, more buttons, but the retention of familiar VW operating systems.

The VW ID.Polo GTI follows the now-traditional styling exercise used for decades by VW on its petrol-powered GTIs. The bodywork has been beefed up, the stance lowered with sportier suspension and some eye-catching alloy wheels added.

2026 Volkswagen ID.Polo performance and range

You can expect to see the production VW ID.Polo feature a choice of two batteries – a 38kWh unit for the entry-level model and a larger 56kWh pack for long-range versions. The latter should deliver up to around 280 miles of range. Both models are likely to support fast charging at up to 125kW, allowing a 10%-80% top-up in around 25 minutes.

Power outputs will vary by model and haven’t been confirmed, although VW has said that the GTI model will have 226PS.