Volkswagen ID.Buzz Review 2024

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is the first electric van/MPV that appeals to the heart as well as the head. Its funky styling and bold colour options mean it'll stand out, and the cabin is the most impressive yet from VW's electric sub-brand. But what is it like to drive and live with? Read on for our full Volkswagen ID.Buzz review.

Volkswagen calls the ID.Buzz its "most emotional electric car yet". That doesn't mean it'll cry on command, it means it's been designed from the start to be brimming with character and desirability. 

It's also a firm nod to a core part of VW's history. The world-famous Type 2 was more than a simple van with an air-cooled engine, it became a lifestyle for many. Whether you're a hippy keen to relive the Swinging Sixties, a camping enthusiast or just after a simple, stylish classic with room for the family, you'll understand that car's global appeal. 

The ID.Buzz is Volkswagen's attempt to revive that spirit. At least it will do in 2024, when more variants are offered. For now you get one battery (77kWh usable) and electric motor (204PS, powering the rear wheels), either a passenger version or ID.Buzz Cargo van and (puzzlingly) only five seats in the former. 

Following that will be a longer wheelbase version, variants with a bigger 111kWh battery and the choice of up to eight seats. We'd happily stick a tenner on there being a campervan version, plus loads of different lifestyle options for active types. 

The 77kWh battery gives a range of up to 258 miles officially, which is well beyond what cheaper electric vans such as the Citroen e-Berlingo are offering. Performance is peppy rather than Tesla-rivalling, but it's plenty quick enough for most needs. 

We're really impressed with how car-like the Volkswagen ID.Buzz is to drive. It's little surprise given it's based on the same MEB underpinnings as the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, but if anything the Buzz is even more enjoyable thanks to superb visibility, a raised driving position and a proper wheel-at-each-corner stance. It's comfortable, too - surprisingly so, as heavy electric cars usually struggle when you hit a pothole.

The Buzz's cabin is also the most successful of the ID range, with a bold mix of colours and a special feel on high-end versions. Quality seems good, there's plenty of tech and there's space for five adults and everything they could possibly pack in the boot. 

No it isn't cheap, and yes it's a shame we have to wait for more seats and versions. But on first impressions the VW ID.Buzz is both charming and competent.

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is impressive up front, with loads of head and legroom and a really airy feel. Thank the deep windscreen that's nearly vertical, the tall side windows and the little quarter lights splitting the pillars for that. 

Adjustment in the seats and steering wheel is plentiful, with the digital dials mounted to the moving steering column. Electric seat adjustment is optional unless you go for 1st Edition trim, however. The ID.Buzz Cargo feels just as roomy up front, avoiding the legroom restriction some vans with partitions behind the seats suffer from. 

There's also an excellent amount of storage up front, with dual pockets in each door, various rubberised compartments in the dash (including the neatly integrated wireless phone charging pad), a decent-sized glovebox and a removable centre console with cupholders, two further cupholders in a fold-out cubby and a deep drawer. The ID.Buzz Cargo does away with the latter when fitted with three seats, but makes up for it with a huge crevice across the top of the dash with additional cupholders. 

In the back of the passenger ID.Buzz you'll find plenty of leg and headroom, and the wide cabin plus the lack of a transmission tunnel means three can sit comfortably. We're disappointed that there's not three individual seats, rather it's a simple bench, but it does split 60/40 allowing you to slide part of the bench forwards or backwards or recline the seat backs. 

Further disappointment comes when you find out VW won't be selling the ID. Buzz with seven or eight seats yet. It blames limited production capacity for that, but it's odd given there are already armrests and cupholders behind the second row ready for them.

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz has a boot capacity of 1121 litres with all five seats in place. That's pretty van-like (well, it is a van), but you can expand it to a huge 2205 litres if you fold down the seat backs. 

Folding them does leave a big load lip, but you can counter that with the special 'Multi-Flex Board' offered on Style trim and above. In place with the seats folded it creates a totally flat floor big enough for two to sleep on (we advise bringing a mattress) with a storage area underneath. 

The ID.Buzz Cargo has a load space of 3.9m cubed, which is acceptable, and a maximum payload of 650kg, which is pretty off the pace compared with similarly sized vans. Still, it's a design-led product, and VW expects enough businesses to sacrifice payload for that cool factor.

A useful tech feature found on the Volkswagen ID.Buzz is bi-directional charging, like you get on Kia and Hyundai EVs. Essentially this allows you to use the car's battery to power household electrical devices, slow charge other EVs in an emergency and even (with the right wallbox) power your home if you're caught in a power cut. 

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz's dimensions make it 4712mm long, 1985mm wide and 1937mm tall. It's not far off the width of a Range Rover, then, and quite tall, but it's not much longer than a typical family estate. Impressive, given the space inside. 

Given the premium price tag, you'd expect a step up in quality compared to the ID.3 or ID.4. And the Volkswagen ID.Buzz succeeds there - providing a high quality cabin that raises the bar compared to van-based alternatives. Inside, you'll find a mixture of hard-wearing plastics and plusher trims, soft-touch door armrests and (on higher spec models) a splash of wood and textured finishes on the dash. 

We also like the white dashboard and colourful seat fabrics available, which give a splash of character. It's worth noting that the more basic ID.Buzz Cargo is mostly black and gloomier as a result, but at least there's a big glass area to bring light in.

There are no animal products used in the interior of the ID. Buzz. You'll either find recycled plastics or a special material called Seaqual, which is partly made from plastics recovered from the ocean. 

All versions of the passenger-carrying Volkswagen ID.Buzz get the same central infotainment screen mounted on a plinth so it's within the driver's line of sight. It's a 10-inch display of the same design as you'll find in other Volkswagen ID models. 

While the display is pretty responsive and crisp to look at, the controls remain our biggest gripe with the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. Just like other electric VWs, the temperature controls and volume sliders below the screen aren't backlit and are irritating to use on the move. We're not keen on the touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel, either.

Navigation is standard, too, as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay should you prefer to use Waze or Google Maps instead. You also get a simple but effective 5.3-inch digital dial display on every version as well as wireless phone charging and seven USB-C ports.

Optionally available (or standard in the 1st Edition) is a bigger 12-inch touchscreen display which in our view is nice-to-have but not essential.

Those hoping the Volkswagen ID.Buzz would cost about the same as the electric Stellantis small vans and MPVs (the Citroen e-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Rifter and Vauxhall Combo-e) will be shocked by its near £60,000 starting price. 

Bear in mind that you get nearly 100 miles more range on a charge than those, plus a more upmarket interior, a bespoke EV chassis and that design and it's not totally surprising, though. The entry-level Volkswagen ID.Buzz Life is well-equipped, too. 

Stepping up to Style trim brings the price up to nearly £64,000, while our fully-loaded test car was a cool £70,000. Expect long-wheelbase and bigger battery versions to push the price up even further, but then the Mercedes-Benz EQV is getting on for £80,000 starting. 

It'll be a while before any money can be saved on used models. Expect a pretty long waiting list for the ID. Buzz, and used models skipping that wait will command a premium. 

The ID.Buzz should offset its higher purchase price with cheaper running costs. Certainly road tax (VED) is non-existent for now, and servicing costs should be affordable.

When it comes to charging costs, it depends on your energy tariff and how the incoming electricity price rises affect you. All we can say for sure is that on a 70p per kWh public rapid charge (the going rate for faster ones these days) you'll pay between £35 and £40 to go from a 10-80% charge.

The VW ID.Buzz has the fastest DC rapid charging speed of any ID model, up to 170kW. That'll get you from 5% to 80% charge in about 30 minutes, at least letting you make the most of pricey rapid chargers. 

In terms of battery efficiency, we managed around three miles per kWh on our mixed test route with a fair bit of motorway driving. That's not bad for a near 2.5-tonne MPV, and results in a real-world range of about 230 miles. 

Nobody will look at the Volkswagen ID.Buzz and think "yes, I want to fling that into a tight corner at breakneck speed". But as it's based on a car platform (the same MEB platform as other ID models) it's actually very car-like to drive. 

Around town its sheer width is its only restriction, being as wide as a Range Rover. But it's easier to thread through traffic than a large SUV because you know exactly where the extremities are (it's a big box after all) and you have excellent all-round visibility and tiny overhangs. You also get a decent turning circle of 11.1 metres.

The ID.Buzz also has a comfortable ride whatever speed you're doing - although we've yet to try it on rough UK tarmac. Initial impressions make it seem softer than other ID models, with a smooth, isolating feel even with 20-inch wheels fitted. 

This doesn't come at the expense of handling. Granted, it leans about a bit, but not as much as you might think because the floor-mounted batteries keep the centre of gravity low. It's certainly more confidence-inspiring than a traditional van-based model, with relatively precise and accurate steering. We only found the limits of its grip levels by briefly pushing it beyond what any owner is likely to do. 

For now you get the extensive choice of one battery size and one electric motor output in the Volkswagen ID. Buzz. But it's what's expected to be the biggest seller.

The battery pack in the ID.Buzz has a usable capacity of 77kWh, and it sends power to a rear-mounted 204PS electric motor that drives the rear wheels. With a torque output of 310Nm it'll go from 0-62mph in 10.2 seconds whether you go for the passenger or Cargo version, although in our experience the lighter Cargo feels ever so slightly quicker. 

The on-paper figures will hardly blow you away in a world where a seven-seat Tesla can get from 0-62mph in under three seconds. But in reality it feels plenty fast enough for a near 2.5-tonne bus, with perky about-town performance and enough higher speed grunt to not frustrate on a motorway. 

If you want a faster ID.Buzz there will be a four-wheel drive model by the end of 2023 we expect will put out at least 300PS. 

There's an extensive roster of safety kit on the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. You get the usual multiple airbags including a new centre airbag between the two front seats (not available on the Cargo model due to the three-seat layout), plus plenty of safety assist tech. 

This includes standard lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with Intelligent Speed Assist, automatic emergency braking and with pedestrian and cyclist detection. You lose adaptive cruise control on the base Cargo Commerce, though. 

Optional on all models is the Assistance Package Plus, which brings a further suite of aids. Standard on all passenger models is all-round parking sensors and a reversing camera, while higher spec versions get Park Assist Plus with a memory function. This allows you to preset five of your most common parking manoeuvres for the car to complete by itself, although we've yet to try it. 

Euro NCAP has yet to drive the VW ID.Buzz into things at high speed, but all other ID products have been awarded the full five stars for crash safety.  

Like many electric cars the Volkswagen ID.Buzz is not especially adept at towing. The unbraked towing capacity is just 750kg, rising to 1000kg when braked. 

The cheapest Volkswagen ID.Buzz Life comes equipped with 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, illuminated door handles, privacy glass, gloss black mirrors, ambient interior lighting, a heated synthetic leather wheel, heated front seats, sat-nav, voice control, wireless phone charging, two-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, a heated windscreen, keyless start, a rear-view camera, all-round parking sensors and Park Assist. 

The mid-range Volkswagen ID.Buzz Style adds kit such as Matrix LED headlights with Dynamic Light Assist, LED tail-lights, 20-inch alloys, 30-colour ambient cabin lighting, a white dashboard with upgraded dash trim and inserts, upgraded cloth seats, an electric tailgate and the multi-flex rear luggage partition. 

Topping the passenger range is the Volkswagen ID.Buzz 1st Edition with 21-inch alloys, upgraded front seats with electric adjustment and a larger 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

The Cargo comes in two versions; a relatively basic entry-level ID.Buzz Commerce and the ID.Buzz Commerce Plus with similar equipment to the passenger ID.Buzz Life.