Volkswagen ID.7 Review 2025 | Model S space for Model 3 money
Volkswagen ID.7 cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Offers lots of space for the money
Extremely quiet and refined to drive
Improved infotainment system compared with other ID models
Cons
The BMW i4 is more exciting to drive
Heat pump is a cost option
Some touchscreen controls are still fiddly to use
The CarGurus verdict
The VW ID.7 is a real sophisticate, from the way it looks to the way it feels on the road and the tech it delivers. It’s well equipped, competitively priced and feels every inch the consummate long-distance executive.
However, it can be hard to see where the ID.7 fits in amidst the disparate array of other EVs available at this price. The BMW i4 and Jaguar I-Pace are more fun to drive, the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 are usefully more affordable, and there are trendier SUVs that offer comparable interior space. Even so, if you’re set on a smart, spacious, comfort-oriented electric saloon, the VW ID.7 is one of the best options out there.
What is the Volkswagen ID.7?
The Volkswagen ID.7 is a large, pure electric saloon (although technically, it's a actually hatchback, and is also available in 'Tourer' estate form) that’s produced in Germany, and sits on the same MEB platform as the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.Buzz. It’s a very similar size to large executive cars like the Tesla Model S and Mercedes EQE, but pricing from around £51,000 in the UK means that it’s closer in cost to smaller rivals like the Tesla Model 3, BMW i4, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60, not to mention forthcoming EVs coming to Europe from China.
The Volkswagen ID.7 is offered with two batteries that deliver up to 380 miles of range (according to WLTP tests) from the smaller 77kWh (usable capacity) lithium-ion battery, or up to 433 miles from the bigger 86kWh lithium-ion battery.
The slippery, aerodynamic shape of the VW ID.7 with its raked windscreen and flush panels is key to how it has achieved impressive efficiency, giving it a long range despite a comparatively small battery.
How practical is it?
The Volkswagen ID.7 is nearly 5.0 metres long, which is bigger than a VW Passat. Added to the fact that it sits on the EV-specific MEB platform that allows the wheels to be positioned at the extremities of the car for even more interior space than a comparable combustion engine car, and you’ve got limo-like legroom for three people in the rear seats. There’s plenty of headroom, too, although really tall people might find the sweeping roofline a touch close.
Like the VW Arteon, the 532-litre boot benefits from a huge hatchback opening as well as a broad and deep boot floor, making the ID.7 comparable with the Tesla Model S and various electric SUVs for cargo space, although the boot space is a touch shallow due to the aerodynamic, teardrop silhouette of the car. There’s no storage in the nose of the car, either, but there is space for charging cables beneath the variable-height boot floor. Predictably, the ID.7 Tourer, the estate car version, has an even bigger boot at 605 litres.
Up front, our test car came with optional ‘ergoPremium’ seats that have a massage function and even an automatic heating and cooling function that senses whether your bum needs to be warmed or fanned.
There’s also a huge storage bin between the front seats, and a seriously classy dashboard design that feels noticeably more upmarket, and more bespoke, than the very templated interiors of the VW ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5. The ambient lighting, for example, makes the interior feel particularly classy.
Having said that, the touch-sensitive slider controls for the volume and climate temperature are familiar from the other MEB models, and are still routinely irritating. They are now backlit, though, so are not quite as irritating to use in the dark. Haptic, touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel are less ideal as they can be activated by accident quite easily, and the in-screen air-con controls can be fiddly to adjust if you want to do more than simply change the temperature (which is very easy to do via the now-improved voice control).
Overall, while there are some interface frustrations, the ID.7 is a comfortable and classy place to cover miles in. It’s not quite up there with the Porsche Taycan, Mercedes EQE or BMW i4 for perceived interior quality, but it is usefully better than a Tesla Model 3, or even the Model S, and promises to soothe you through the most fraught of commutes.
What’s it like to drive?
The VW ID.7 is designed to be a long-distance cruiser, and that’s exactly what it excels at. It’s very cushy (our test car rode on optional DCC adaptive dampers and 20-inch alloys with Pirelli P Zero tyres), taking long undulations and most scruffy surfaces in its stride, but the payoff is that body movement is a little floaty and takes a few seconds to compose itself after soaking up a big bump.
Select Sport mode and the suspension feels more taut, but you also get a more noticeable patter over patchy tarmac, so we favour the suspension in the comfier settings, which feel appropriately relaxed. After all, even in Sport mode, the Volkswagen ID.7 is a big electric car that feels confident and neutral when driven quickly on a good road, but it never really thrills you, and it doesn’t feel like it’s setting out to do so. It’s a budget limo rather than a sports saloon, and that’s fine by us, as there’s real enjoyment to be had in sitting back, and revelling in the comfort and refinement.
And the ID.7 is very refined, whether it’s driving around town or on the motorway. The electric motor in the regular Match versions delivers 282bhp and 402lb ft to the rear wheels. Impressively, it is almost completely free of the low-level motor whine that some electric cars have. Together with the slippery body shape (the ID.7 has a drag coefficient of just 0.23) this help to keep wind noise down. In fact, we’d say the ID.7 is on a par with other high-end, supremely refined EVs like the Mercedes EQE in this regard. It's plenty quick enough too, with a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds.
If that's not fast enough for you, there's also the top-of-the-range GTX version. This adds a second motor on the front axle for four-wheel drive and a total output of 335bhp, trimming the 0-62mph time down to 5,4 seconds. We haven't yet tried it, though, so we can't yet tell you what this version feels like under acceleration.
Technology, equipment and infotainment
Together with the ID.Buzz, which is Volkswagen’s halo ‘lifestyle’ EV, the ID.7 represents its executive range-topper and so it’s only to be expected that the car showcases much of the firm's latest tech.
That includes an upgraded semi-autonomous drive mode that will change lane. Provided the system is active and the car deems the manoeuvre safe, you can simply indicate to have the car moving lanes for you, but you do still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel and be in control of the car at all times.
The semi-autonomous parking system on the ID.7 also learns how you like to park in your commonly used spots – whether you like to drive forwards or backwards into your driveway, for instance – and will replicate that manoeuvre if you ask it to. There’s even an option to remotely park the car via an app on your phone while you stand outside it if you’re squeezing it into a really tight space.
The climate control has electrically controlled smart air vents that automatically adjust to account for where the sun is shining into the car, there's an augmented-reality head-up display, and a ‘smart glass’ fixed glass roof that can be switched to clear or opaque. The voice control system in the ID.7 is now more accurate than VW's past efforts, and can change your drive modes and mute the nav, amongst other useful features. It's still not perfect, but it understood most of our voice commands.
But, the most important aspect of the ID.7’s technical arsenal is its new 15.0-inch infotainment screen. This is a bigger touchscreen than in most other ID models, and it features better software and menu layouts. It works well, too; it responds quickly and offers all the features that you expect including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the graphics and screen clarity remain excellent even in bright sunlight.
A couple of gripes to mention in this VW ID.7 review: first, the car doesn’t get vehicle-to-load charging, even as an option. And second, a heat pump is a circa-£1,000 optional extra. A shame, as otherwise the charging and efficiency is all rather impressive, but it does feel like a top-end car that’s focussed on long-distance comfort and range should have this energy-saving cabin heating tech as standard.
Volkswagen ID.7 running costs
The ID.7 costs from around £51,000 for the model with the smaller battery, while the bigger-battery model is around £55,000 and the GTX is around £60,000. That’s noticeably more than you’ll pay for a Tesla Model 3 and is well into Tesla Model Y territory, but given that the VW ID.7 is a direct rival to the bigger and pricier Model S, that still seems comparably good value. Similarly, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia EV6 are a touch more affordable, but the ID.7 is more spacious and has a longer range.
The official figures suggest great things, but in our tests we've been unable to match the claimed efficiency of some 4.9 miles per kWh. Instead, we've seen around 3.8 miles per kWh in mixed driving that included several motorway runs. Expect a real-world range of around 300 miles from the 77kWh battery car. As ever with electric cars, if you’re able to charge at home and can benefit from discounted overnight tariffs then running costs can be very attractive compared with a petrol or diesel alternative.
Do be aware, though, that as of April 2025, electric cars are no longer exempt from paying VED road tax, and what's more, the ID.7's price is high enough that it's also liable for the luxury car surcharge, which increases annual bills by several hundred pounds for the first few years of the car's life.
Volkswagen ID.7 reliability
The VW ID.7 is too new to have been included in any of our go-to owner surveys, and the three-year, 60,000-mile warranty is rather meagre next to the warranties offered by Kia and Hyundai. The eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty is on a par with most other EVs, though.
Volkswagen came a very disappointing joint-24th out of 30 brands featured in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, while the mechanically related ID.3 finished 13th out of 18 models in the electric car class.
- The 86kWh Volkswagen ID.7 is able to rapid charge at speeds of up to 200kW, which is a little shy of rivals from Tesla, Kia, Hyundai and Genesis, but is still faster than plenty of other comparable electric cars. The 77kWh ID.7 will charge at up to 175kW. Both are capable of delivering a 10-80% top-up in under 30 minutes. The charging socket is on the rear wing of the car, where you’d expect the fuel filler to be, and is compatible with CCS sockets for rapid charging, and Type 2 for slower charging; these are the European standard sockets and are compatible with almost every public charging station in the UK and Western Europe. Plug into a standard 7kW home charger, and you’ll have a full battery in between 12- and 15 hours.
- A thermal management system helps to improve the charging speed and efficiency of the ID.7’s lithium-ion battery pack. Dial your planned charging stop into the nav, and the car will automatically pre-heat the battery to help deliver the best possible charging speeds. However, this only works if you use the car’s native satnav system: not if you’re using Google Maps or any other map app that many drivers prefer to use via CarPlay or Android Auto. So, it’s useful that VW now offers a manual pre-heat setting that you can simply activate 10 minutes before you expect to get to your charging station. You can, of course, control the ID.7’s charging and climate pre-sets via a phone app.
- Volkswagen maintains that the battery’s thermal management will contribute to an improved battery life, even though the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion cell chemistry is the same as that in all of the other current ID models. However, while the ID.7’s battery is warrantied for eight years and 100,000 miles, the manufacturer won’t comment on estimated battery life, other than to say that it will easily abide by forthcoming US legislation, that will require a guarantee for at least 80% of a battery’s as-new performance after 10 years. It’s good practice to avoid repeated rapid charging, and run the battery in between 20-80% state of charge when you don’t need the full range potential for long journeys.
- The best long-distance car: Go for the 86kWh model, as it gets the longer range and faster charging. Add the optional adaptive dampers for the best ride comfort. If you’ve got the cash, the upgraded massage seats with automatic climate function are also pretty smug-inducing on a long run.
- The best family car: Stick with the more affordable 77kWh Volkswagen ID.7. It's generously equipped, good to drive, and still has a useful real-world range of around 300 miles in mixed driving conditions.
- If you want the best company car: Company car benefit in kind (BiK) tax rates – and the potential tax write-offs for those companies buying electric cars – are still very persuasive, so it can make sense to simply go for the full-fat, big-battery model with any option that takes your fancy. However, be conscious that BiK rates will soon start to creep up noticeably, so if you are paying BiK tax (which is still dictated by list price as well as efficiency) we’d recommend sticking to the more affordable 77kWh car and keeping options sensible.
- If you want the sportiest option: The GTX is the fastest version of the ID.7 with its 335bhp four-wheel-drive powertrain. We haven't tried it yet, so we can't tell you precisely how sporty it feels, but when the regular car is so un-sporty, the idea of the GTX doesn't really compute.
