Brand New 26 Volkswagen ID. Buzz

Volkswagen's most topical EV is the ID. Buzz People Carrier. Jonathan Crouch drives the improved version.

Ten Second Review

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz trendily redefines what a large family MPV can be for the new EV era, particularly in this updated form. To some extent, practicality is sacrificed on the altar of fashion but hey, this EV's fun but sensible, enviro-conscious but desirable.

Background

With the ID. Buzz, one of motoring's most iconic models, the Volkswagen Bus, was finally reinvented. The old Type 2 model it references, in production for a quarter of a century between 1950 and 1975, is still (after the Beetle) Volkswagen's second most recognisable vehicle, variously known as the 'Camper', the 'Bulli' and the 'Hippie van' but most commonly called the 'Microbus' or more usually, just the 'Bus'. Following the turn of the century, the Wolfsburg maker dropped constant hints that it might recreate it, first with the 'Microbus concept' of 2001, then with the 'Bulli concept' of 2011, followed by the 'BUDD-e' of 2015 and the 'ID. Buzz Cargo concept' in 2018. But by the end of this century's second decade, still nothing production-ready had been forthcoming. The delay was necessary for two reasons; the need to wait for the technology to properly recreate the 'bus for a new electrified era; and the necessity for the brand to launch its ID. series of electric hatch models first - the ID.3, the ID.4 and the ID.5. This ID. Buzz finally followed for the 2022 model year, a trend-setting People Carrier that quickly became the Internet's favourite MPV. Sold both in passenger-carrying MPV and commercial 'ID. Buzz Cargo' van forms, it was built in Hanover alongside the brand's more conventional Multivan MPV. And was like no other model of its kind. A wide-ranging package of updates followed in mid-2024, including the introduction of the longer wheelbase 7-seater version.

Driving Experience

Though this ID.Buzz looks very much the same as it did at original launch back in 2022, quite a bit's actually changed about the way it drives. Mainstream models are still single motor rear-driven, but the original 204PS / 77kWh battery set-up of the first version has now been updated to the 286PS / 79kWh powertrain we first saw in the brand's ID.7 executive EV. This is a set-up you could alternatively choose to have with the longer-ranging 86kWh battery we tested. The addition of a heavier long wheelbase body shape into the line-up has also meant the need for Volkswagen to make available the twin motor 4MOTION drivetrain that was lacking from the original model. This boosts total output to 340PS, can be ordered with either battery size and can only be had with the top 'GTX' trim level we tried. Whatever version of this MPV you choose, there's nothing at all retro about it to drive. Silent running was never a feature of the old chugging rear-engined, rear-driven Volkswagen Type 2, but of course the all-electric ID. Buzz is very different. It quietly surges urgently forward in response to your right foot; thanks to 560Nm of torque, taking the mainstream models to 62mph in under eight seconds on the way to the modest 99mph maximum. At last, something Type 2 owners of the Sixties will properly recognise. You'll want to know about drive range - and there's no one answer to that question because it varies widely depending on body shape, battery size, trim and motor choice. Saddle the 4MOTION drivetrain and big-wheeled GTX trim with the smaller battery and it could be as little as 249 miles; but choose base-spec with the larger 86kWh battery and it could be as much as 293 miles. In any Buzz, you sit commandingly, using a drive selector stalk on the right of the steering wheel. On the move, surprisingly, at least to some degree, the Buzz can deliver both comfort and a little sportiness. It feels like the premium product its price point demands, and in fact is one of the best-riding electric cars we've driven - though the big 21-inch wheels of the GTX version don't help you over speed humps and potholes. Body roll is kept tight through corners, and the level of refinement is excellent, not just for the MPV class, but any class. We're not so impressed by the lack of brake energy recuperation options: there just an extra 'B' gear selector function to heighten energy harvesting off-throttle. But in every other way, the ID. Buzz is a revelation to drive. You might worry about urban travel in something this large - nearly 5-metres long in this lengthier form and just shy of 2-metres wide - but you shouldn't. There's a tight 11-metres turning circle (a metre better than the Multivan), which along with the glassy cabin should make the Buzz feel very manoeuvrable in town

Design and Build

If you like retro looks, you'll get the Buzz, which references its 1960's Type 2 Volkswagen Bus predecessor with an uncluttered look, distinctive 2-tone paintwork and super-short overhangs front and rear. The 3-bar motif on the D-pillar is supposed to recall the cooling louvres for the old Type 2's rear-mounted air-cooled engine. And under the skin, the Buzz sits on the rear-propelled MEB platform used by smaller ID. series hatchbacks. Size-wise, at 4,712mm in length, the short wheelbase version is a touch shorter than the brand's Multivan MPV. There's also a long wheelbase model that increases body length to 4,962mm and allows for three seating rows. The LWB variant can also be had in 6-seat form. Up front, you sit quite high with a wide view through the vast windscreen. The high-mounted minimalist dashboard is unique and houses a 5.3-inch digital instrument display and a centre touchscreen that's now 12.9-inches and uses the brand's latest 5.2-era software. Other changes include climate control sliders that are now back-lit; and a vast optional panoramic glass roof is fitted above base trim. There's a useful removeable 'Buzz Box' compartment between the front seats. As before, the auto gear lever is on the steering column. And a compartment hinges down from the base of the dash, revealing a couple of cup holders, a bottle opener and an ice scraper. Further back, there's a three-seat (non-removable) sliding and reclining centre bench (replaced by two individual chairs in the 6-seat model), while the 7-seat version also offers removable two-person third row seating. All ID.Buzz models now get a little sliding rear window for second row folk (who previously had no access to fresh air with this model). With three seating rows in place with the LWB variant, there's 306-litres of boot space (about the same as a Corsa supermini), which increases to 1,340-litres with the third row folded (219-litres more than the SWB model) - and 2,469-litres with the second row bench folded as well.

Market and Model

The model is available with three main trim levels: 'Life', 'Style' and GTX. There are two body shapes, the 'Standard' short wheelbase (always five seats) or the 'Long' long wheelbase version (a necessity if you're to have seven seats). Both body styles can also be specified with a six-seater format if you wish, but if that's what you want, it doesn't cost much more to get a six-seat ID.Buzz with this longer body shape and we don't really see why you wouldn't. As we compiled this review in early 2026, prices were starting from around £60,000 for a five-seat version and rising up to around £69,000 for a Long 7-seat GTX 4MOTION model like the one we tried. Most ID.Buzz models are sold in single motor form - the 4MOTION twin motor drivetrain comes only with the top GTX spec. But all three trim levels can be had with a choice of two batteries, though your selection between them might end up being dictated by the number of seats you need. That's because you have to have the smaller 79kWh pack with a five-seater version; and you have to have the larger 86kWh pack with the 7-seater. Opt for six seats in your ID.Buzz though and you can choose to pay the small increment to go from the Standard wheelbase 79kWh version to the Long wheelbase 86kWh variant. As we said earlier, we'd suggest you go large; you won't regret it. We'll also mention in passing that there's an LCV version of this model, the short wheelbase-only ID.Buzz Cargo van (which is actually quite a lot cheaper, with ex-VAT prices starting from just under £40,000 after grant deduction), but that's not our focus here. All ID. Buzz variants feature a digital cockpit and are available (pricily)with the brand's iconic two-tone paint option. With up to nine USB-C 45-watt ports, 'Hello ID.' voice control and online functionality via We Connect and We Connect Plus, the ID. Buzz is well connected. This is theoretically one of Volkswagen's Commercial Vehicles, which means that all the brand's van dealers will stock it, but not all of the company's car dealerships will. If you want to try an ID.Buzz, it's best to go to the Volkswagen website, find this model, click on the 'test drive' option, then enter your post code, at which point the page should give you the Volkswagen van or car stockist with Buzz availability nearest to you.

Cost of Ownership

You'll want to know about charging, which with either variant takes place using a Type 2 connector and works via an on-board charger with a maximum power of 11kW. This fully replenishes the 79kWh battery from empty to full in between seven and nine hours from an 11kW connection. You'd need about 12 and a half hours with a single-phase 7.4kWh AC supply. Add about an hour to each of those times if your ID.Buzz has the larger 86kWh battery. As for DC public charging speeds, well the 79kWh battery charges at up to 185kW and can be DC-charged from 10-80% in 26 minutes. The larger 86kWh battery DC-charges at up to 200kW (up from 175kW with the original 77kWh SWB model), allowing 10-80% DC charging to be completed in 26 minutes. Servicing schedules reflect how little there is to change on an electric car compared to a petrol or diesel model. The whole ID. range has a two year/unlimited mileage service schedule for a basic inspection. Insurance groups range between 37 and 42 depending on variant. And as usual with EVs, there's low Benefit-in-Kind taxation, rated at 4% until Spring 2027. High residual values (around 60% after 3 years and 36,000 miles) are an ID.Buzz norm. Finally, there's the warranty. Volkswagens of any kind are limited to three years of cover, but with a Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle (which is what the ID. Buzz is classed as), the mileage limit in this period is raised from 60,000 to 100,000 miles. As with most EVs, there's a separate warranty for the battery, which lasts for eight years or 100,000 miles. There's also three years of pan-European Roadside Assistance also included with no mileage restriction. The paintwork warranty lasts for three years and the ID. Buzz is protected by a 12-year anti-corrosion body warranty.

Summary

There's still really nothing else quite like an ID. Buzz. Overnight, it's made the idea of an MPV potentially fashionable again, just like its Type 2 predecessor did half a century ago. Unfortunately, it's not affordable to ordinary folk in the way that model was, but the children of the hippies who rumbled about in the Type 2 back in the '60s may not mind that. And larger fashion-led families will flock to the 7-seat version. In reality of course, the Buzz shares virtually nothing but a few styling cues with the design that inspired it. Here in reality is an ID.4 hatch with an airier body and an MEV platform stretched as far as it can go. Not far enough, inevitably perhaps, to make it as practical for families as a Volkswagen Transporter Shuttle or even a Multivan. But the Buzz will raise a smile wherever it goes. And for that, you can't help liking it.