Volkswagen ID. Buzz Review & Prices

The Volkswagen ID Buzz is an electric family vehicle that’s a mix of MPV and van – both of which aren’t the most popular type of vehicle right now. But the ID Buzz has a character that few EVs can match and help make it a truly attractive option for those wanting to switch to zero-emission driving. 

It’s a lot like upcycling an old piece of furniture – taking an old concept and bringing it into the modern age.

Check out the recently revealed ID Buzz GTX - a hot take on the electric MPV

Unlike most family vehicles of recent times, the Buzz hasn’t got SUV styling. It’s based more on a van style, with flat surfaces at the side and rear. At the front though, the Buzz has some sort of smiley face, while it on the whole looks like a modern remake of the original Volkswagen T1 from the 40s and 50s – and who doesn’t like that?

The modern take on the old formula continues inside, with lots of space and colourful surfaces to match the exterior colour you go for – especially with the two-tone paint options. There’s the updated version of VW’s new infotainment setup, but it’s a system still plagued by multiple issues that will annoy you.

Range Test: Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback v Genesis GV60 v Mercedes EQA v Nissan Ariya v Tesla Model Y v Volkswagen ID Buzz

In the rear seats, you get a sliding bench to either improve the cavernous boot or increase legroom if pulled forward. The seats also recline for further comfort. You have the USB ports in the doors, but you don’t get air vents or electric windows because of the sliding doors either side.

The boot space is very square and streets ahead of any competitor. With 1,121 litres, there’s no other car getting close, and folding the rear seats down – with the help of the optional raised removable floor – releases a huge flat space to load even more things in. Other practical family EVs, like the Tesla Model Y (971 litres), Kia EV6 (up to 542 litres) and Skoda Enyaq (585 litres) just don't come close.

With the ID Buzz, you get a 77kWh battery pack that can offer up to 258 miles on a single charge. You can charge at up to 170kW using a public charge point, or up to 11kW at an AC point. 

When involved in one of our range test videos, the Buzz went 203 miles at 2.7 miles per kWh. That was 80% of its claimed range and was the least efficient in the test - although as it was more van-like the rest, it has more resistance to push itself through the air.

As it’s based on the same platform as the other ID vehicles, it feels more like a car to drive than you might think. With a rear-wheel drive setup, it feels sharper than you’d expect for a van-looking thing, and holds the road well on a twistier path. Sure it’s not sporty to drive, but it’s fun enough. 

On motorways, the Buzz is super quiet with limited wind flutter from the wing mirrors being the only real disturbance. It’s comfortable too, with lots of space in the front and back.

Despite it being quite a large car, it will be at home in town. With the instant power delivery, getting out of junctions and up to speed is easy, while the tight turning circle makes manoeuvring simple. It is quite a big vehicle still, so it’s good you have excellent visibility to help with parking.

In the case of the ID Buzz, looks are definitely deceiving, as although it just looks like a van to some, it certainly isn’t. It’s not got the best range, but it’s arguably the most practical around, and will be a superb family vehicle for many. 

If you want to get the best price on the Volkswagen ID Buzz or any other Volkswagen car, you should use carwow to find the latest deals. You can also search for a used Volkswagen through us, and you’ll get the best price for the car you’re after, and even sell your car online through carwow’s network of trusted dealers.

There aren’t many similar alternatives for the ID Buzz’s old-school MPV-shaped practicality, but the nearest are the now-popular SUV-style models. The main ones are also in the Volkswagen Group, like the Skoda Enyaq or VW’s own ID4, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are also cutting-edge design options for those looking at the Buzz. 

Where those models have an advantage is that they’re considerably cheaper than the Buzz. Costing upwards of £50,000 starting, the Volkswagen could be a bit much for a lot of people.

The electric setup makes for peaceful and comfortable progression, but the rear-mounted motor isn’t the punchiest around

In town

There’s no hiding the fact the Buzz is a large car. Measuring almost five metres long and two metres wide, it’s almost as large as a Range Rover. But at no time does it feel like that, as the rear-wheel drive setup means the front wheels only need to turn. That means a turning circle of just 11.1m.

With larger windows all around, you have excellent visibility with the well-sized wing mirrors helping further. You can get cameras with it to help further when manoeuvring in and out of parking spaces or tight streets. Being sat high up also helps massively. 

As it’s based on the same platform as the Volkswagen ID3 and ID4, the Buzz feels comfortable enough over bumps and cracks at slower speeds. The noise of the bumps will work around the cabin a little, but it’s not enough to ruin the experience. 

And while you get a ‘B’ mode to engage higher levels of brake regeneration while you’re driving, unfortunately it’s never fully one pedal driving, meaning you’ll need to apply the brake to come to a stop. 

On the motorway

EVs can transfer a lot of noise from the outside when driving at higher speeds sometimes, but the Buzz manages to remain quiet apart from some flutter around the wing mirrors. The suspension and well-cushioned seats also mean it remains comfortable over longer journeys, with plenty of space for passengers to stretch out.

But as is the main flaw with electric cars on long journeys, the efficiency of the Buzz does suffer at higher speeds, meaning forward planning on trips further afield is definitely required, especially as the range isn’t up with the best EVs to start with.

Also getting up to speed can be a little sluggish. The rear-mounted motor does offer enough punch in town to get you going, but on a motorway it doesn’t get you up to speed with the same vigour.

You can get it with adaptive cruise control with distance control to take any strain out of long drives, while lane keep assist and brake assist are also included for further assistance. 

On a twisty road

With it being more of a van than anything else, don’t expect the sportiest driving experience. It does have a sport mode, but it doesn’t change the character of Buzz much. It’s got slightly sharper responsiveness and heavier steering, but it’s not that sporty really. 

Having batteries mounted under the floor, body lean is limited much more than you might think for a van, as the weight is mounted lower, reducing the centre of gravity. There’s also enough direction from the steering and it grips the road well, so making quicker progress isn’t too difficult.

The interior of the Buzz is absolutely huge, with a huge boot as well. But you don't get a fold-down armrest in the back seats for additional comfort

Where the ID Buzz majors is in storage space. The huge cabin area has so many stowage pockets, you’ll be finding a new spot every time you get in. By the driver there’s a deep pocket with a smaller one further up the door, a small one next to the steering wheel and a charging pad tucked in on the other side. In the higher spec Style model, you get an additional central bin that you can remove and it comes with an integrated ice scraper and bottle opener. 

Space in the back seats

In the back seats, you get pockets above and below a fold-out table on the back of the front seats, plus charging ports in the doors for your rear passenger’s devices. But there’s no fold down central arm rest back there for further comfort. 

Those wanting a bit of extra space and seating for two extra people, you’ll have to wait till the end of 2023 for the long-wheelbase version. That’ll also have two extra seats behind the middle three seats. 

Boot space

In the boot you get a huge 1,121 litres, and as standard you don’t get a flat floor when you fold the seats down. You can get an optional board that creates two levels to the huge boot, which you can remove to increase the load space. But there’s no other car that comes close to being as practical as the ID Buzz – it’s streets ahead of everything else. 

Unless you go for a true van-based alternative like the Mercedes EQV that has 1,500 litres of boot space, the next-best car is the Tesla Model Y. That has 971 litres between the front and rear storage spaces.

The cute styling from the exterior continues to the cabin and is combined with lots of space, but the Volkswagen infotainment system issues from other models remain

Being one of the ID family, the styling of the Buzz’s cabin is very similar to Volkswagen’s ID3, 4 and 5. But by being a taller car, the Buzz has much more sense of space. With the large windows and high seating position paired to the optional two-tone interior to match the exterior colour, there’s a lot of light coming in – making for a great place to be. 

Although the standard cabin is an all-black finish, which works better with the Cargo van version, the two-tone interior comes with a wood effect finish across the dash to add extra character. Ambient lighting also helps add further character. 

As it’s a van though, there’s a lot of straight lines and open space as you head into the back, and the wide windows – that you can’t open – help give even more light in. 

Where all ID cars fall down, and the Buzz is certainly no exception, is the infotainment system. Since Volkswagen has introduced its latest technology, the reputation of the vehicles have taken a hit, and the laggy system is a serious down point here. It’s easier to connect your phone and use the Android Auto or Apple CarPlay you get as standard.

Also as standard you get a 10.0-inch display, but you can optionally select a larger 12.0-inch version if you want a bit more digital real estate on the dashboard. 

Many of you will be wanting to know if you can turn this into a campervan, and with the help of the optional load floor in the boot, you theoretically can make it into a flat sleeping area. But there isn’t a full-on camper model as yet.

With the ID Buzz, you get a 77kWh battery pack paired to the rear axle-mounted electric motor. That means a range of 258 miles on a single charge, although in our experience, the real-world range gives closer to 215 miles. To make stops at fast chargers easier, the Buzz will charge at up to 170kW on direct current, meaning it can go from 10-80% charge in just 30 minutes.

Being all electric, you don’t have to worry about emissions and additional road tax for now. From 2025 though, you will be needing to pay tax when driving an electric vehicle, so that’s something to bear in mind going forward with electric car ownership.

You want your family car to be secure, and the ID. Buzz is one of the safest cars you can buy. On Euro NCAP tests, the Buzz scored five stars thanks to impressive results in adult occupant and safety assists. The child occupant rating was also excellent, furthering the Buzz’s family safety credentials. 

The safety assist systems as standard include adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane assist and road sign display, while you can also get dynamic light assist with matrix LED headlights.

With the car only having arrived on roads in late 2022, it’s difficult to judge whether it’ll be reliable or not. In terms of warranty, you get three years/100,000 miles from new – with the battery warranty being eight years/100,000 miles. 

You can also get roadside assistance and servicing through Volkswagen, meaning you can keep all your bills in-house with it if you wish.