The reason I / you decided on the ID.3

[Scratch]

My main reason was that the car was designed from scratch as an EV, although I had to overcome the fact that VW have been found to be less that honest with previous ICE cars. What I find odd about this though is that, I believe it’s well known that the Kona and the e-Niro are more efficient. Those cars weren’t designed from the ground up as EVs but derivatives of an ICE design.

[Utumno]

Top three reasons :

1) Motability availability.
2) Range.
3) SWMBO thinks Hyundai Kona’s are horrid little shitboxes.

[Deleted User 1733]

1. It's a car not an suv/crossover
2. Decent choice ( When I ordered ) to customise a car to my specification requirements
3. * laughter * Volkswagen were quoting reasonable times
4. Rear legroom even with 6'3 me driving which is rare.
5. 11kw AC on board charger.

[Smitten]

My list was:
[ ] Small enough to be completely usable with no hesitations for day-to-day work driving/city driving/parking anywhere
[ ] Comfortable and quiet for long distance journeys with fully adjustable seating with lumbar for driver and x1 passenger
[ ] Hatch back for Dog/easy loading of items
[ ] Heated steering wheel and heated seats
[ ] Big enough for bigger loads with rear seats down
[ ] Lease under £450 monthly
[ ] Very good battery range for occasional 400 to 500 mile trips
[ ] Fast 100 Kwh + charging speed minimum
[ ] Efficient use of battery at speed/in cold weather
[ ] Not ugly or embarrassingly big or flashy
[ ] Must have adaptive cruise, auto emergency braking and other modern driving and safety aids
[ ] Enough performance to feel nippy and be a pleasure to drive
[ ] Purpose built EV rather than ICE conversion
[ ] Support OTA updates

Sadly my replacement vehicle - the EV6 - fails on several of these points however, there is another unwritten point I would now add to the list as I couldn't have foreseen the delays and that is the car MUST ACTUALLY BE AVAILABLE FOR DELIVERY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIMEFRAME! The EV6 will now be with me during the first week in April. Getting excited and I have only seen one on the road! This is either a good or bad sign...

Still hankering after my ID3 as it would have been perfect but sadly, it is not to be.

[sidehaas]

I had been wanting to go EV for a while for environmental reasons but this is the first new car I've ever bought and we only wanted to pay cash, so budget was limited to £30kish tops (double my previous max spend!) After 6 months or so despairing of ever finding a fast, affordable EV estate with a massive boot*, I had the idea of replacing my wife's car instead and turning it into a primary car for both of us. So we needed something quick and fun, but also easy to park and manoeuvre, and importantly still needed the ability to seat two kids comfortably, with a good sized boot and a 200 mile ish range if I was to relegate my other car to occasional use only. The ID3 was the only car that qualified on all fronts. We didn't even bother test driving anything else because everything available at the time had something that ruled it out.

* The Enyaq came closest I think, but I'm not a fan of the SUV shape and the affordable options are all slow. A used EV6 or ID5 might be good in a few years... unless someone actually makes a decent EV estate.

[rawws]

Range was better than Similar EVs, comfortable car to drive small car but big interior. Pure ev design ground up.

[OB1CCFC]

1. I didn’t want some giant lump of a car, I wanted a ‘normal’ hatchback
2. I wanted 250+ range
3. I wanted a decent brand
4. I wanted to spend no more than £32k
5. I wanted an attractive car inside and out.

[DumfriesDik]

1. Motability availability
2. Wheelchair would fit in the boot
3. Dedicated EV
4. Enough range in winter circa 160 miles
5. Lots of gadgets inc matrix lights
6. VW customer care and service (Fail)

[andrewparker]

Value for money, familiarity, and practicality were the main reasons.

I set out looking at cars around £50k, so Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2, Q4 etc. The Q4 was ruled out pretty quickly, the Polestar looked like poor VFM once packs were added, and there were several things that I didn’t like about the Tesla. At a discounted price of £35k the Max is incredible VFM when you consider the long list of standard spec. For some reason this felt important buying an EV, more so than it would have if I’d have been buying an ICE car.

The familiarity was comforting. It’s just an electric Golf, and I’ve had lots and lots of Golfs. As such it is a practical thing, there is plenty of room in the cabin, the boot is big enough, and it’s a hatch so you can have a cavernous load space if you need one.

Ultimately I wasn’t into the car enough to wait for it. I’ve been there before with VW, and I just lost interest. All of a sudden getting a new car became more important than the value for money the ID3 offered, so I revisited Polestar. This was the car I really wanted in the first place. I remember talking to a friend, a fellow designer, about Polestar back when the 2 first came out, and I said to him that it was top of my list. So that was that, I bought a preconfigured car and received it in 23 days. I’m absolutely thrilled with it and no regrets at all spending the extra money.

[G43FAN]

I bought an MY17 Tiguan SEL Bi-Turbo as a preconfigured order, it had lots of whistles and bells but for some reason had sat in a showroom unsold for 6 months. I was offered it for approx 6k under list price. When it came time to replace it I discovered that the petrol equivalent had gone up considerably and then I realised a lot of things like LED Matrix lights (a must have by then) were extras and the cost of the replacement was more than 10k over the cost of the one I was replacing to get like for like (it seemed to me anyway)

We were in the midst of the pandemic and I hadn't left the house for a year, the 1st editions were out and there were a few places offering deals on the next batch.
Needed - Hatchback, LED Matrix lights. Wanted: one or two other things like Pano roof. I wasn't doing more than 200 miles a week let alone a day and the price on the Family edition I found was less than the original Tiguan so I thought if I can't make an EV work for me now when will I?

Didn't even test drive it, or have a proper look at one until the day I collected it.

[Daveion]

I decided to take the step into an EV when a PHEV Ford Kuga I had on order was going to be delayed by 6 months or more due to battery fire problems owners were experiencing world wide. They halted production to sort it out.
I only looked at 2 EV models. The BMW I3 and the ID3.
I test drove an I3 but even getting to see an ID3 in the flesh was nigh impossible during lockdown.
I chose the ID3 in the end having researched everything I could on-line and deciding the greater range was best for me.
It was close. At the time the I3 was coming in around £70/month less and if I could have sourced a white one I would have sacrificed the range.
The I3 still holds my interest, it's quirky design, the carbon fibre shell construction with 4 doors opening the cabin up. The shape and concept though fits the marmite label. If they continue production and up the 42kW battery to 50kW or more it would be a great car. I was surprised they didn't do this when the REX motor cycle engine was deleted as there must be extra space for increased battery capacity.

[Uphamid3]

For me it was always about design - as a designer, I suppose that's the first thing that draws me into any product. There are a lot of EVs on the market, but many of the designs just 'try too hard' and are in my eyes clumsy and ugly or over fussy. Or others, like Tesla - just plain odd - a 1960s futuristic car made real.

As such, three EVs in particular stand out with me as having a purity of form which other cars I feel haven't achieved, those are the Polestar 2, the id3 and the Honda e - all three have a simplicity of shape that could easily have emanated from the studios of Apple or Leica.

I chose the id3 because it was affordable, offered decent range and was within the budget of what I was prepared to pay. I would dearly love a Polestar 2, but it's a bit too expensive and too large for my needs. At the time of of ordering in September/October last year, the id3 was just about the happy medium, but I'm re-assessing my needs as my yearly milage is now very low, I don't make many long journeys by car and most of the time it's just me or Karen in the car, so I am having a 24hr test drive of the Honda e next month - and if i order in April I can have the car in July!

[Scratch]

Thanks for all the comments - keep them coming.
Could I just re-ask my point about the efficiency of the ID.3, bearing in mind it was built from the ground up.

[Utumno]

Thanks for all the comments - keep them coming.
Could I just re-ask my point about the efficiency of the ID.3, bearing in mind it was built from the ground up.

Sorry, I did mean to respond. I am of the opinion that “ground up” EV is a red herring. There’s good engineering and bad engineering - bad engineering will result in higher inefficiencies.

You can have bad engineering in a “ground up” EV and it won’t be as efficient as good engineering in a repurposed platform. The additional fact that a “ground up” EV platform makes engineers lazy is also true.

Same is true of ICE cars of course but instead of measuring efficiency in terms of Wh/mi it’s mpg.

So my view is that Hyundai, when they’re concentrating, can deliver extremely efficient cars (eg Kona). And yet when they’re not concentrating, you can get the IONIQ 5.

This is why “ground up” EV wasn’t a factor for me.

[OB1CCFC]

Thanks for all the comments - keep them coming.
Could I just re-ask my point about the efficiency of the ID.3, bearing in mind it was built from the ground up.

In terms of better range the eNiro and Kona electric have 64kwh useable batteries which are larger than the midsize ID3 at 58kwh. So it’s mainly that.
But they are heavier because of it (eNiro 1812 kg vs
ID3 1772kg)
Also the Kona and Niro are boxier SUVs with poorer drag coefficients (eNiro 0.29 vs ID3 0.26).
I guess most ‘bottom up EV design’ benefit is in interior space and layout, boot space and handling re centre of gravity. I think the ID3 wins on most of those. Although I’ve never personally driven a Kona e or eNiro..!

In terms of efficiency. The 58kwh ID3 should
be better than the eNiro and Kona e as it’s lighter and has less drag. That isn’t the case.
I think that must be down to over aggressive battery heating, which we will see modified, and for me also poor cabin heating, cooling which seems very hungry and not very effective.
Maybe there’s something re motor and drive chain???

[whittaker52]

I think the main reasons I went for the ID.3 were -
- Dedicated EV platform car
- Rear wheel drive
- A reasonably compact car
- A fairly simple & elegant looking design
- A reasonable efficient EV
- Proximity to dealer
- Attainable pricing
- Then once i'd been to look at a car, the way it drove was a BIG selling point - composed chassis, great feeling steering, very comfortable & spacious and an almost effortless drive.

[G43FAN]

Thanks for all the comments - keep them coming.
Could I just re-ask my point about the efficiency of the ID.3, bearing in mind it was built from the ground up.

I'm not sure what you are asking?
Do you mean was the efficiency a factor in me buying the car, then no.. Range was a factor but efficiency not really.
Ground up built wasn't really a factor other than it's obviously got some differences over an electrified Golf or some other ICE. As Utumno says, it could have been a poor build (and is in some eyes).

You mention Volkswagen's deceit and you mention efficiency, was efficiency really a factor for your purchase decision? At the end of the day range is what matters to most people. It could have been 10 miles/kWh but if it had a 5kWh battery I wouldn't see it selling. With regards to previous VW issues, I'll be honest I find it difficult to believe that so many people are now 'outraged' because they were deceived over the emissions. I would be willing to bet that had you asked the same people before the matter became public they would struggle to tell you what the emissions figures were. (Not all but most).

I'm not condoning VW (and the other manufacturers) but the only time I thought about emissions was when looking at Road Tax bands.

[Maybach]

For me it was the external appearance that first drew me to my ID. 3. I was also struck by the high level of investment and commitment VW made to a dedicated EV platform. When I researched the car the price of the more basic models and the availability of a basic car with a decent range was a key factor. I also tend to buy European cars. As an owner of an ID. 3, the range, internal space and comfort, driving pleasure are also important. I strongly agree with the comments above about many EVs being big lumps of metal. I like Golf size cars(though I have never owned a Golf). When I first looked at Teslas a few years ago l thought an EV would be out of my reach for many years. I don’t like Tesla having its own charging network, I found that attempt at exclusivity very unappealing. I cannot see me changing the ID. 3 until the PCP expires in 2025. I am very happy with the car, from the moment I first saw the completely unaggressive front on a Ist Edition in my local dealer, to driving my Pro Life since last August.

[OB1CCFC]

On the question of efficiency. I am the kind of person
who likes everything to work optimally. It is a wee bit irritating when you know the battery management is not right for instance.
Of course new EVs may not be suited to that sort of detailed picky personality!
I mean going through 0564 software for 4 or 5 months was absolute trauma!

[newb-ev]

For me it was a combination of brand, size/shape, cost, availability, range and features.

From a brand perspective, I have had a number of VW/Audis and generally had a good experience with them.

Size and shape was probably second on my list of importance. I really wanted a hatchback, my last car has a saloon and I got fed up not being able to get things in the boot. I also didn’t want a big SUV, but I did want something that could seat four adults comfortably, but have a fifth seat for the dog.

Cost was probably at the top of my list as I was looking for something between £30K and £35K, which ruled out Tesla. Obviously if I could have got everything I wanted for less I would have been happy, but I was expecting to pay £30K minimum.

It also had to be released and available when I wanted to order it back in July last year. In the end this didn’t turn out as clear-cut as I thought, but I did get the car in December (not the September originally suggested).

Range was something where I wasn’t after loads of range as I only drive long distances a few times a year for holiday. I needed it to be able to do 100 miles comfortably in winter on a single charge, which the mid-battery ID.3 looked to be able to do with ease.

The ID.3 Family had the right balance of features for me, none I thought was a complete waste and none missing that I could not live without. I wanted a pano roof as I had one in a previous car and liked the extra light, the same with a split level boot as I previously found it a good way to keep all the stuff I always carry out of the way.

What sealed it was a good test drive.

So for me the ID.3 ticked a lot of boxes and there was not an obvious competitor. Although I have not done loads of miles, after the first three months of ownership I am very happy with my decision.