Summary
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is an upmarket people carrier and the largest model in the all-electric ID. family, which arrived in the UK in the second half of 2022.
With exterior styling that harks back to the original Type 2 Microbus of the 1960s, the ID. Buzz has been widely praised for its unique looks, which stand out from its people carrier rivals.
Described by What Car? as “a charming retelling of a classic for the modern era”, Parker’s Tom Webster argues that the Volkswagen “has some much-needed character in a class that is so often devoid of it.”
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a funky, practical, 250-mile nostalgia trip”, Carbuyer’s Tom Jervis explains. “Unfortunately, nostalgia costs money.” The car’s pricing starts at around the £60k mark – which is considerably more expensive than mainstream van-based rivals like the Peugeot e-Traveller and Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life, but cheaper than luxury rivals like the Mercedes-Benz EQV.
Auto Trader‘s Dan Trent adds that the ID. Buzz is not as practical as the slightly more spacious Volkswagen Multivan, and Autocar‘s Mark Tisshaw concludes that you may need to “take some night courses” to understand the car’s rather confusing infotainment.
However, “it trumps the myriad SUVs it competes with when it comes to space and family-friendly features”, says Richard Ingram of Auto Express. “Beneath the retro styling and functional cabin, there’s a really capable, compelling EV.”
As of May 2024, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz holds an Expert Rating of A, with a score of 82%. That makes it one of the highest-rated new car in our Index.
ID. Buzz highlights
- More practical than upmarket SUVs
- Competitive battery range
- Attractive styling inside and out
- Strong resale values
ID. Buzz lowlights
- Expensive, base price and up
- Van-based people carriers are more spacious
- Confusing infotainment
- Seven-seat models not yet available
Key specifications
Body style: People carrier
Engines: electric, battery-powered
Price: From £57,115 on-road
Launched: Summer 2022
Last updated: N/A
Replacement due: TBA
Image gallery
Media reviews
Reviews, road tests and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.
Auto Express
Model reviewed: Dual electric motors, 79kWh battery GTX
Score: 6 / 10
“A new top end to an already expensive model range, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX only really makes sense if you need four-wheel drive, or plan on towing with it. The standard ID. Buzz – especially with the power upgrade coming later this year – is fast enough for a big and tall vehicle, and apart from being quicker in a straight line, the GTX upgrades are cosmetic.”
Author: Paul Barker
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a genuinely practical, comfortable and characterful family car that will have potential SUV buyers thinking twice – if they can get past the price tag that is.”
Author: Ellis Hyde, Dean Gibson
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Model reviewed: LWB
Score: 8 / 10
“This is the car the Volkswagen ID. Buzz should always have been; more practicality, a host of small but useful improvements, and a little bit more range make the long-wheelbase model the obvious choice. And that’s before you factor in the tiny price premium over the regular car that absolutely seals the deal. Unless a LWB genuinely won’t fit where you park, it’s significantly better in almost every way.”
Author: Paul Barker
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Score: 9 / 10
“It’s frankly hard to see how any vehicle could live up to this much hype, but we’re pleased to report that the Volkswagen ID. Buzz has indeed been worth the wait. It’s not quite as practical as its van-based rivals, admittedly, but it trumps the myriad SUVs it competes with when it comes to space and family-friendly features. It’ll sell on image alone, but beneath the retro styling and functional cabin, there’s a really capable, compelling EV. Only the high price counts against it.”
Author: Richard Ingram
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Auto Trader
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is not cheap, nor is it as practical as the more spacious and hybrid-powered Multivan. Neither is it big enough to count as a true van and operate as an electrified alternative to the Transporter Kombis beloved of lifestyling outdoors types. But, for fashion-conscious families, it’s still a compelling alternative to an SUV.”
Author: Dan Trent
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Autocar
Model reviewed: 82kWh Style
Score: 8 / 10
“It’s a little debatable if the Volkswagen ID. Buzz offers enough clever cabin modularity to justify that price, and its performance and range, while better than key rivals’, aren’t particular selling points. But its refinement, drivability and quietly upmarket cabin ambience can be depended on to please owners just as much as its cheery outward appearance surely will.”
Author: Mark Tisshaw
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Business Car
Model reviewed: Style 77kWh Pro
Score: 8 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is the best ID. model yet. It looks great, with a ‘want’ factor that perhaps hasn’t been there for EV models in the past.”
Author: Martyn Collins
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Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“Retro electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz brings heaps of style and practicality.”
Author: Sean Keywood
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Car
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a unique offering which fuses clever packaging, spot-on looks, up-to-date electric propulsion and a truckload of emotional brownie points at a relatively affordable tariff.”
Author: Georg Kacher
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Carbuyer
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.2 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a funky, practical, 250-mile nostalgia trip… unfortunately, nostalgia costs money.”
Author: Tom Jervis, Charlie Harvey
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Carwow
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a family vehicle with lots of space and character to offer, but it’s very expensive and its infotainment is fiddly.”
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Driving Electric
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz combines funky styling, a functional cabin and refinement to create a unique electric family car – and a particularly pricey one at that.”
Author: Ellis Hyde
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Electrifying.com
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“If you look at the Volkswagen ID. Buzz’s figures on paper, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s big, not particularly efficient and in terms of cost, way more thank the equivalent ID.4 or Skoda Enyaq. But this isn’t a car you buy based on the numbers. The ID. Buzz is huge fun and I’m not surprised that it already has a huge waiting list.”
Author: Nicki Shields
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Green Car Guide
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz has iconic design, it offers lots of space, and the driving experience has all the normal benefits of an EV including refinement and instant torque. Fun is back.”
Author: Paul Clarke
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Heycar
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“A modern take on the iconic hippy bus, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz is an electric people carrier that’s so much more desirable than yet another family SUV. You’ll pay a premium for 2023’s must-have electric car while the ID.Buzz isn’t quite as versatile as you might expect, but its charm and charisma make it a very desirable choice.”
Author: Andy Brady
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Honest John
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is the reborn retro icon everyone’s been waiting for, just modernised for the electric age. With a car-like driving experience, a bright and airy cabin, plenty of tech and a decent electric range it’ll hold broad appeal, although it’s only a five-seater for now.”
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Motoring Research
Score: 7 / 10
“The ID. Buzz channels the spirit of the classic Volkswagen Microbus into a modern, fully electric MPV. Oozing retro charm, especially with optional two-tone paintwork, the ID. Buzz generates an incredible amount of attention and goodwill on the road. Even with the limitations of this launch version, Volkswagen will have no problem finding customers, such is the strength of feeling towards it. In a head-versus-heart battle, nostalgia is always likely to win, especially after such a long wait.”
Author: John Redfern
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Move Electric
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz feels like the kind of electric car we were always promised would come from the era of the skateboard chassis, allowing for much more creativity in body shapes, sizes and styles thanks to a reduction of fixed hard points cars have to be created around. To that end, the ID. Buzz is a triumph of design and a perfectly agreeable electric car to drive with it.”
Author: Mark Tisshaw
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Parkers
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“It attracts attention like almost nothing else – people will come and talk to you when you park up in one of these, and you will smile when you look back at it. It has some much-needed character in a class that is so often devoid of it.”
Author: CJ Hubbard
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The Sunday Times
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The looks, spaciousness and electric-only powertrain make this one of the few large cars that appears to be wholly socially acceptable — a perfect alternative to SUVs, which add height and weight without any extra carrying capacity.”
Author: Dave Humphreys
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The Telegraph
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“As a family troop carrier, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz probably needs more seats, it’s very expensive and the MPV market is fast disappearing in the UK. Yet somehow the charm, the care that’s been lavished and the long-legged comfort of this born-again Type 2 are irresistible. It’s nicer than the rest of VW’s electric offerings put together and a deeply desirable machine in its own right. Welcome back Bulli.”
Author: Andrew English
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Top Gear
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“A convincing vision of a family car done better. We love it because it’s different, because it’s a new anti-SUV template, because it’s fun to be in and around.”
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What Car?
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“A charming retelling of a classic for the modern era, which is good to drive, hugely practical and nicely refined. Yes, there are cheaper electric vans, but none travel as far between charges, or have the performance of the ID Buzz.”
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Which EV?
Score: 7.5 / 10
“There’s a lot to like about the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, and it certainly receives a positive reaction from passersby. It has great family features, including lots of rear passenger space and a class leading amount of room for luggage in the rear. It’s also surprisingly pleasant to drive, even if it’s not that quick for an EV. But it’s hugely expensive, which means most buyers will sacrifice on space for a more affordable electric SUV instead.”
Author: James Morris
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Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: December 2022
Read the full Euro NCAP review
Adult protection: 92%
Child protection: 87%
Vulnerable road users: 60%
Safety assist: 90%
Eco rating
Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP
No eco rating
As of May 2024, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz has not been lab tested by Green NCAP.
The Green NCAP programme measures exhaust pollution (which is zero for an electric car) and energy efficiency. Electric cars are much more energy-efficient than combustion cars, so the ID. Buzz is likely to score very highly in Green NCAP testing whenever it ever takes place. Check back again soon.
Reliability rating
Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy
No reliability rating
As of May 2024, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Volkswagen ID. Buzz to generate a reliability rating.
The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively for us using warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy. As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the ID. Buzz, we’ll publish the score here.
Running cost rating
Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data
Battery range | Average | Score | Variation | Score |
EV models | 255 miles | B | 252 – 258 miles | B – B |
Electrical efficiency | Average | Score | Variation | Score |
EV models | 3.3 m/KWh | E | 3.3 – 3.4 m/KWh | E – E |
Insurance group | Average | Score | Variation | Score |
All models | 32 | C | 31 – 33 | C – C |
Service and maintenance | Cost | Score |
Year 1 | £238 | B |
Year 2 | £475 | A |
Year 3 | £806 | A |
Year 4 | £980 | A |
Year 5 | £1,321 | A |
Overall | £3,820 | A |
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is not the most electrically efficient EV on sale (electrical efficiency is the EV equivalent of miles per gallon for petrol and diesel cars) and is less efficient than other ID models in the Volkswagen family. This means that battery range is not as good as it otherwise could be.
Insurance costs are average, which is not surprising given that the ID. Buzz is a £60K electric vehicle. The good news is that scheduled servicing and maintenance costs over the first five years are ikely to be excellent.
Awards
Trophies, prizes and awards that the Volkswagen ID. Buzz has received
2023
- Carbuyer Awards – Best Large Electric Car
- EcoCar Electrified Top 50 – Best Electric MPV
- What Car? Awards – Car of the Year + Best Large Electric Car
- What Car? EV Awards – Best Electric MPV
2022
- News UK Motor Awards – Best-Designed Car
- Top Gear Awards – Best MPV
- Top Gear Electric Awards – Electric Car of the Year
Similar cars
If you’re looking at the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, you might also be interested in these alternatives
Citroën ë-Berlingo | Citroën ë-SpaceTourer | Mercedes-Benz EQV | Nissan e-NV200 Combi | Nissan Townstar | Peugeot e-Rifter | Peugeot e-Traveller | Tesla Model X | Vauxhall Combo Life Electric | Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric
More information
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