VW ID.Polo, Cupra Raval, Skoda Epiq, ID.Cross: The electric small cars from the VW Group are finally arriving

The VW Group has been talking about affordable electric cars in the small car segment for several years now. However, so far, neither VW, Skoda, nor Cupra have offered electric models priced below €25,000. The new "Electric Urban Car Family" is set to change that. The Volkswagen Group will launch four models from three brands in 2026. Then, the VW ID.Polo , the ID.Cross , the Skoda Epiq, and the Cupra Raval will be launched – all four with a starting price below €25,000.

The stated goals demonstrate how serious Wolfsburg is about this – or rather, must be. VW, Skoda, and Cupra aim to achieve a 20 percent market share in Europe among electric small cars. That would mean several hundred thousand cars per year. And this in an environment in which the Stellantis Group, Renault/Dacia, Kia, and Hyundai are already extremely active – not to mention Chinese brands like BYD, Leapmotor, and MG.

But VW is serving up some technical treats for potential customers and is already announcing sporty top models like the Polo GTI or the Cupra Raval VZ with 225 hp. The group uses the further developed MEB+ modular system as the basis for all electric small cars. All vehicles feature modern driver assistance systems such as the new Travel Assist with lane change function and traffic light recognition. In addition, there is standard fast charging, full connectivity including app store access, and comfort features such as massage seats and app-controlled pre-conditioning. With this, the Volkswagen Group aims to bring technologies from higher vehicle classes into the entry-level segment.

Volkswagen announced a special surprise at the IAA. The "Electric Urban Car Family" will also be able to use the completely newly developed standard cell. Volkswagen developed this together with its partner PowerCo, and we actually assumed it would be the first to be included in the announced SSP modular system. However, its introduction has been delayed. The standard cell, on the other hand, is scheduled to go into series production in Salzgitter starting at the end of 2025.

The standard cell will not only enable the front-wheel-drive vehicles to achieve ranges of up to 450 kilometers, but will also realize significant economies of scale. The more of them are produced, the cheaper the cars will become. Despite sharing a common platform, the four small cars from the three brands will have very different brand-specific characteristics.

All vehicles feature modern driver assistance systems such as the new Travel Assist with lane change function and traffic light recognition. They also offer standard fast charging, full connectivity including app store access, and comfort features such as massage seats and app-controlled pre-conditioning. With this, the Volkswagen Group aims to bring technologies from higher vehicle classes into the entry-level segment.

The world premiere of the model family will take place at the IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich. There, the company will also showcase further innovations in the areas of battery technology, artificial intelligence, and smart mobility. CEO Oliver Blume described the launch of the Electric Urban Car Family as a "milestone in the electric strategy" and underscored the company's commitment to making electric mobility accessible to broad customer segments in Europe.

What still annoys customers in many current models won't even be present in the interior of these electric subcompacts. This is the control slider below the central screen. This is installed in many models for volume or temperature adjustments, but it's cumbersome and not always easy to use.

Instead of the slider, the ID.Polo and other models are equipped with real, haptic switches and buttons right from the start. This reduces the potential for distraction and allows the driver to easily use the controls even while driving.

The VW ID. Polo, Cupra Raval, and Skoda Epiq are all-electric, five-door subcompacts. They are approximately 4.05 meters long, 1.82 meters wide, and a good 1.53 meters high (SUVs are slightly taller), with a wheelbase of 2.60 meters. The trunk has a capacity of over 400 liters. Initially, two battery variants will be offered: approximately 38 kWh (base) with a range of approximately 300 to 320 km (WLTP) and around 100 kW (136 hp), and a larger battery with approximately 56 kWh and around 150 kW (204 hp), which should enable ranges of up to 450 km. The battery supports DC fast charging of up to 130 kW. This should allow the battery to be charged from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 20 minutes.