Volkswagen ID. Polo and ID. Polo GTI: The Polo goes electric!

It is no secret that enthusiasts in India continue to harbour a soft corner for the Volkswagen Polo, even after the fun to drive hatchback was discontinued in our market in 2022. Now however, the Polo nameplate will make its debut on an electric car, in the form of the ID. Polo that will be launched globally in 2026. The ID. Polo GTI, likely to be sportier and more powerful, will also be launched in the same year, and both these small EVs will make their public debut at IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich.

Volkswagen ID. Polo styling and interior

The ID. Polo is essentially the production version of the Volkswagen ID. 2all concept car that was revealed back in 2023. We had speculated earlier that the ID. 2all could be the spiritual successor to the Polo, and this has happened with Volkswagen switching to a naming strategy which makes use of the nameplates of its ICE-powered cars on its all-electric ID models. As we mentioned above, the ID. Polo is based on the ID. 2all concept, and while the images you see here feature a camouflaged car, the ID. Polo does not seem to have strayed too far from the concept’s design, which featured 20-inch alloy wheels, rear door handles neatly integrated into the door frame and a C-pillar design similar to that of the first-gen Volkswagen Golf. The ID. Polo also gets illuminated Volkswagen logos like those on the recently-unveiled Volkswagen T-Roc.

The interior of the ID. Polo has not been revealed but we can tell you that the ID. 2all concept – on which the ID. Polo is based – got a minimalist layout for the cabin with a layered dashboard, two wireless chargers, a 10.9-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.9-inch infotainment screen. The concept also featured a multifunction flat-bottomed steering wheel, rear seats with a 40:60 split and a 50-litre storage space under the rear seat – though it remains to be seen whether all of this will make it to the ID. Polo.

Volkswagen ID. Polo powertrain

While specs for the ID. Polo have not been revealed, it is likely that the EV will be based on Volkswagen’s MEB-Entry platform. The ID. 2all concept that formed the base for the ID. Polo was the first FWD car to be based on this platform and it featured an electric motor on the front axle which produced 223bhp of power. The time taken to accelerate from 0-100kmph was claimed to be under 7 seconds, with a top speed of 160kmph. The claimed driving range for the concept was up to 450km (WLTP), with a battery capable of being charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just 20 minutes using a DC fast charger. The production specs for the ID. Polo will be revealed when the car makes its public debut, and in addition the ID. Polo, Volkswagen has confirmed the debut of an ID. Polo GTI, which might get more power.

The ID. Polo and ID. Polo GTI will make their public debut at IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich on September 8 and will go on sale globally in 2026. But before the ID. Polos make their debut, Volkswagen will also be unveiling an electric compact SUV concept – named the ID. Cross Concept – on September 7, which will go into production as the ID. Cross and be launched at the end of 2026 as an electric counterpart to the ICE-powered T-Cross. As for the enthusiasts who continue to hope for the Polo nameplate to make its way back to our shores, it remains to be seen whether the electric ID. Polo and ID. Polo GTI will be offered in India.