New Volkswagen ID. Life teases upcoming entry-level electric car

This is the Volkswagen ID. Life: a concept car that gives us the clearest idea yet of what the brand's upcoming ID.2 electric crossover (and its ID.1 hatchback sister) will be like.

The ID. Life is a boxy, retro-inspired electric crossover that takes some influence from the Honda e and new Renault 5 when it comes to styling, however its sloped rear is reminiscent of the original Golf hatchback. Like all those cars, the ID. Life gets a five-door layout, plus short overhangs at the front and rear and extensive use of sustainable materials throughout.

In true concept-car fashion, the ID. Life also features some elements that are less likely to reach production. The cabin, for example, includes a retractable projector screen that can be used to display movies or video games, with the front bench able to fold completely flat for cinema-like seating.

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Power comes from a 231bhp electric motor driving the front wheels only, with 0-62mph taking 6.9 seconds. The 57kWh battery provides enough charge to cover nearly 250 miles, according to Volkswagen, while the ID. Life can add up 100 miles of range in 10 minutes thanks to its rapid-charging capability.

The ID. Life uses a smaller version of the 'MEB' platform that sits underneath the ID.3 hatchback, ID.4 SUV and ID.5 coupe-SUV as well as the Skoda Enyaq iV and Audi Q4 e-tron. SEAT is currently leading the development of the platform, which will underpin not only the production version of the ID. Life, but also entry-level EVs from SEAT and Cupra. These have also been teased by the first images of the Cupra UrbanRebel race car concept.

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Volkswagen says the production version of the ID. Life will start from between €20,000 to €25,000 (£17,000 to £21,400) when it goes on sale in 2025. Further details of the final version of the car remain thin on the ground. The ID. Life is expected to become the ID.2 given its stature, serving as a crossover SUV sibling to the Polo-sized ID.1 hatchback that was first hinted at back in 2019.

The initial on-sale date for VW’s entry-level electric models was 2023, but they’re now expected to arrive in 2025; they'll join the ID.3 hatchback, ID.4 SUV, ID.5 coupe-SUV and forthcoming ID. Buzz van and minibus in the German brand’s all-electric line-up.

A high-performance GTX-badged version of the ID. Life, or the production version of it, is also in the works, and will sit below the ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX SUVs, and the forthcoming ID.3 GTX hot hatch, in VW's range of electric performance models.