If you’re looking for a three-row electric vehicle with retro-cool “Summer of Love” looks, there’s nothing else quite like the Volkswagen ID. Buzz. It’s currently the only EV minivan on the market. We found it to deliver quick and quiet acceleration, with comfortable seats in all three rows and tons of interior room.
But just because the ID. Buzz is basically in a class of one, that doesn’t mean we can just give it a “pass” in spite of its shortcomings. Neither should you. And, sadly, there are numerous faults that count against this EV revival. It’s plagued by a short driving range, a limp and inconsistent brake-pedal feel, extremely awkward front-seat access, an odd driving position, and some thoroughly annoying controls.
Those drawbacks stand out even more when you compare the ID. Buzz to three-row electric SUVs or hybrid minivans. As an example, you could get a similarly equipped Kia EV9 SUV with three rows of seating, a much better-designed interior, and up to 305 miles of driving range. Or you could save about $15,000 and get a roomy, well-optioned Toyota Sienna hybrid minivan that gets 36 mpg overall, and never have to worry about finding a charging station on a road trip.
There’s no question this VW creates a real “buzz,” though. Many of our testers found that you can’t venture out in a vehicle that looks as unique as the ID. Buzz and expect to go unnoticed. It’s a four-wheeled nostalgia machine, conjuring up images of VW’s Microbus and Vanagon from decades ago. It puts smiles on other drivers’ faces, even if not on the one actually driving the ID. Buzz.
“I got overwhelming amounts of positive attention from people on the highway, in parking lots, and at my apartment complex,” said a tester. “It’s such a unique and fun-looking vehicle. I just wish you didn’t have to make so many compromises while driving it. The awkward access, awful brakes, dismal range, and touch-capacitive controls just can’t be overlooked. You could get used to some of these things, but not all.”
Less a compromise and more of a serious obstacle is the ID. Buzz’s cost of entry, the base price of which ranges from $60,000 to $70,000—far too rich for most “volks.” Plus, its EPA-rated 231-mile driving range isn’t enough to make the round trip between Haight-Ashbury and the Monterey County Fairgrounds. The limited range seems like it could make for a long, strange trip, indeed.
The unique styling, fun paint scheme, and memories of days gone by simply weren’t enough to woo a number of our testers, who managed to be unfazed by the Buzz’s charm. As one tester said, “I think this thing is ridiculous. For a family vehicle to cost over $72,000 and only have such a meager driving range…you'd need a second large vehicle in the garage just to use on road trips.”
We bought a 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz 1st Edition 4Motion for $72,427—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The ID. Buzz is assembled in Hannover, Germany.
Driving experience
The ID. Buzz is available with a single-motor, 282-horsepower setup driving the rear wheels or a dual-motor, 335-hp configuration with all-wheel drive. We purchased the latter, which made for plentiful and effortless acceleration. For such a large vehicle, its 5.8-second dash from 0 to 60 mph shows that the Buzz is plenty caffeinated. However, it only managed 244 miles in our 70-mph highway-range test, which is on the short side by today’s EV standards—especially so for a road-trip vehicle. The EPA estimates the AWD Buzz’s range at 231 miles.
Plus, the Buzz isn’t always as smooth as it should be. Several testers noted an annoyingly abrupt throttle response when taking off from a stop—a trait that is extremely rare among EVs we’ve tested, which typically deliver power in a silky fashion.
Also, unlike most EVs, the ID. Buzz doesn’t have a “one-pedal driving” mode, which would allow you to add strong braking force just by lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal, including the ability to bring it to a stop without having to step on the brake pedal. This is extra inconvenient because brake feel is one of the worst aspects of the Buzz—the pedal initially sinks toward the floor like you’re stepping on a soggy sponge, which is a disconcerting sensation. If you can ignore that, it performed well in our measured stopping distance test.
Charging the Buzz at home on a 240-volt Level 2 system will likely result in about 26 miles of range added per hour—about average among EVs. At public DC fast chargers, however, expect up to eight miles gained per minute, which isn’t stellar due to its modest 200-kilowatt maximum acceptance rate.
The ID. Buzz is built on the same “skateboard” MEB platform as other Volkswagen and Audi EVs. It sits on a heavy battery pack that aids handling due to its low center of gravity. Indeed, handling is fairly agile for such a large and heavy vehicle. The ride is comfortable most of the time, too. The suspension absorbs impacts fairly well, although you can feel the body pitching from front to rear a fair amount over certain bumps, which can make the van feel bouncy.
While the Buzz’s interior stays mostly quiet, it’s not exceptionally silent compared to most EVs. While testers heard just a faint amount of electric motor noise when accelerating, the sound of the wind swirling around such an upright vehicle can get intrusive, especially at highway speeds.
Cabin comfort
Getting into and out of the cabin, especially the front seats, isn’t easy. There’s a wide step to help you climb in, but it’s at nearly the same height as the very tall floor, which makes it awkward to use because it’s unclear whether you should use the step or just reach your foot all the way across to the floor. It baffled us as to how something so seemingly simple—getting in and out of a supremely upright vehicle—could be so horrendous.
“Wow, how could they screw up access on a minivan, of all things?” questioned an exasperated tester.
Once situated, however, the driver will find lots of headroom and a clear view of the instrument screen. There’s a drop-down armrest on the left side that we’re guessing VW’s designers added after realizing that the armrest on the door was too far away. It’s a good workaround, but you have to pull it up and out of the way every time you get in or out, which is an extra annoyance. Further, the view of the road ahead was mixed. Some drivers said they liked the Buzz’s upright seating position and its commanding view of the road. Others said they felt like they had to get used to sitting so far away from the windshield due to the deep dashboard. The side mirrors are narrow, reducing rearward views, and the double pillars at the front of the windshield are unusual compared with most other vehicles on the road.
In terms of seat comfort, well, there isn’t a bad one in the house—er, the van. The front seats are plush and supportive, while the second-row captain’s chairs are reasonably comfortable, in spite of a flat shape, and deliver tons of room and plenty of adjustments (a second-row bench seat is available). Even the third row has enough space for adults, and benefits from excellent underleg support and padded outer armrests.
The Buzz’s vast interior is decently furnished with a fair amount of soft-touch materials and attractive stitching. But it's also clear where VW cut a few corners. For example, it's disappointing that the door sills are hard plastic—not cool for $72,000. Plus, the glovebox is unlined, and the plastic sun visors feel cut-rate. We did appreciate the small sliding side windows and pull straps for the second row are cute homages to the original microbus. The electrochromic panoramic sunroof is, obviously, a modern touch, and we like that it turns opaque with the touch of a button—keeps out any purple haze but brightens if you want to witness a bad moon rising.
As you can imagine, with such an immense vehicle, the ID. Buzz offers a ton of cargo room, although both rows of seats do not fold into the floor to maximize the space.
Controls and usability
The Buzz’s controls rely heavily on touch-capacitive inputs, which require precise finger movements, whether tapping or sliding, with little room for error. Whether you want to turn on, tune in, or drop the temperature a few degrees, you’ll likely have to take your eyes off the road and cast them on the center screen or the touch-capacitive sliders beneath. One perk is the “alternative” climate menu that relies on words instead of symbols. It felt very personal to choose “warm feet” or “cool face” as opposed to arrows pointing at a stick figure.
The 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen is vivid and colorful, and the layout allows for customization. But the multitude of layered menus make even routine actions more difficult than they should be, and the overall experience demands too much attention from the driver. Some testers had difficulty connecting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. First-time owners might need more than just a little help from their friends to unwind the magical mystery tour that makes up the Buzz’s controls.
Active safety and driver assistance
All ID. Buzz trim lines come standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.
Volkswagen’s “ID.Light” system is an interesting feature. It uses a light bar across the dashboard to communicate with the driver. For example, it will flash red if it senses the driver needs to brake urgently, or it will pulse from left to right if the navigation system says there’s a right turn ahead. It’s a unique way to cut through the visual clutter found on so many modern vehicles.
A rear occupant alert system also comes standard. It’s designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic—to check the rear seat when the ID. Buzz is turned off to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. There’s also a rear belt minder, which alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.