Volkswagen ID 3 facelift priced from £37,115 in UK

The new facelifted ID.3 is available to order now, with prices kicking off at £37,115. Instead of the outgoing model’s Business, Style and Tour trim levels

The ID 3’s exterior has also been given a refresh, with a reprofiled front bumper, vertical air ducts and a reshaped bonnet combining to give the ID 3 an elongated appearance and slightly improved drag coefficient to boost range.

The eagle-eyed will notice that the bonnet has been reshaped – it now features sculpted lines and looks more sporty, they also improve airflow around the front wheels

The tail-light designs are all-new as well, including distinctive X-shaped daytime-running lights and refreshed scrolling indicators. The car is still based on the MEB platform, so it retains the same rear-mounted motor and batteries as before.

The update is aimed at increasing the appeal of the hatchback, which has accounted for a claimed 300,000 sales since the start of deliveries during the third quarter of 2020.

The problems that plagued the previous ID 3 – concerning usage of the safety features and touch-sensitive icons, in addition to charging issues and range discrepancies – are so significant that they are widely rumoured to have been the reason for Herbert Diess stepping down as Volkswagen CEO last year.

Software development delays led to early examples of the ID 3 using basic versions of the ID operating system, but this proved to be an “absolute disaster”, according to company insiders.

Volkswagen has since been trying to rectify the wide-ranging issues. As such, the updates were brought forward to take place just three-and-a-half years after the ID 3 was first revealed, at the last Frankfurt motor show.