Relative success of the VW ID3, ID4, ID5, ID7 in Europe
- The battery electric vehicle market in Europe (30 countries: EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) grew by 29% in 2025 compared to 2024, rising from 1,993,102 units in 2024 to 2,579,209 units in 2025. This represents 19.5% of the European market (compared to 15.5% in 2024), significantly exceeding the 18% forecast a few months ago. Strong demand for battery electric cars in the final months of the year boosted the European BEV market during this period.
- Volkswagen's battery electric vehicles benefited relatively from the strong growth in BEV sales in the European market in 2025, with production of the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, and ID.7 increasing by 43% compared to 2024, reaching 266,000 units versus 186,000 in 2024 (an increase of 80,000 units year-on-year). However, a closer look reveals that the ID.7 accounted for more than half of this growth (an increase of 42,500 units). And these four models together represent less than 2% of the BEV market in Europe in 2025.
- It is clear that the battery electric Volkswagens are not achieving their initial sales targets in Europe, namely 100,000 sales per year for each of these four models, or 400,000 sales for the whole, a quantity which represents half of the annual sales of the Volkswagen Golf during its best years.
- It is possible that the overly geometric design of the models as well as their name are partly responsible for sales not meeting initial targets, as the carmaker has announced that it will return to a more classic design for the brand's future 100% electric models which it will rename with more traditional names, such as ID Polo, ID Cross or ID Golf.