Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance review

Driving position

Because the ID.3 is the car Volkswagen hopes you’ll buy if you’re after an electric alternative to the Golf, it needs to be comfortable inside – after all, the Golf offers one of the best driving positions in its class, being that it’s such an established hatchback.

You get a totally different feeling from behind the wheel of an ID.3 GTX because there’s quite some distance (and dashboard) between the driver and the base of the windscreen. If you’ve driven a Beetle, you might know what we mean.

The ID.3 GTX is the top trim level, so it comes with high levels of standard equipment and things you’d only usually expect in bigger cars, like electrically adjustable heated seats.

Tech and features

All models have a 12.9-inch touchscreen display on top of the dash, which feels pretty big in this type of car. It’s noticeably larger than the 10-inch system you got in earlier, pre-facelift models sold up until 2024 (but these weren’t available with the GTX trim).

The system itself is also a lot slicker than earlier ID.3s – it’s easy to navigate and, more importantly, works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Other tech you can find in the GTX that you get on standard versions include a reversing camera, automatic high beams, 30-colour interior ambient lighting, an AR head-up display that projects arrows onto the windscreen for where you need to turn, and an upgraded Harman/Kardon sound system.

Electric motors and power

In Germany and other markets, you can have an ID.3 GTX with 286hp. It’s good for 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, but that’s not good enough for us in the UK.

We don’t have the bog standard GTX, we have the GTX Performance (as do other markets). It has 326hp, so cuts an extra 0.2 seconds off that sprint time, bringing it down to 5.7 seconds.

Handling and ride comfort

When we tested the ID.3 GTX Performance, we quickly noticed how many different configurations there are on the car’s Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) – you can have the suspension set to soft, firm, or anywhere in between, but for country roads, we found somewhere in the middle to be ideal.

The standard ID.3 is already a joy to drive thanks to its low centre of gravity due to the batteries lining the floor, but the benefit of that comes into play with the GTX Performance, which feels especially eager in the corners.

For anyone new to the world of electric motoring, this certainly feels like a sports car, but fans of hot hatches (especially the Golf GTI and Golf R) might not be so enthused.

We were slightly underwhelmed by the ID.3 GTX Perfomance’s, well, performance – 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds isn’t particularly quick by modern EV standards. Ok, it’s quicker than the Golf GTI’s 5.9 seconds, but its CUPRA stablemate, the Born VZ, does it in 5.6 seconds.

Sub 5.0 seconds in an ID.3 would be more fun.

Boot space

It’s not an all-wheel-drive model, so it’s identical to the regular ID.3 mechanically, which means the GTX Performance also has a 385-litre boot.

It’s slap bang where you’d expect a family hatchback to be, but because the ID.3 faces some competition from smaller crossovers like the Renault Megane E-Tech, we’d like to see boot space increase to the 400-litre mark for its second generation.

Nevertheless, it’s within a few litres of the Golf, so if you’re a family hatchback buyer, you’ll have no qualms.

Rear seats

One of the ID.3’s selling points when it first launched back in 2020 was its interior space – because the wheelbase is extended, pushing the wheels further into the corners, VW reckons there’s Passat levels of space inside.

We wouldn’t go that far, but credit where credit’s due, space in the back of the ID.3 is more generous than many other hatchbacks.

There’s no big hump in the rear footwell, either, so you should be able to fit three abreast reasonably comfortably.

Storage solutions

Not much has changed for the ID.3 GTX Performance compared with pre-facelift models, which is great because we love that car’s centre console.

Behind two cupholders is a two-tier tray that slopes down on a 45-degree angle to store phones – the bottom tray supports wireless charging.

This is a clever use of space where many manufacturers just lay the phone flat, which takes up limited real estate.

Behind all of that is a sliding cover to hide unsightly odds and ends. There’s no armrest in the middle, but the front seats each have their own adjustable-height armrest built into the seat itself. Very Range Rover-esque.

Safety

When the ID.3 first came out in 2020, it was awarded a full five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP. It scored highly for occupant protection and safety assist systems.

This rating extends to the facelifted and GT Performance models, too.

It might be perfectly safe, but we would prefer it if Volkswagen used disc brakes in the rear. Instead, it uses drums, which can feel a bit spongy – especially on a car weighing two tonnes.

Range and charging

Instead of using the Pro S model’s 77kWh battery, which has been available for many years, the ID.3 GTX Performance uses a newer and bigger 79kWh pack.

It’s technically 84kWh, so bear this in mind when calculating charging costs, but the motor only has access to 79kWh, keeping the rest for vital electrical systems.

Even with the extra performance, this model has the longest range, at 369 miles.

The GTX Performance is the quickest to charge despite its bigger battery because it has access to higher 185kW DC rapid charging. The Pro S takes 30 minutes with 170kW speeds, and it’s 35 minutes for the Pro at 120kW.

Reliability

As a relatively new model, reliability for the GTX Performance version is yet to be seen, but the ID.3 as a whole has so far proven to be durable in its over five-year lifespan.

Early models were criticised over their glitchy infotainment systems, which were later issued free software updates, but the facelifted (and GTX) models are better still.

Insurance groups

The ID.3 GTX is in insurance group 34, which is unwelcome news considering some standard variants can be as low as group 18. Still, that’s what you’d expect for a hot hatch, isn’t it?

Remember that you won’t be paying as much for fuel as you would be in a Golf GTI, so bear that in mind when sourcing insurance quotes.

You should also consider this car’s price point, which when it launched was around £46,000, or 50% more than the cheapest ID.3 model.