Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo Panel Van (2025 - ) Electric review

The ID.Buzz Cargo is a simple vehicle coming in two trim levels, one length, one height and a well-specified equipment list as standard. The cargo space is of ample size offering 2.2m of load length, a max width of 1.73m (1.23m between the wheel arches), and a load height of around 1.2m, with all that coming together for a load volume of 3.9 cubic metres. Access to the load space is through two 50:50 rear doors (that have a great retro-futuristic look on the external panels) and through two side sliding doors, making it a very easy-to-utilise area. Lashing points run down both sides of the hard-wearing deck lining allowing you to secure items in place with straps or bungee cords. If you open up the driver-side side sliding door there’s a compartment in the step for your charging cables, which is a nice touch. The repair kit and hazard triangle are also stowed nicely in their own indent set into the internal paneling. It’s nice touches like the ones above that make Volkswagen vans so nice and the ID.Buzz is full of them. It can tow braked and unbraked, ranging from 1000kg in the 59kWh battery version to 1200kg in the 79kWh battery versions, although the 4MOTION models can tow 1800kg braked. Unbraked is 750kg for all models in line with regulations. For the right business, this is perfectly adequate so it can’t be judged too harshly in this area, and at least LED lighting is included as standard.

The interior of the ID.Buzz Cargo is one place it really shines. The cabin is spacious enough with a deep dashboard extending to the front of the vehicle and a windscreen providing good visibility. At the basic Commerce trim level you get what Volkswagen calls ‘Basket cloth’ seat upholstery on the heated single driver seat and two-person bench seat. The driver’s seat is comfortable and adjustable in front of the multifunction steering wheel, which while easy to grip is covered with touch controls that are the kind of hit-and-miss fiddly to use that we find irritating. Behind the steering wheel is a small screen showing the driver readouts like speed and charge, and in the middle of the dashboard is the enormous new infotainment screen. The 12.9-inch screen is excellent and very sharp, although is annoyingly not angled towards the driver making navigation apps a pain to keep an eye on – something a commercial vehicle should surely make easy. The infotainment system is fine to use, but you don’t have many hard buttons for vehicle functions so you have to use it to change core settings, although you can use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay and ignore the rest. Connections are plentiful with two USB-C ports on the dashboard and two USB-C charging sockets by the centre console. You also get decent storage in the doors, a deep basin on top of the dashboard, and a few cubbies. The jump to the Commerce Plus trim level doesn’t add much internally, making the entry-level model easy to recommend. The Volkswagen build quality you’d expect is very obvious with nice touches like the ‘play’ and ‘pause’ symbols on the accelerator and brake pedals.

Being an electric van, charging costs are dictated by where you do it – if it’s at home your tariff will dictate the price, if it’s in public then you’re at the mercy of the company who owns it – but it’s likely costs would be significantly less than a petrol or diesel vehicle. Truly, the ID.Buzz Cargo’s major drawback in this section is the acquisition costs because it’s a comparatively expensive light commercial vehicle. Prices range from £38-47K (total RRP inc OTR, inc VAT with PiVG deducted according to latest brochure), which is spicy for a van of its size and capabilities so it’s likely that you’d look to break down those costs with finance or a good lease deal.

The ID.Buzz Cargo comes with a manufacturer’s warranty of three-years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first), the batteries are covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty, and the vehicle comes with a three-year unlimited mileage roadside cover package (which is excellent). Any reported issues of reliability seem to revolve around infotainment software glitches, inconsistent charging speeds, and a few customers commenting about how some filters expire quicker than you’d expect. We’d imagine the vast majority of these issues have been fixed with updates over the past few years.

The ID.Buzz Cargo performs exactly as you’d expect a small van to perform – it’s sharp to drive in the urban setting, has a decent and accessible load space, and is great looking. The load lip is only 63cm high making loading a doddle, and the two side doors mean you never have to worry about which side of the road to park on. You get your money’s worth with this van – it works. The only quibble is payload being lower than its competitors, but the 600-700kg range will work for most businesses, if they can justify the uptake costs.

The city environment is where the ID.Buzz Commercial (and indeed all Buzz models) really excels. It’s a sharp drive with excellent control and torque, and the internal comfort means you never feel anything less than confident while driving it. The range is reliable, even when under load, and it’s one of the few electric vans we’ve driven without getting range anxiety. Motorway driving is also very easy, although the range does drop with more power being demanded. The highlight is the regenerative braking mode that allows as close to one-pedal driving as any electric van we’ve driven to-date. It’s really easy to like a van that drives this well.

Safety equipment is generous from entry level with the Commerce trim level offering a good all-round package. You get an anti-theft alarm system, interior monitoring in cab, back-up horn and towing protection, Autonomous Emergency Braking Front Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Monitoring, cruise control with speed limiter and Intelligent Speed Assist, an unintrusive Driver Alert System package, Dynamic Road Sign Display, the eCall emergency system, seat belt reminders, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Stepping up to Commerce Plus nets you additional safety systems including Adaptive Cruise Control, stop and go with speed limiter, central locking system with keyless locking and starting system, the Keyless Advanced system with SAFELOCK, Park Assist Plus, a very crisp rear-view camera, Side Assist, and Travel Assist with Lane Assist and Emergency Assist. Credit where it’s due, this van feels safe to drive thanks to an excellent level of systems provided from entry level.

Aside from everything already listed in the sections above, at Commerce trim level the ID.Buzz Cargo gets black plastic bumpers, heat reflecting glass, LED headlights, LED rear combination lights, big black steel wheels, tool kit and Tyre Mobility Set featuring a 12-volt compressor and tyre sealant, a reliable fixed bulkhead, and a hardy wooden floor covering in load compartment. Jumping up to Commerce Plus adds body-coloured bumpers, illuminated door handle recesses, and 19-inch ‘Tilburg’ bi-colour alloy wheels. It looks the best at Commerce Plus, but the Commerce trim is so well-equipped you can justify not having to make that trim leap.

In terms of cold reality, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo is beaten by most small electric van rivals being able to carry only 607-712kg in the back with the inevitable impacts on range and driving experience. The 300-mile range with the bigger battery means it could be practical for the right businesses, but the figures just aren’t as convincing as they could be against price and competitor model capabilities. It’s no revelation, but the question most businesses will ask is “where is the money going”, which is a shame because while the ID.Buzz Cargo might not stack up completely on paper, it really is a wonderful van to drive and be seen in.