Volkswagen ID.7: First Impressions of the Flagship Electric Sedan

Volkswagen positions the ID.7 as its flagship electric sedan, the car that sits above the ID.4 without crossing into premium pricing. The internal comparison is the Passat, which tells you everything about the intended buyer. This is meant to be ordinary transportation that happens to run on a battery. At 4.96 metres long, it fills that role physically too.

The Pro S variant that most markets receive carries an 86 kWh battery driving a rear-mounted motor rated at 210 kW (286 PS) and 545 Nm of torque. Volkswagen quotes a WLTP range of up to 709 km in the most favorable configuration, a figure that drops in colder weather and at sustained motorway speeds but remains among the highest in the segment. The drag coefficient of 0.23 helps explain why. Volkswagen has leaned heavily on aerodynamic efficiency as a range strategy, and on a highway cruise the result is noticeable. During one company-organized test, an ID.7 Pro S covered 794 km on a single charge under controlled conditions, according to Volkswagen Newsroom.

DC fast charging peaks at 200 kW on the Pro S, bringing the battery from 10 to 80 percent in roughly 26 minutes. Volkswagen claims ten minutes of charging adds around 244 km of range. An 11 kW AC onboard charger handles overnight needs at home, and a standard heat pump helps preserve range in winter by heating the cabin without draining the battery at the same rate a resistive heater would.

The cabin is where things get more interesting. Volkswagen has fitted a 15-inch central touchscreen and an optional augmented reality head-up display, and the software underneath has been reworked to address the complaints that followed earlier ID models. Climate controls are no longer buried three menus deep. The physical volume knob is back. A 6.4-inch digital instrument cluster sits ahead of the driver, and an optional 700-watt Harman Kardon system with 14 speakers handles audio. These sound like small wins, however they fix the exact frustrations that made the ID.3 and ID.4 feel like appliances designed by people who never had to use them in a hurry. It reminds me of a hotel room where the light switches finally make sense after years of guests fumbling in the dark.

The rear seats fold to open up 1,586 litres of cargo space, or 532 litres with all seats in place. Volkswagen also offers an electrochromic panoramic glass roof that switches between transparent and opaque, a feature that adds a sense of space to the interior without the usual blinds.

Euro NCAP gave the ID.7 five stars when it was tested in 2023, with the highest scores of any car that year in three of four categories. The driver assistance package includes lane keeping, adaptive cruise, and an automatic parking function that Volkswagen says works from distances of more than 16 metres. In hindsight, most of these systems have been available for years across the segment. The difference is whether they work smoothly enough that you forget they are there.

Volkswagen cancelled the ID.7 for the US market in January 2025, citing difficult conditions for electric sedan sales. The car remains available across Europe and Turkey, where the Pro S launched at 2,796,000 Turkish lira according to Volkswagen Turkey’s December 2024 pricing. In the UK, the 77 kWh Pro starts at £51,005 and the Pro S adds roughly £3,500. A GTX variant with all-wheel drive, 250 kW (340 PS), and a 0-100 km/h time of 5.4 seconds sits at the top of the range for those who want more performance.

The ID.7 does not need to win a drag race to earn a recommendation. It needs to be efficient, stable at motorway speed, and simple to operate on a Tuesday morning. The competition includes the Hyundai Ioniq 6, BYD Seal, and Tesla Model 3, all of which trade blows on range, price, or technology depending on the market. Volkswagen has priced the ID.7 where a Passat buyer can still see themselves behind the wheel, and that positioning, more than any single spec, will determine whether it sells.