Volkswagen is preparing a second facelift for the five-year-old ID 3 as part of efforts to keep the electric hatchback fresh until it is replaced by the electric Golf in 2028.
Set to be launched in the UK in 2026, the upgraded ID 3 is planned to adopt a bolder front-end design and higher-quality interior trims among other changes, according to sources with knowledge of Volkswagen’s future model plans.
News of the facelift to the ID 3 comes as Volkswagen prepares to kick off pilot production of the smaller ID 2 and its sister model, the Cupra Raval, at Seat’s Martorell plant in Spain.
With the ID 2 and Raval poised to grab the limelight, Volkswagen is moving quickly to ensure the ID 3 does not get left behind.
It is the second facelift for the ID 3 since its debut in 2020, but this time around the changes run deeper than those made in 2023, Autocar has been told.
A complete redesign of the front end is claimed to provide it with a fresh face, heavily influenced by the ID 2all and ID GTI Concept models. Volkswagen design boss Andreas Mindt says he wants the company’s new electric models to look more inviting in a step away from the more clinical designs of earlier ID-badged efforts.
Additionally, the roof and tailgate of the ID 3 will be painted in body colour in a move aimed at lowering the car’s visual centre of gravity and giving it a squatter, more sporting stance.
The changes inside are even more significant: the facelifted ID 3 borrows its dashboard design, with buttons and switches, from the ID 2, ditching the divisive touch-sensitive sliders and touch control in the process. A redesigned steering wheel and higher-quality materials for the doors and trim complete the transformation.
Details of any drivetrain changes remain under wraps, though the ID 3 is expected to receive any new developments planned for the ID 2 as part of Volkswagen’s efforts to further increase its overall efficiency.
