Volkswagen ID.5

Volkswagen ID.5 at a glance

Concept and launch

The ID.5 started as the ID. Crozz concept, shown at Shanghai in April 2017 and at the Frankfurt IAA in September 2017. The production car arrived more than four years later. Wikipedia DE notes that the original concept was longer and more powerful than the car Volkswagen finally built.

Production began at Zwickau in January 2022, on the same line that builds the ID.3, the ID.4 and the Cupra Born. A shortage of wiring harnesses delayed the market launch, so the first customer cars reached Germany only in May 2022. The ID.5 shipped with software generation 3.0 and was meant to receive over-the-air updates every twelve weeks. Volkswagen also announced bidirectional charging as a future feature for its brand models.

Wikipedia EN cites a launch price of €46,515 for the base ID.5 in Germany in 2022. For the GTX with 250 kW, AUTO BILD quoted a list price of €58,755 without options in March 2025. The other models in the current range are on the Volkswagen catalogue page, and the company background is in our Volkswagen history.

Versions, motors and range

Every ID.5 at launch used the large battery with 77 kWh net, built from 12 modules of 24 pouch cells and cooled by water. Volkswagen did not offer the 52 kWh pack of the ID.4 at first. The rear-drive cars use a permanent-magnet synchronous motor at the back.

The new APP 550 rear motor of the 2024 model year delivers 210 kW and, depending on the source, 545 or 550 Nm; top speed rose from 160 to 180 km/h. AUTO BILD counts six power outputs since launch. Blank cells mean that our sources give no reliable figure for that version.

The GTX gives up 40 km of WLTP range against the rear-drive cars, about 8 per cent. In return it gets a second motor and reaches 100 km/h 1.9 seconds sooner than the Pro Performance. To translate PS, hp and kW between markets, the power converter helps.

Charging and battery

The launch cars accepted 11 kW from a wallbox and 135 kW from a fast charger; the ID.4 had started at 125 kW. InsideEVs gave about 30 minutes of fast charging for roughly 390 km of WLTP range in the rear-drive car and 320 km in the GTX. That works out at about 13 km of range per minute for the rear-drive model and just under 11 km per minute for the GTX.

For the 2024 model year Wikipedia EN lists DC charging of up to 175 kW with the 79 kWh net pack. A charge from 10 to 80 per cent then takes about 28 minutes, against 30 to 36 minutes for earlier packs, depending on the cell supplier.

ID.5 GTX: two motors and all-wheel drive

The GTX adds an asynchronous motor at the front axle, which works with the rear motor for all-wheel drive. At launch the system produced 220 kW and 460 Nm. From late 2023 the GTX got 250 kW, according to AUTO BILD. Its towing limit is 1,400 kg on an 8 per cent gradient, 200 kg more than the rear-drive versions.

Wikipedia DE gives the GTX a slightly higher drag coefficient of 0.27 against 0.26 for the Pro models. InsideEVs lists it at 4,582 mm long and 1,619 mm high, so it is a little shorter and taller than the rear-drive cars.

ID.5 or ID.4

The two cars share the 2,766 mm wheelbase, the battery, the motors and the dashboard. The ID.5 is about 15 mm longer, and its roof slopes into a small spoiler on the tailgate. With the rear seats folded, the ID.4 holds a little more.

German registration statistics do not separate the two cars: the KBA counted 24,847 ID.4 and ID.5 in 2022 and 36,353 in 2023. Wikipedia DE ranks the pair second among electric cars in Germany in 2023, behind the Tesla Model Y.

Safety and equipment

Euro NCAP did not crash the ID.5 separately. Because it shares most of its structure and components with the ID.4, it carries over the ID.4's five-star result from spring 2021, as Wikipedia DE explains. A 12-inch infotainment screen was available with the Discover Pro package at launch; the 2024 update brought revised software and infotainment.

German reviews were mostly positive. ADAC praised comfort, practicality and interior quality but criticised the unlit volume control and the window switches. Auto Motor und Sport liked the balance of performance and efficiency and the acceleration of the GTX, and criticised the infotainment and the limited rear view.