About two weeks ago, an official confirmation – ID – arrived from Volkswagen. The Polo, a compact electric model, will premiere in the spring of 2026, go on sale in April, and its starting price will be 25,000 euros. However, new, unofficial information is now coming from the German media, which says that all this is technically true, but not quite literally so. Namely, although ID. Polo announced with that promised price, its most affordable performance will not be available immediately after the market launch.
Delay due to batteries
According to internal estimates and information from the trading network reported by Handelsblatt, the start of sales of the new ID. Half is planned for April 2026, and the first deliveries are expected at the end of summer. However, customers who were expecting the basic model from the announced 25,000 euros could be disappointed, as it is expected that this version will arrive in showrooms with a delay of as much as six to nine months compared to the more expensive variants.
In the beginning, only models of higher equipment levels, which will cost over 30,000 euros, could probably be available for order – which is a move that, for example, at the beginning of sales of the Model 3, customers were once disappointed by Tesla.
The same sources provide the main reasons for the delayed launch of the most affordable version. Namely, ID. The Polo will be equipped with two battery options: a smaller capacity of 37 kWh (LFP technology) and a larger one of 52 kWh (NMC technology). It is the smaller LFP battery that should enable the starting price of 25,000 euros, offering a range of about 300 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle.
However, it is also the main reason that this model will be delayed. There is a shortage of that type of battery on the market, so the ID should arrive on the market first. Polo with NMC batteries and the most powerful drive, i.e. with a 155 kW (211 HP) electric motor. Therefore, for the first few months, only models with a much higher price than the one initially announced will be available to customers.