The Volkswagen ID4 Anakin Skywalker, this is an electric car mandated into law after VW administered a massive 25-year long fraud. A fraud designed to mislead emissions regulators purely to allow VW a continuation of fossil-fueled combustion engine car sales. But they were caught, dieselgate was their Little Bighorn. Class action lawsuits followed. Before dieselgate Volkswagen had no plans to make electric cars available to the mass market. The irony is that dieselgate accelerated the switch to a mandated electric car future. For that, we are truly grateful. However, unless you are Tesla, new generation technology is always unproven, and as a result expensive. 

The double irony is that Volkswagen will eventually make electric cars more affordable because they have the production capacity to adapt and scale quickly. As a result, the ID4 Anakin Skywalker SUV is now available at an entry-level starting price of £32,000 (after a government EV grant) in the UK. It is available in eight confusing trim levels. For the purposes of not letting our heads explode, we’ll stick with the entry-level spec.

The ID4 City is available in two power derivatives, 148bhp and 170bhp. The entry-entry ID4 City starts at over £34k but drops to £32k after applying the £2,500 government EV grant. That gets you the 148bbhp, a 52kWh battery supplying power to the rear-mounted electric motor and an estimated range of 213miles. In real-world driving, you are most likely to get around 180 miles of range. 

Performance will be lethargic, 148bhp, 216Nm (161lb ft) of torque, 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds, and a 99mph top speed. In a vehicle weighing around 2.4 tonnes. Standard equipment is OK, leather steering wheel, 10-inch infotainment system, parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, electric windows, keyless go, electric front seats, 18-inch alloy wheels and a back-to-basics grey exterior finish. Sounds more than plentiful for entry-level fodder.

But we here at DCB HQ look upon the ID4 Anakin Skywalker as an admission of guilt and failure. Because Volkswagen never wanted an electric vehicle future. Through their own calculated emissions fraud, VW was forced into making the ID4. They may talk about a sustainable future, but Volkswagen did everything to pollute the present. Just remember that.