New Volkswagen ID. Polo GTI to make long-awaited debut at N24 race next week
Mark your calendars, Volkswagen GTI is going electric on Friday May 15th
Volkswagen's first all-electric GTI model is about to be revealed to the public at the iconic Nurburgring 24h endurance race in Germany.
This is a huge step for VW. Until now the brand has hesitated to combine its iconic GTI hot hatch moniker with an electric car. With its new model offensive now in full swing, however, the time has come for those hallowed letters to adorn the back of an ID model.
The Volkswagen ID. Polo GTI is about to make its first appearance at the N24 Nurburgring 24-hour race in Germany. And it won’t be the last electric GTI, because the hot ID. Polo will be joined in a few years by the ID. Golf GTI and possibly even a city-car sized ID.1 GTI, as well.
Pricing for the ID. Polo is expected to start around £22,000, which would make the GTI variant closer to £30,000 – similar to the current price tag of the petrol-powered Polo GTI.
The new hot hatch is set to arrive on the market later in 2026, but if you just can't wait, you can currently buy a used current generation Volkswagen Polo GTI for under £9,000 through our Buy A Car service.
ID. Polo GTI design and dimensions
We’ve previously been given a great clue as to how the new ID. Polo GTI will look by the ID. GTI concept from 2023. Plus, the latest official shots from Volkswagen show the car in near-production state with only a very thin layer of camouflage hiding the final design.
The overall shape is very similar to the concept’s and indeed the regular ID. Polo, with a conventional five-door hatchback profile. The size will be the same as the concept, which was 4,104mm long - just three centimetres longer than the current Polo, but with a wheelbase of 2,600mm, which is closer to the current Golf’s. We can see the accompanying short overhangs and chunky 20-inch alloy wheels have been retained for the production car.
Other performance-oriented styling tweaks over the ID. Polo includes a revised front bumper, bespoke LED headlights, extended side skirts, a larger overhanging rear spoiler and a rear diffuser. If the concept is anything to go by, we also expect to see a honeycomb-effect mesh grille in the lower portion of the front bumper, complete with motorsport-style towing eyes and plenty of ‘GTI’ badging throughout.
Interior and tech
Volkswagen has yet to give us a look inside this GTI version, but it takes the new ID. Polo’s cabin into a sportier direction with red highlights, a sporty steering wheel and a return of the iconic tartan upholstery. There are deep bucket front seats too, complete with an LED ‘heartbeat’ that pulses to show people outside that the car is secured and locked.
There are also golf ball dimple motifs on some of the centre console elements, referencing the original Golf GTI gearknob. The concept has a sophisticated augmented-reality head-up display that projects information for both driver and front passenger; VW says it could be used to show information like lap position, times or current race standings – though this item seems less likely to make production.
Battery and performance
The ID. Polo GTI should match the new Cupra Raval VZ that’s just been revealed, which combines a 56kWh battery pack with a 230bhp front motor. This will help it crack 0-62mph in just under seven seconds – figures that are pretty close to those of the existing Golf GTI.
To make the most of its power, VW has also said that the car will feature a modified version of the current Golf GTI’s electronic front differential. The company claims that it will be able to integrate this system’s processes and software into the electric-motor control unit “to an even greater extent than on the petrol models”.
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