A lot has been said so far about the 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz, not all of it positive. It took a while to get here after being first unveiled as a concept way back in 2017. Its range in 2025 isn’t exactly overwhelming, offering 234 EPA-estimated miles (377 kilometers) at most. And despite its retro styling, pricing in the U.S. isn’t anything like that of the old Type 2. The ID. Buzz starts at $59,995 and can hit close to $70,000 with dual-motor all-wheel-drive and other options included.

But here’s the thing: Some cars are more than just the sum of their parts, or their specs on paper. After spending a weekend hanging out with an ID. Buzz, I can say it’s largely won me over, in spite of everything.

Plus, it helps that it actually did better at fast charging than VW says it will, even in some very bitter upstate New York cold.

This past weekend, I got a visit from my Motor1 colleague and old friend Chris Perkins. He rode up from New York City in this loaned Cherry Red and Metro Silver Metallic ID. Buzz ahead of a photo shoot for a feature story he’s writing. I look forward to reading that, and you should too.

Photo by: Patrick George

Chris’ tester was a Pro S Plus model, in the middle of the ID. Buzz trim range, with a single-motor rear-wheel-drive setup and up to 234 miles of range from its 91 kilowatt-hour (gross) battery pack. It stickered in at $66,040 before any destination charges or other fees, with its sole option being $995 for that two-tone paint scheme. That’s a lot for a van that isn’t exactly a range king.

But after getting a taste of the ID. Buzz myself for the first time on U.S. roads, I feel the same way I did after driving it in Germany last year: This electric van is utterly charming.

In fact, it may be one of the most charming new cars on the road right now, electric or otherwise. With its bright, two-tone paint options, unique size and shape, cavernous three-row interior and cruising comfort, the ID. Buzz is one of the most distinctive three-row vehicles for sale in the U.S.

Sure, the Kia EV9 is outstanding (and in many ways, does the job of three-row family-hauling with better specs at a lower price) but the ID. Buzz just oozes character. People love to say that EVs don’t have any of that. But the ID. Buzz single-handedly proves them wrong. 

Charm, however, only gets you so far. Here’s how the ID. Buzz held up in our brief testing over the weekend. 

Photo by: Patrick George

2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Winter Range: Tested

As I covered in my last update on my 2024 Kia EV6, it’s been cold in the Catskills. Very cold. Like a lot of the U.S., this has been the first “real” winter we’ve had in several years. Snow has fallen regularly since Thanksgiving. Single-digit low temperatures have existed for months. And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when. But this makes for great winter EV testing conditions. 

Chris left New York City on Saturday morning with the ID. Buzz charged to 79%, equating to 211 miles (340 km) of estimated range. After driving 129 miles—a bit of that being lower-speed city traffic but mostly highway speeds—and averaging 49 mph (79 km/h), he arrived at my house two hours away with just 5% remaining. That read as a mere nine miles (14 km) of range left in the electron tank. The ID. Buzz had even cut its power and was issuing all sorts of “What the hell are you doing?” low-battery warning lights. 

Needless to say, Chris plugged the ID. Buzz into my home charger right away, and we took another car to lunch. 

Photo by: Patrick George

I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s early February. It was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 degrees Celsius) in the city, and the temperature dropped as Chris drove into the mountains. When he arrived at our house, it was a brisk 19 degrees F (-7 degrees C). On that drive, his average efficiency was approximately 2.1 miles per kWh. 

That’s pretty much what I’ve seen with my EV6 as of late, drives in the 2.0 to 2.5 miles per kWh range, generally. In warmer weather, I can about double that. And on one drive from the city to my house last year in a Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV, which has a similar 230-mile (370-km) range, I also had a low-battery close call. If Chris had charged to 100%, and all conditions were the same, we can assume a total winter range under these conditions of 144 miles (231 km.) 

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the most scientific test in the world, nor was it a standard InsideEVs 70-mph range test. It was a normal drive in normal conditions. As a result, I’d chalk this up to normal winter range losses, and for now, that is something EV drivers will have to account for. 

2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Winter Charging: Tested

In my experience charging the Volkswagen ID.4, I’d describe it as mid-tier: not the quickest-charging EV out there, but certainly not bad, either. That car caps off at speeds of 175 kW with its bigger battery, and the last time I drove one—during a moderate but rainy summer in the Catskills—I added 120 miles of range in 15 minutes on a 150 kW fastcharger. That’s plenty of time to get back on the road during a trip.

Photo by: Patrick George

The ID. Buzz should do better, normally. Its 91-kWh battery is rated for charging speeds of up to 200 kW. VW claims a 10% to 80% charging time of about 26 minutes. But our ID. Buzz tester had to DC fast-charge in much lower temperatures, which can impact charging performance. We had to find out how it would do in such conditions. 

After lunch, we grabbed the van and rolled up to a 350 kW EV Connect station with an 8% charge and 15 miles (24 km) of estimated range left. After one failed connection that required plugging in again (which may have been EV Connect’s payment app, who knows) the van started charging right away. The battery preconditioned automatically when we set the navigation system to this charger.  

It jumped to 151 kW right away, then 194 kW, all in under a minute. The ID. Buzz then held steady right around 200 kW and gave us an estimated time of 25 minutes to reach 80%. Not bad at all. It took a mere 13 minutes to hit a 52% charge. 

We ran some errands in the shopping center, then called it after 18 minutes, which put us right at 63% as speeds tapered down to 155 kW. Had we left it on, I’m confident we would have hit 80% in that 25 minutes—a little better than VW’s “official” estimate. That gave us 153 miles of range to work with. 

Not bad at all, honestly. While a few U.S.-market cars can pull speeds over 200 kW these days, most can’t. Getting those speeds into the ID. Buzz was an impressive feat. It passed my “Does it get you back on the road quickly enough?” test, and cost me $26.05—cheaper than a gas fill-up for sure.

Photo by: Patrick George

2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz: Early Verdict

I’m eager to get my hands on the ID. Buzz for some longer InsideEVs tests. But I do like this thing. Yes, it’s on the expensive side, and yes, the range could be better. Yet it held up extremely well in winter and with charging. And it’s just such a fun and unique machine—I can’t help but be glad it exists. 

Given the scant price differences between the two, I would probably want the dual-motor version. It adds a lot more power and winter stability but only cuts your range down to 231 miles (371 km.) Hopefully, we can get our hands on one soon. Until then, the ID. Buzz is shaping up to be better than we all expected. 

Photo by: Patrick George

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