Volkswagen ID.3
The ID.3 1ST was the opening edition of Volkswagen's purpose-built electric hatchback. Its battery sat low under the floor and a 204-PS motor drove the rear wheels, leaving a short nose and lots of passenger space for its size.
2020 Volkswagen ID.3 1ST · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0
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More than a set of wheels.
Volkswagen limited the launch edition to 30,000 cars and began delivering them to European early adopters in September 2020. The 1ST used the Pro Performance powertrain: a 58 kWh usable battery, 150 kW motor and rear-wheel drive. Some of the very first cars arrived before two software features were ready, and Volkswagen promised a later update rather than hiding that launch-day limitation.
Look a little closer.
Its 10.2-meter turning circle is close to that of a much smaller city car because the front wheels do not have to wrap around a front engine and driveshafts.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
What 1ST means
The 1ST was a numbered-style launch edition rather than a different motor. Volkswagen said it was based on the Pro Performance model and limited to 30,000 examples. The exact launch claim was up to 420 km on the WLTP test cycle; a later general Pro Performance technical table lists up to 426 km, so this profile keeps the 1ST's original 420-km figure instead of mixing test vintages.
Source: Volkswagen Newsroom — Sales of ID.3 start on July 20 ↗A launch with software still arriving
Volkswagen offered September delivery for early customers who accepted that App Connect and the augmented-reality head-up display's distance function would be activated later by a workshop software update. Customers choosing later fourth-quarter delivery were promised the complete software set. That makes the 2020 1ST an honest snapshot of how early software-defined cars reached buyers.
Source: Volkswagen Newsroom — ID.3 1ST deliveries begin in early September ↗Why the motor lives at the back
Volkswagen put the compact drive unit at the rear and the battery between the axles. The company says the permanent-magnet motor worked at better than 90-percent efficiency in most driving situations, the whole drive unit weighed less than 90 kg and regenerative braking could reach about 0.3 g before the wheel brakes joined in.
Source: Volkswagen Newsroom — Drive, running gear and safety ↗Where these facts come from
- Volkswagen Newsroom — Sales of ID.3 start on July 20
- Volkswagen Newsroom — ID.3 1ST deliveries begin in early September
- Volkswagen Newsroom — ID.3 technical data
- Volkswagen Newsroom — Drive, running gear and safety
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.