I drove the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz for a week — and it gets more attention than any other EV on the road

Tom's Guide

17-05-2025

In my 10 months of test driving EVs, only one kind of vehicle has eluded me: an all-electric van. Well, that wait is finally over because the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz is now commercially available for purchase. And you know what? It's the EV that's getting the most attention, far more than any luxury vehicle I've tested.
That's because the ID.Buzz is unlike any other electric vehicle on the market, and in my week's worth of testing it, I cannot tell you how much of a deep impression it has made across multiple generations. Quite frankly, Volkswagen's making it cool again to drive a van on the road — complete with a modern makeover that will make you do a double take.
Even though there's an undeniable amount of buzz surrounding it, the $59,995 starting cost of the base trim makes it a pricey investment. That goes up to $67,995 for the Pro S Plus with 4MOTION trim that I test drove for a week, which comes with a stronger electric motor and an EPA-estimated range of 231 miles.
2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Pro S Plus 4MOTION
Battery
91 kWh
Motor
Dual electric motors
Range
231 miles
Horsepower
335 hp
Wheels
20-inches
MSRP
$67,995.00
Despite being one of the taller and longer EVs I've driven all year, the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz Pro S Plus with 4MOTION manages an average efficiency of 3 mi/kWh — that's with 270 miles of driving it for the week. This means that it's very possible to go beyond the 231 miles of range it's rated for, assuming that it could sustain that 3 mi/kWh efficiency.
While this turns out to be better than I expected, the range is still considerably low compared to other EVs I've tested, like the much cheaper Chevrolet Equinox EV. Then again, I managed an efficiency of 4.1 mi/kWh driving 7 miles of local driving, while my best long distance efficiency came out to 2.9 mi/kWh driving a total of 60 miles. Compared to other large-sized EVs I've tested so far this year, the ID. Buzz is actually pretty good with its efficiency, considering it offers 3-row seating.
The Level 1 charging speed isn't bad at the rate of 2.66 mi/hr, but if you intend on driving a lot each day, I highly recommend installing a Level 2 charger at home. Basically, it added back 30 miles of range to the ID.Buzz with 11.2 hours of charging. If your daily work commute is short, say 10 miles round trip, you could suffice with Level 1 charging.
2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Pro S Plus 4MOTION
2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV LT
Total miles driven
270 miles
413 miles
351.6 miles
Average Efficiency
3 mi/kWh
2.46 mi/kWh
3.5 mi/kWh
Best long distance driving efficiency
2.9 mi/kWh (60 miles of distance)
3 mi/kWh (34.6 miles of distance)
3.7 mi/kWh (32.9 miles of driving)
Best short distance driving efficiency
4.1 mi/kWh (7 miles of distance)
N/A
4.5 mi/ kWh (16 miles of driving)
Level 1 charging rate
2.66 mi/hr
2.32 mi/hr
3.96 mi/hr
Without a doubt, the quirky design of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz is its biggest draw — mainly due to how it takes the iconic design of the Volkswagen Bus and reimagines it with a modern touch. I know it also helps that it's available in a handful of colors, like the Pomelo Yellow Metallic and Candy White trim of my loaner.
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On the road, it received more attention from other drivers than any other EV I've tested to date — which inspires a lot of nostalgia from baby boomers and Gen Xers. I've had a couple of instances when other drivers would pull up by me, only to tell me how much they love this redesign. Just check out the video above to see exactly what I mean. I'm an older millennial and I can appreciate how its design casts a deep impression across all generations.
Prior to this, the only other van I've tested in the last year is the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid. I was anticipating it to be a challenge to drive, since the ID.Buzz is longer and surprisingly just as tall as other all-electric pickup trucks I've driven — like the Chevrolet Silverado EV.
But despite this, I have to say that the Volkswagen ID.Buzz drives smoothly and has a decent turning radius. On the highway, its 335 hp performance from its dual electric motors allow it to accelerate effortlessly, while the steering is responsive enough to take turns without much effort. I would recommend, though, to drive it in B mode because this effectively engages the regenerative brakes.
This all-electric van begs to be driven for long distances, which is why I appreciate how well its adaptive cruise control works. Once activated, it takes control of the steering wheel to keep it centered in the lane, along with applying the necessary braking and acceleration to maintain its cruising speed.
I also like how this adaptive cruise control system is pretty quick to respond to other cars coming into my lane. Not only does it brake to keep its distance when this happens, but it doesn't slam the brakes as hard as other EVs. On top of that, it gradually accelerates to get up to cruising speed rather than doing it abruptly. And finally, I find the heads-up display helpful in keeping my eyes more focused on the road than looking down at the driver's display.
Your passengers can relax in style with the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz Pro S Plus with 4MOTION because it packs second-row captain's chairs that make it feel like they're sitting in first class on a flight. There's only two seats for the second row, which can recline to make them more suitable for those naps on the road, but there's an opening in between that allows easy access to the third row.
Speaking of the third row bench seating, there has been a recall recently for the ID.Buzz because it's deemed too wide and doesn't comply with the current standards — which is odd because you'd think that this would've been caught earlier in the development process. Regardless, I thought they're much more comfortable than the other vehicles with third-row seating.
Not all vans have second row windows that can open, but the Volkswagen ID.Buzz has a neat take with its power sliding windows. They don't technically open down like your traditional rear windows, but rather the glass cutout slides out — which I'd say is another design quirk that makes it intriguing.
Bigger vehicles like this tend to sacrifice efficiency for the utility of carrying more passengers, but the Volkswagen ID.Buzz manages 3 mi/kWh efficiency. That's the target I want all EVs to strive for at this point, as there are still few that exceed the 4 mi/kWh range — like the Lucid Air Pure.
What's notable about my 3 mi/kWh average efficiency driving the ID.Buzz for a week is that it could theoretically hit a range of 273 miles based on its 91 kWh battery. This actually beats the manufacturer's EPA-estimated claim of 231 miles.
I'm always in awe whenever I unlock the Volkswagen ID.Buzz with the key fob because I'm treated to a short lighting sequence that shows off its adaptive LED headlights. Even better is the dynamic cornering lights that kick on and throw additional light whenever I take turns — so that I can see a bit more of the road to my left or right.
Speaking of range, it's really short and puts it at a disadvantage over other EVs similar to its size. This kind of EV begs to be driven for vacations and long distance trips, but its EPA-estimated range of 231 miles limits how far and longer you can drive with it before it needs to be charged. For example, the 2025 Cadillac Optiq packs a slightly smaller 85 kWh battery, but it's rated for 302 miles.
Due to how it prioritizes passenger space on the inside, the trunk is obscenely small — albeit, I do like the small cubbies that act as storage. I struggled with this because there wasn't enough space for a big grocery trip, so I ended up having to stow them in the second row. I could pull down the third row seats to make more room for the trunk, but then it becomes more of a hassle of constantly putting them back up.
Although it's a modern van in how it's designed from the inside and out, I think Volkswagen is missing an opportunity to draw more people into choosing the ID.Buzz. I could very well see the ID.Buzz for campers and van life folks, but it would be nice to have other trims that would cater to their needs more — as opposed to being a passenger vehicle for carrying a lot of people.
I think it would be attractive if there was a camper trim version that strips out the premium seats on the inside to make more room. At this point, you'd have to do some extra work into converting the current trims to an ideal camper.
People can't get enough of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz. It's cool, hip, and different all at the same time. Plus, it certainly boosts the interest around making more all-electric vans because this is one area that's sorely lacking with options.
I can't tell you enough how people have a deep connection to the ID.Buzz because it got more compliments and interest from random strangers than all the other EVs I've driven this year, combined.
While it's still more expensive than the average EV, I think it's reasonable given the premium features that come with it — and how cool looking it is to drive. I just want more trim options, so that owners don't have to do more work (and potentially more money) to get it to exactly what they want.