This Camouflaged Volkswagen EV Is Way More Important Than It Looks

Behind the camo is VW’s new €28,000 subcompact electric crossover aimed at mainstream European buyers.

VW ID Cross series version disguised on factory pictures (2026)

Photo by: Volkswagen

Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Mar 16, at 4:01pm ET

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Volkswagen has revealed a camouflaged prototype for its upcoming ID. Cross subcompact electric crossover.
The ID. Cross will enter production later this year alongside other models built on VW's cheap EV platform.
The manufacturer has confirmed the ID. Cross will have a starting price of around €28,000 ($32,000).

Europe is finally getting the kind of cheaper EVs that could move electric cars beyond early adopters with models like the Volkswagen ID. Cross. A camouflaged near-production model that VW revealed on Monday gives us our best look yet at the new city EV, which will debut and enter production before the end of the year.

Volkswagen expects the ID. Cross to start at around €28,000 ($32,000), making it one of the more attainable EVs from a major European brand. In some markets, local incentives (which are coming back) could further lower the effective price.

VW ID Cross series version disguised on factory pictures (2026)

VW ID. Cross near-production version

Photo by: Volkswagen

Its upright shape should help maximize interior space despite the small footprint, while the crossover stance gives it the look buyers increasingly want, even if it’s really built for city duty. Even though it looks a bit rugged, it is built exclusively for on-road use.

It will be available with either a 37-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery in base spec or a larger 52-kWh nickel manganese cobalt pack, which should push its WLTP range to over 260 miles (420 km). That should make the ID. Cross usable beyond city driving, even if it’s clearly being pitched as an urban-friendly EV first, especially considering how good Europe’s charging infrastructure is becoming.

VW ID Cross series version disguised on factory pictures (2026)

VW ID. Cross near-production version

Photo by: Volkswagen

Charging the big-battery model from 10-80% will take around 24 minutes at a peak charging rate of 130 kilowatts.

It’s built on the MEB+ platform, the cheaper, front-wheel-drive version of the MEB platform that underpins larger VW Group EVs, like the ID.4. It measures just shy of 164 inches (4.16 meters), so it will be marginally larger than its combustion equivalent from the VW lineup, the T-Cross. Like the T-Cross, the ID. Cross will be front-wheel drive-only with up to 208 hp.

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For buyers who don’t want a tall crossover, Volkswagen will also offer the ID. Polo, which is a typical hatchback. Those looking for something sportier built on the same underpinnings will be able to choose the Cupra Raval, which is the most exciting-looking of the MEB+ vehicles, and it also promises the most exciting driving experience.

Gallery: VW ID. Cross camouflaged prototype

VW ID Cross series version disguised on factory pictures (2026)

Source: Volkswagen

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Skoda is also making an equivalent model to the ID. Cross, the Epiq, which has a slightly more polarizing face and promises even more cargo room than the VW. All these MEB+ vehicles will come out of the same factory in Martorell, Spain.

Given Europe’s shift toward crossovers, the ID. Cross and Skoda Epiq look like the safer bets for volume. But hatchbacks still matter here, and the success of the Renault 5 E-Tech last year shows buyers haven’t abandoned this body style, which should make this new generation of smaller VW Group EVs especially interesting to watch once they’re all on sale in 2027.