Is The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Worth Its Premium Price?

The 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz is one of the most unique vehicles to emerge this year, blending new-school electric vehicle features with a nostalgic design that evokes memories of Volkswagen's classic van. One of the most-discussed topics surrounding the VW ID. Buzz is its crazy price — just under $60,000 for the base model and reaching nearly $70,000 for the 1st Edition trim with all-wheel drive. You can increase that to over $75,300 by adding a plethora of its wacky add-ons like a $350 kayak rack and a $39 custom sun shield for the windshield. 

The ID. Buzz is an electric minivan in a category pretty much all its own, but other three-row EVs are around the same price. For example, the 2025 Kia EV9 has a starting price of $56,400, while the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB starts at $53,050. There are also options in the six-figure category. So why are people saying the VW ID. Buzz is overpriced compared to the competition? 

While customizing your VW ID. Buzz with its plethora of accessories, you may find yourself smiling when it came to picking the colors. The two-tone paint options included names like Cabana Blue, Energetic Orange, and Pomelo Yellow — fun names for fun colors. There's no denying that the VW ID. Buzz has a distinct design that evokes 1960s and 1970s minibus vibes, giving it a unique feel and aesthetic, compared to the largely uniform electric SUVs available on the market. 

In SlashGear's previous review of the VW ID. Buzz, Chris Davies emphasized that people will "point, and stare, and take photos, but — most charmingly — they smile." Driving this fun bus will make everyone around you happy, including yourself. For some people, that amount of joy while driving to work or the beach is worth paying a bit extra. However, there's one big issue that appears to be overshadowing the VW ID. Buzz's styling and roomy interior.

Compared to other similarly priced three-row EVs, the VW ID. Buzz has a pretty underwhelming range. The standard one has an 86-kWh battery pack, which should reach 234 miles per charge in the rear-wheel drive model, and 231 miles for the all-wheel drive according to Volkswagen. That's already well below the lower-priced SUVs mentioned before — the 2025 Kia EV9 offers 304 miles and the 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQB reaches a claimed 251 miles. To make matters worse, some driving tests have come up short — Car and Driver reported just 190 miles for the rear-wheel drive model and 180 miles for the all-wheel drive model. It also charged slower than Volkswagen claimed. 

"I think it's cool, really. I think it's the right mix of retro and future, family, and fun," started one review on Reddit. "But WHOOOO BOY is it grossly overpriced. And end of the day, it's probably under-ranged at any price. For a true family vehicle it just doesn't have the range." Another responded that "captures the original hippie van style" but unfortunately "the price tag and middling range doesn't do it any favors." 

This seemed to be the statement echoed pretty much everywhere in regards to the VW ID. Buzz. The style is eye-catching and desirable, but many weren't able to justify the price due to its unfortunate range. A statement on another Reddit post regarding the Buzz said it all: "I want one, but price and range keep me from it."