VW maintains EV pricing, while ICE prices rise

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has excluded its ID. series electric cars from the annual price adjustment for the 2026 model year. However, most combustion engines will become more expensive on 21 August, on average by 1.5 per cent.

This was reported by the German publication Automobilwoche with reference to the corresponding letter from the car manufacturer to Volkswagen dealers. As of 21 August, combustion models will be 1.5 per cent more expensive on average, which puts VW below the inflation rate, it says. This is because the year-on-year inflation rate for July was two per cent.

The electric cars ranging from the ID.3 to the ID.7, as well as the T-Roc, are exempt from the price increase. The other model series from the Polo to the Touareg will become more expensive, although the increase will be less pronounced than in the previous year: VW had raised the prices of combustion engines by 2.1 to 3.2 per cent for the 2025 model year. Even then, electric car prices remained the same.

However, this only affects the list prices of the vehicles, with other adjustments also making the electric cars more expensive: according to the letter, individual optional extras will become more expensive, such as “special paint finishes, sports, design and lighting packages.” And this is independent of the drive type.

If the list prices for combustion engines rise and not for electric cars, the price difference at the time of purchase will continue to fall. As electric cars are generally cheaper in terms of running costs (it depends very much on the individual charging costs), the electric car pays for itself more quickly for customers than a comparable combustion engine. In the past, VW has repeatedly emphasised that it has reduced the costs of its electric models and thus passed them on to customers. However, the omission of the price round for electric cars can also be partly understood as a promotional measure: Despite the softened fleet limits, manufacturers will have to increase sales of alternative drive systems sooner or later.

So far this year, VW is doing relatively well in Germany. After seven months, three electric vehicle models from Wolfsburg are in the top 3 of the KBA statistics: the ID.7 leads ahead of the ID.4/ID.5 and the ID.3. In this period, the brand has a total of 61,578 electric cars in the German new registration statistics; 20.7 per cent of all new VWs.

automobilwoche.de (in German)