Volkswagen ID.Buzz arrives in Australia – and there’s a big pricing surprise!

August 30, 2024October 8, 2024 Toby Hagon 12585 Views ID.Buzz, Volkswagen

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz has finally landed Down Under and will be offered in three models and with the choice of five or seven seats.

And the 21^st century EV take on the iconic Kombi van is a whole lot more affordable than initially expected.

The entry-level ID.Buzz Pro short wheelbase five-seater will be priced from $87,990 plus on-road costs, which is tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than Volkswagen had first suggested when it confirmed the distinctively styled people mover would be heading to Australia.

Crucially, that means the all-electric ID-Buzz can take advantage of the Australian government’s fringe benefits tax exemption, which applies to EVs priced below the luxury car tax threshold, which for the 2024-25 financial year is $91,387.

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is priced from $87,990 plus on-road costs

That LCT threshold includes dealer delivery but excludes additional government costs such as stamp duty and registration. That means dealer delivery on the ID.Buzz will have to be below $3397.

Seven-seat EV – with good looks thrown in

Those wanting seven seats will have to choose the long wheelbase ID.Buzz Pro, which is 250mm longer and adds a third row of seats.

Priced from $91,290 the ID.Buzz seven-seater misses out on the potentially big tax benefit but is still a tempting proposition in the booming EV market.

The ID.Buzz seven-seater is also among the most seven-seat EVs in the country; the smaller and less spacious Mercedes-Benz EQB is priced from $89,100 while the larger Kia EV9 starts at $97,000 (prices exclude on-road costs).

Those ID.Buzz Pro models get a single 210kW/560Nm electric motor driving the rear wheels.

Hooked up to an 84kWh battery (79kWh of which is useable) they’re claimed to get between 432km and 487km of range on the WLTP test cycle, depending on the model (those figures are taken from overseas, with the Australian spec yet to be confirmed, but expect it to sit somewhere in that range).

Each also gets 19-inch alloy wheels, 360-degree camera, matrix LED headlights, powered tailgate and power sliding side doors. Plus there’s a 12.9-inch infotainment screen and nine-speaker sound system.

The only standard colour is white, with all others adding $1890, while two-tone finishes up that to $4090. That means the funkier colour combos likely won’t be able to take advantage of that FBT exemption.

A panoramic sunroof is $3290 and 21-inch wheels $1900.

Volkswagen also offers two options packs for the ID.Buzz.

The Interior Style Package is $6470 and adds Seaquel fabric (including some recycled marine waste), tinted rear windows, four heated seats and a platform and partition for the luggage area.

The Premium Interior Style Package is $6970 and gets the above additional features but replaces the trim with ArtVelours, a recycled microfleece.

Dual motor ID.Buzz GTX adds performance spice

Those wanting an ID.Buzz with more driving spice can choose the GTX, priced from $109,990 plus on-roads.

The ID.Buzz GTX gets a dual-motor system for all-wheel drive traction and more performance.