Volkswagen’s ID.3 Pro S retained 91% of its net battery capacity after covering more than 160,000 km in a four-year endurance trial conducted by ADAC engineers at the Test and Technology Centre in Landsberg am Lech, Germany.
ADAC is Europe’s largest motoring association.
The high-voltage battery, originally rated at 77 kWh net energy, displayed no significant degradation by the end of the warranty period.
Volkswagen guarantees that all ID. models will maintain at least 70% of their initial net capacity after eight years or 160,000km of operation.
Volkswagen sales chief Martin Sander said the findings “show the impressive quality of our ID. models even after covering many kilometres” and noted that a battery capacity of over 90% makes the vehicles “very attractive as used cars” while meeting customer requirements.
Throughout the trial, rapid-charging stations were used for over 40% of charging sessions to accelerate mileage accumulation.
Contrary to manufacturer recommendations, the ID.3 was also left at 100% charge between drives, sometimes for several days. Between test runs, engineers carried out repeated battery-condition checks.
ADAC testers recommend that owners install all available software updates.
During the trial, the ID.3 received several upgrades, including the Electric Vehicle Route Planner, which optimises charging stops by considering traffic conditions and forecasts, and a software revision that raised maximum charging power to 170kW.
These updates also reduced energy consumption on short trips and in winter temperatures of 0 – 5 °C, thereby extending driving range.
Despite the high mileage, the bodywork, chassis, axles, suspension and steering showed no significant wear or issues, and maintenance requirements remained low, according to the ADAC engineers.
