VW ID.7 Pro and 2024 Tesla Model 3 Long Range come equally matched in real life range test

22 February 2024

It was just a question of time before someone would pit the new 2024 Tesla Model 3 against the Volkswagen ID.7 - two of the most popular electric sedans ou there.

Courtesy of the YouTube channel Battery Life, we have a real-life range test of the ID.7 Pro versus the new Tesla Model 3 LR. On the face of it, the Tesla is far more powerful and smaller but with similar battery capacity, while the ID.7 with its single 286 hp electric motor and extra 750 lb to carry around, feels like an underdog. Well - here’s the video:

The underdog did pretty well, during the 75 mph test run both vehicles used nearly identical amounts of energy and ended up with a calculated maximum range of 256.8 miles. That is impressive on VW’s part - much larger and heavier and less powerful - and it vindicates all the extra work the company put into the aerodynamics.

It’s interesting to see that the ID.7 does not have a heat pump, and its heating was set at a slightly higher 23.5ºC (74.3ºF) than Model 3’s 21.5ºC (70.7ºF) - and yet both cars used almost the same 175 Wh/km (nearly 282 Wh/mile) of energy.

Yes - Model 3 is smaller and it is significantly cheaper ($5,400 less in Germany) than the ID.7, despite being way faster courtesy of its twin-motor 498 hp powertrain. Even though Tesla is smaller, it has a larger trunk and it has an additional 3.11 ft³ frunk, beating the ID.7 by a combined 5.3 ft³ - that's a couple of large suitcases.

So - the underdog. The ID.7 comes out of this test with surprising results. Bigger, slower, and yet as frugal as a much smaller Model 3. If only it was costing the same. There’s a caveat to buying ID.7 in Germany - it appears the lease options are much cheaper than those available for Tesla. According to Battery Life, the ID.7 can be had for nearly $429 less per month, on the same no-deposit and 24-month contract - that’s nearly $11,000 cheaper over the two years of the lease. Decisions, decisions.

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