Volkswagen refreshed electric city car e-up! priced in the UK

Customers can now place a stock order for the refreshed Volkswagen e-up!, the brand’s smallest electric vehicle, with a real-world range that has doubled over its predecessor.

The electric city car starts at £19,695 ($25,604) RRP OTR, and is a key member of Volkswagen's electric family, which welcomes the ID.3 later this year.

Volkswagen first unveiled the e-up! in 2013 as the brand's first fully-electric production car, and it went on sale in the UK early in 2014. Since then the range of the e-up! has been boosted to 159 miles (WLTP), up from the original's 83-mile potential, thanks to the addition of a larger lithium-ion battery pack with a net capacity of 32.3 kWh, up from 18.7 kWh in the previous-generation car.

In addition to this, the e-up! runs parallel to the rest of the up! range, so in turn benefits from the same package of driver's assistance, safety and connectivity technologies that others like the up! Beats, new up! R-Line and up! GTI receive, including a multifunction camera with Lane Assist, curtain airbags and smartphone integration cradle.

Also standard on the range-topping e-up! are comfort and convenience features including heated front seats and a heated windscreen, climate control, rain sensing wipers and electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors. Cruise control is also fitted at no additional cost.

The zero-emissions e-up! is identifiable by its 15-inch ‘Tezzle' wheels, bespoke bumpers and C-shaped daytime running lights, with blue strips in the front grille and across the boot lid signifying the car's zero-emission status. The e-up! also has the accolade of being the first electric car to bear the new Volkswagen logo.

Tim O'Donovan, EV Product Marketing Manager at Volkswagen UK, said: “We are very pleased to have secured limited stock in the UK for this latest electric version of our popular city car. With a proven electric powertrain, impressive range, and excellent value-for-money the e-up! is a zero-emissions city car that can venture far beyond the city limits. Volkswagen is entering the era of the electric ‘People's Car'. After finding great success with the e-up! and e-Golf we are excited to see the ID.3 arriving on our shores this summer, which will be our first ground-up new electric car based on the MEB platform.“