Volkswagen e-Up! 18.7 kWh

Overview

The 2019 Volkswagen e-Up! with the 18.7 kWh battery was a dinky electric warrior, perfect for slicing through city traffic. This specific trim marked the end of its run in 2019, offering a taste of nippy, zero-emission urban motoring primarily for European streets. Think of it as VW’s pocket rocket EV, designed for tight parking spots and short hops. Official US pricing was never announced for this city slicker, and any used examples would be rare imports with specialist pricing.

What's New for 2019?

For 2019, this 18.7 kWh version of the e-Up! was essentially taking its final bow. It represented the last iteration of this particular battery configuration before Volkswagen rolled out an updated e-Up! with a significantly larger battery pack later in the year. So, rather than packing new features, the 2019 18.7 kWh model was the swan song for this early-gen electric city car, offering a proven, if modest, EV experience for its final customers before the upgrade.

Design & Exterior

The e-Up! is unashamedly a city car, with a cheeky, upright stance. Its compact dimensions – just 139.4 inches long, 64.8 inches wide, and 58.1 inches tall – make it a dream for urbanites. The design is classic VW: clean, understated, and functional, with a friendly face. This 18.7 kWh version kept things simple, likely rolling on small alloy or steel wheels, emphasizing practicality over pomp. It’s small, but it’s got that solid VW feel, even in its most diminutive form.

Interior, Tech & Cargo

Inside the 2019 e-Up!, you'll find a surprisingly airy cabin for four, thanks to its boxy shape. Materials are straightforward and durable, fitting its city car brief. Cargo-wise, you get a practical 8.8 cubic feet in the trunk, expanding to a useful 32.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat – pretty good for its size! No frunk here, though. Tech was typically minimalist for its era and segment, likely featuring a basic infotainment screen or smartphone dock rather than expansive displays, keeping the focus on essential connectivity.

Performance & Driving Experience

Don't let its size fool you; the e-Up! is surprisingly zippy around town! Its 60 kW (around 80 hp) Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor delivers a healthy 155 lb-ft of torque instantly to the front wheels. This translates to a 0-60 mph dash in around 11.9 seconds – more than enough to dart through traffic. The driving experience is all about agility and ease, with light steering perfect for navigating tight city streets. Ride comfort is decent for a small car, and regenerative braking helps eke out extra miles.

Range, Battery & Charging

Powering this little urbanite is a 16 kWh usable battery pack (18.7 kWh nominal). Green Cars Compare estimates a real-world range of 73 miles, with an efficiency of 4.56 mi/kWh – ideal for daily commutes. At home, its 3.6 kW on-board charger could top it up in around 4.5 hours. For quicker pit-stops, it supported 40 kW DC fast charging, potentially zapping it to 80% in about 30 minutes. While it used a CCS Type 2 port in Europe, a US-spec model would have adopted the CCS Type 1 standard.

Safety & Driver-Assistance Features

While never crash-tested by the NHTSA as it wasn't sold Stateside, this specific 2019 Volkswagen e-Up! 18.7 kWh boasts an impressive 5-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. That's a top score, underlining its solid credentials in European safety assessments for a compact city car. Driver-assistance features were likely focused on urban essentials, such as available city emergency braking and parking sensors, rather than an extensive suite of advanced highway aids, aligning with its city-centric design and market position at the time.

Warranty & Maintenance Coverage

As the 2019 e-Up! 18.7 kWh was never officially sold in the US, specific American warranty details don't apply. However, had it launched here, Volkswagen would likely have offered a competitive package, perhaps a 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty and an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty for the battery and electric drive components, typical for EVs. Maintenance, like most electric cars, would be minimal, focusing on tires, brakes, and cabin filters, promising low running costs for this thrifty urban explorer.