In a week of test driving the 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz, I got showered in smiles, thumbs-ups, and compliments on my good taste (that I didn’t deserve, but took anyway). People just love to see a Volkswagen bus coming. But what really made onlookers lose their minds was opening the small hatch-sized rear window and letting my dog poke her snout out into the air. I’d never seen so many IRL heart-eyes expressions. Bramble the merle mutt was just as happy for the attention, too.
We’ve covered VW’s new electric hippiemobile quite a few different ways, and I’d encourage you to check out our first drive write-up for driving impressions and an upcoming full-length review for even more detail. I’ll also have a cargo-carrying analysis for you to look at soon. Here, we’re going to discuss the bus’s dog-hauling merits.
Since the ID Buzz can seat seven people (this test car had the second row bench instead of captain’s chairs) I thought it’d be cute and funny to try and load one human and six canines into the bus at once. Guess what—it was!
For this little shakedown and backyard canine campout, Bramble was joined by two of her brothers, her mom, and an “aunt” and “cousin” who aren’t actually blood-related. You can probably tell which of the animals she shares DNA with.
Hop-in Heights
Rear Seat Ease of Access: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️
Cargo Area Ease of Access: 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️
With wide-opening sliding doors and a floor height on the low side of medium, getting into the ID Buzz from the side is doable even for shorter animals. But there is a bit of a jump required to get over the sliding door track. The smallest dogs will need a little boost, but most should be able to hop right on in. Coming in through the back hatch requires a little more athleticism from your animal if the rear cargo shelf is in place; it’s a decently high jump from the ground.
This shelf and the small fabric storage boxes below it can be removed, but it’s pretty useful in place and mildly annoying to detach, so you’ll probably want to leave it where it is most of the time.
Getting dogs into the third row is a little more annoying. The middle seat does slide forward a lot, but it’s not all that light, so it can be a little cumbersome to adjust with a leash in another hand.
Creature Comfort
Rear-seat roominess: 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️
Rear climate control: 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️
Cargo area roominess: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶
Snout access to rear window: 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️
Despite its $70,000 list price, the ID Buzz feels a lot closer to “commercial shuttle” than “high-roof limo.” The seats are pretty firm and upright, with effectively no side-to-side bolstering. Passengers, dog or human, won’t mind on short and medium-length rides as long as you don’t take turns too aggressively. Since the vehicle’s range is only about 200 miles, though, you’ll get a break before you get too far anyway.
The rear window was perfectly positioned for Bramble, but it’s tiny, and dogs even just a little bit shorter would have a tough time reaching it.
With the windows up, the rear ventilation system is fine but doesn’t stand out.
Interior Materials
Hard surface scratch resistance: 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️
Soft surface rip resistance: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️
Ease of cleaning: 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️
The leather on the seats feels nice and tough; I don’t think it would scratch easily at all. The plastic parts are OK, certainly not the flimsiest I’ve seen, but I’d try to keep dog claws away from them as best you can.
Pet Accessories
Variety: 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️
Quality: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️
Style: 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️ ⚪️
Usefulness: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 ⚪️
Volkswagen has a pretty solid catalog of dog accessories. The brand’s also leaned into its relationship with Kong—the nearly indestructible dog toy that was inspired by a bump stop from the original VW buses.
You’ll have no trouble finding cute VW-branded dog stuff, including good-quality items.
Versatility
Kennel capacity: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶
Room for a big family: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶
The ID Buzz benefits from a tall ceiling and low floor that make it feel more like a proper work van than, say, a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna. In other words, there’s a wealth of space to stash whatever you want in. If you used one of these for your doggie daycare business, you could build a pretty big multi-kennel cargo system.
But you’d probably get by just fine covering the seats and harnessing all the dogs in with the seat belts. You’d have to make sure to keep the windows shut, though; you’ll have anarchy as the animals fight over the two tiny portholes that open up in the back.
Verdict
Bramble’s ride rating: 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶 🐶
Honestly, the ID Buzz is a better dog car than it is a people’s car. EV propulsion aside, it occupies a unique space between cargo van and family mover which we haven’t really had since the Mercedes-Benz Metris was phased out of the U.S. market. Plenty of room for pups and kennels, easy access, the only real doggie downsides is that it’s tough to get major airflow to the rear passenger section. Bramble loved it, and so did everybody we drove by.
If you’re canine-crazy enough to drive around with more than two dogs with any kind of regularity, a large van is pretty much a requirement. If you can afford an ID Buzz, driving one around with dogs popping out is a great way to make friends and admirers everywhere you go.
Curious about the dog-ability of any other cars? Reach out to the author at andrew.collins@thedrive.com and check out our deep catalog of dog reviews!
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