The VW ID Buzz Is A Minivan Without Rear-Seat Cupholders

• The Volkswagen ID.Buzz does not have cup holders for its second row of seats despite being a family-oriented vehicle.
• Other markets get an airline-style tray table with cup holder, but this feature was cut for the U.S. market. 
• The VW parts catalogue shows there is a part for an add-on cupholder, but it is currently unable for order.

I’m hard at work putting the finishing touches on our full InsideEVs review of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. Spoiler alert, I thought it was generally cool, save for one big thing: There aren’t any cup holders in the second row. Like, nada. Zilch. Nothing. No matter if you opt for the 2nd row bench seat or the captain’s chairs, you better leave that big gulp at home or grip onto it tight with both hands because it’s flying out of your hands. If it can’t survive in the loose or in open bottle holders in the door, it ain’t coming. 

Now, this knowledge isn’t quite a new phenomenon. Journalists and influencers alike picked up on the lack of cup holders in the second row pretty fast when the car was launched last year. Famously, Cars and Bids founder and quirky-car reviewer extraordinaire Doug DeMuro drew everyone’s attention to this in his ID. Buzz review and walkaround. We all know there are no cup holders in the van, that’s an established fact. That’s just such a weird oversight for a van meant to transport six or seven in comfort. 

Truly, it seems to be an American problem. No, not because Europeans famously do not drink in moving vehicles, but because European versions of the ID.Buzz comes with airplane-style tray tables integrated into the backrests of the front seats. This option is removed for the U.S.-market ID. Buzz vans. The movable center console has an octagonal-shaped recess that some (and by some, I mean me) have mistakenly thought was a cupholder, but it isn’t. It will not hold your drink in place even during the most mild of maneuvers, and it will spill your iced coffee right into the front driver’s seat, leaving a nasty brown stain on the white leather front seat. You can move it to the second row, too, but that’ll only change where the coffee stain ends up.

2024 Volkswagen ID. Buzz LWB interior front seats seat backs with integrated trays

Some shrewd and intrepid Volkswagen ID. Buzz enthusiasts came across a part number for U.S.-market vans (part number 1T3061129) that VW online parts catalogs say would be a cupholder and smartphone holder option. However, the online ordering says that these parts are “not currently available,” nor do they have any images as to how they work or what they look like. Apparently, they’d be installed on the outboard of the seats. 

Some owners who have models with captain’s chairs have opted to buy a second center console from the dealership and pretend that almost-cupholder-shaped holes are cupholders, but that’s not really a solution here. Also, it’s at least $440 for a second console. This really isn’t a good option.

Still, Volkswagen ID. Buzz owners are being creative with their solutions for said cupholder dilemma. One of the best solutions I’ve seen are cup holders originally made by a Rivian driver. These 3D-printable addons were meant to clip onto ledges specifically inside the Rivian R1, and are designed to handle big drinks, including Stanley thermos-style large cups. They look to snugly and securely clip in right into the sides of the base of the bench or captain’s chairs. Others have turned to Amazon for clip-in or hanging options from the headrests, with varying results.

I’ve reached out to Volkswagen for more clarity. I don’t understand how a $60,000 to $70,000 van doesn’t have any cupholders. Is that mystery part a solution? What does it look like? The world wants to know. 

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com