Skip advert
Advertisement

Volkswagen ID.3 Harlequin Edition lives up to its name on April 1

Don't be fooled! Volkswagen has revealed the VW ID.3 Harlequin Edition for April 1

Volkswagen ID.3 Harlequin Edition

The Volkswagen ID.3 has been given a multi-coloured makeover for April Fool’s Day. Called the ID.3 Harlequin Edition, this unique version of Volkswagen’s all-electric hatchback has been unveiled as part of April Fool’s Day and features some interesting technology to make its wild paint job that much more eye-catching.

Advertisement - Article continues below

This isn’t the first time Volkswagen has shown its penchant for taking part in April Fool’s Day. There was the memorable ‘Voltswagen’ miscommunication from 2021, which suggested a name-change in the US alongside its launch of all-electric ID-badged cars. 

As for the ID.3 Harlequin Edition, this Volkswagen won’t be made available to the public - a shame if you’re looking for a modern reinterpretation of the original Polo Harlequin from the mid-nineties. Customers of that car weren’t made aware of their vehicles’ precise colour combinations until they collected them.

Like the Polo, the ID.3 uses a mixture of green, yellow, red and blue panels but unlike the Polo, the ID.3 has electroluminescent paint similar to that applied to the ID.7 concept that Volkswagen unveiled early in 2023. This means the ID.3 Harlequin’s panels can individually light up in time with the car’s sound system. The panels will light up and pulse in response to beats, and integrate with the new ChatGPT functionality being rolled out across the Volkswagen range.

Volkswagen cheekily says the “limited-edition ID.3 Harlequin is available from 1 April” and that “designs can be viewed on Volkswagen’s online configurator using the code JEST 1”. 

Would you like to see the Volkswagen ID.3 Harlequin actually make production? Let us know in the comments section...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Senior news reporter

A keen petrol-head, Alastair Crooks has a degree in journalism and worked as a car salesman for a variety of manufacturers before joining Auto Express in Spring 2019 as a Content Editor. Now, as our senior news reporter, his daily duties involve tracking down the latest news and writing reviews.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

The biggest modern car failures: models that should have changed the world, but didn't
The biggest modern car failures

The biggest modern car failures: models that should have changed the world, but didn't

Sometimes things just don’t go to plan, as demonstrated by these promising models that ultimately disappointed
Best cars & vans
28 Jan 2026
Restyled Volkswagen ID.3 spied testing ahead of reveal later this year
Volkswagen ID.3 test car - front

Restyled Volkswagen ID.3 spied testing ahead of reveal later this year

The updated ID.3 won’t have a new body, but it will have a sleek new nose and interior
News
15 Jan 2026
Volkswagen ID.3 review
Volkswagen ID.3 - main image

Volkswagen ID.3 review

The Volkswagen ID.3 is a good electric hatchback overall, but a few niggles hold it back
In-depth reviews
1 Dec 2025
Car Deal of the Day: Volkswagen ID.3 with 350-mile range unbelievable value at £212 a month
Volkswagen ID.3 - front cornering

Car Deal of the Day: Volkswagen ID.3 with 350-mile range unbelievable value at £212 a month

The ID.3 is an excellent all-round electric hatchback. It’s our Deal of the Day for October 20.
News
20 Oct 2025

Most Popular

Meet Renault’s new SUV: a Dacia Duster but not as we know it…
Renault Duster - front

Meet Renault’s new SUV: a Dacia Duster but not as we know it…

Posher inside and out and with more headroom, welcome to the upside down world of the Indian Duster
News
26 Jan 2026
Used Volvo C40 (Mk1, 2021-date) buyer’s guide: a second-hand bargain that's cheap for a reason
Used Volvo C40 - front

Used Volvo C40 (Mk1, 2021-date) buyer’s guide: a second-hand bargain that's cheap for a reason

A full used buyer’s guide on the Volvo C40 that’s been on sale in the UK since 2021
Used car tests
25 Jan 2026
Jaguar Land Rover on brink of deal to build Chinese cars in Britain
New Chery Tiggo 9 2025 UK review - head on

Jaguar Land Rover on brink of deal to build Chinese cars in Britain

A deal between the British and Chinese brands could see Chery models built using spare JLR capacity
News
28 Jan 2026

Find a car with the experts