Following the Volkswagen emissions scandal of 2015, the company withdrew from several major motorsport programs including the World Rally Championship, the Dakar Rally, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The I.D. R project emerged from Volkswagen's subsequent pivot toward electrification, serving both as a demonstration of electric performance capability and as a reintroduction to high-profile motorsport competition under the I.D. brand umbrella.
The chassis was co-developed with Norma, the French sports prototype and hillclimb specialist. Two electric motors — one at each axle — combine to produce 507 kW (689 PS; 680 hp) and 649 N·m (479 lb·ft) of torque. The car weighs under 1,100 kg and reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 2.25 seconds. A single 45-kWh battery pack provides the energy for its record runs.
The I.D. R made its competition debut at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on 24 June 2018. Driven by Romain Dumas, the team's stated target was to beat the existing electric car record of 8:57.118 minutes set in 2016 by Rhys Millen in the Drive eO PP100.
The car surpassed all expectations. Dumas completed the 156-turn, 12.42-mile course in 7:57.148 — the first time any car had broken the eight-minute barrier at Pikes Peak and a new outright course record, eclipsing the previous all-time best set by Sébastien Loeb and the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak. The average speed during the run was 150.9 km/h (93.8 mph), with a peak of 218 km/h (135 mph) through the speed trap. The Dewar Trophy for 2018 was awarded to Integral Powertrain, the supplier of the motors used in the I.D. R.
The I.D. R's record-setting ambitions extended beyond Colorado. On 3 June 2019, Dumas drove the car around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, setting a new electric vehicle lap record of 6:05.336. The run consumed 24.7 kWh of energy, with the car reaching 273 km/h (170 mph) and cornering at up to 3.49 g. The previous electric record had been held by the NIO EP9 driven by Peter Dumbreck.
Later in 2019, the I.D. R set a new record for the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb with a time of 39.90 seconds, again in Dumas's hands. On 2 September 2019, Dumas also established a benchmark on the 10,906-meter Shan Big Gate Road on Tianmen Mountain in China, clocking 7:38.585.
In February 2020, Volkswagen confirmed a second version of the car, the I.D. R Evo, intended to continue record attempts at circuits and courses worldwide, potentially revisiting benchmarks set by the original. However, Volkswagen subsequently announced it would abandon motorsport activity for its flagship brand, though support continued for its premium sub-brands.
The I.D. R made a television appearance in season 28 of Top Gear, where host Chris Harris pitted it against a McLaren 720S. The car entered the video game world through V-Rally 4 as downloadable content, and later featured in RaceRoom Racing Experience, Forza Horizon 4, Real Racing 3, and Gran Turismo 7.
The I.D. R stands as a landmark in electric motorsport: within a single season it rewrote Pikes Peak's record books, proved that a battery-electric powertrain could outpace decades of internal combustion development at altitude, and established a template for electric performance credibility that the wider automotive industry has cited ever since.