THE new Volkswagen ID.3has set its first range record.

The electric car covered the 332 miles from Zwickau in Germany to Schaffhausen, Switzerland, on a single charge.

Officially, the model has a range of up to 262 miles (WLTP).

The vehicle was a series production ID.3 1stPro Performance with a 58 kWh battery and 205PSps built at the VW Group's Zwickau electric car factory.

The route to Switzerland consisted entirely of public roads and highways, passing cities such as Bayreuth and Ulm.

The record-breaking vehicle was driven by 'hypermiler' Felix Egolf, a native of Switzerland. The term 'hypermiling' originated in the USA and refers to driving a series production vehicle with techniques that maximise efficiency and minimise consumption.

"This car has everything, it is compact but spacious, has a cool, almost futuristic design and a low drag coefficient", Egolf said.

Reinhard de Vries, managing director for technology and logistics at Volkswagen Sachsen, said: "With its high-volt battery, efficient drivetrain and fast charging capability, even long journeys are not a problem. This is also a strong message for the team in Zwickau and for the entire ID. team."

Apart from the technology, the race to break records depends above all on an economical driving style. Egolf constantly lifted off the accelerator and let the ID.3 coast. On the highway sections of the journey, he sometimes used the slipstream of trucks travelling in front of him.

Some 44 per cent of the record journey was on highways and 56 per cent on country roads. Average speed was 56km/h.

Egolf completed the journey from Zwickau to Schaffhausen in roughly nine hours.

The ID.3 is built at the Zwickau electric car factory and is the first member of Volkswagen's all-electric ID family.