Volkswagen ID. Buzz world tour earns Guinness World Record

Long-distance driver Rainer Zietlow has completed a 445-day circumnavigation of the globe in an all-electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz, covering 99,767km through 92 countries.

The journey has earned Zietlow a new Guinness World Record in the category of “Most countries visited in a continuous journey by a battery-powered electric vehicle”. The certificate was presented by Guinness World Records representative Lena Kuhlmann at IAA Transportation 2026.

Zietlow set off on July 1 2025 from the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Customer Centre in Hanover, Germany, where the ID. Buzz is produced. The journey took the vehicle across six continents, including through cities, deserts and mountain ranges.

The standard production ID. Buzz, fitted with Giti tyres, completed more than 300 charging cycles and was transported by container ship 16 times during the trip.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles says the vehicle completed the journey without any breakdowns or technical issues. Following its return, technical service provider TÜV Nord assessed the high-voltage 86kWh battery’s state of health at 95.75%.

Asked what stood out most from the journey, Zietlow said the project was the biggest he had undertaken in his 20-year career.

“I am particularly proud that we came through this high mileage without any technical problems, and through genuinely difficult regions,” he said.

Zietlow said the experience also flagged some of the differences between travelling long distances in an electric vehicle versus a combustion-powered vehicle.

“In many parts of the world, diesel fuel can contain high sulphur levels or water contamination, several oil changes are required and there is also the risk of the engine overheating — all of that is eliminated with an electric vehicle,” he said.

He acknowledged that charging infrastructure remains an important consideration for long-distance EV travel.

“Of course, you have to charge and clarify the availability of charging points in advance,” he said.

His experience of charging infrastructure varied significantly between countries. Zietlow said there was little or no public charging infrastructure available in parts of Africa, including Zambia and Tanzania, where he charged at national substations under supervision.

He described South Africa, Morocco and Rwanda as having more developed charging networks, while he said Saudi Arabia had made significant progress since he last travelled there three years ago.

He also noted rapid growth in electric mobility in South America, particularly Brazil and Chile, while describing China as a particularly advanced EV market.