Volkswagen ID.4 2026: major overhaul planned for the electric SUV

The Volkswagen ID.4 arrived in 2020 as the German brand’s second fully electric model to go on sale, following the ID.3.

After almost five years on Volkswagen’s price lists, the electric SUV is lining up for an update - and the company says the changes will be so far-reaching they could easily be mistaken for an all-new generation.

Why Volkswagen is rebuilding the Volkswagen ID.4

Thomas Schäfer, Volkswagen’s Chief Executive Officer, told Autocar: “we’re going to completely redo the ID.4 inside and out. It will be a completely different car, a step up.” He added that the Volkswagen ID.4 2026 “is really beautiful”.

What will change?

Schäfer says a key aim is to make sure the ID.4 has a clear link to the brand’s upcoming models.

Design changes: a lower, wider stance

In practice, that means the German SUV is expected to adopt the new design language first showcased by the ID.2all concept, giving it a “lower and wider” look.

“We felt it needed to fit in with the new design language, as it’s still our most important EV in terms of volume”.

• Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen

Autocar also reports that the SUV is known internally as the “electric Tiguan”, which suggests Volkswagen may be aiming to bring the two SUVs visually closer together - much as the new ID.2 is positioned to resemble the Polo.

Even so, Volkswagen has not confirmed whether this major overhaul will come with a new name - for now, it is expected to remain the ID.4. It is worth noting Schäfer has previously argued that “we are not going to throw away traditional and successful names that have served us for so long and that we have invested so much in, such as Golf and Tiguan“.

Interior updates: physical buttons make a comeback

The exterior is not the only area set for a major rethink. Significant cabin changes have also been confirmed to the British outlet by Kai Grünitz, Volkswagen’s head of technical development.

Grünitz said the interior will be comprehensively redesigned, with physical controls returning - an approach already previewed by the ID.2all. The lack of physical buttons, and the shift of most functions into the infotainment system, has been one of the most common criticisms aimed at Volkswagen’s ID family.

“We’re going to have a rotary button for volume control again. If you develop something that works, and that worked for years, there’s no reason to replace it”.

• Kai Grünitz, head of technical development at Volkswagen

From a technical standpoint, no specific details have been shared. Even so, the expectation is that it will gain the same kinds of efficiency and performance improvements already introduced on newer models such as the ID.7.

When will it arrive?

This extensive refresh of the Volkswagen ID.4 is still some way off, with its launch not expected until closer to the end of 2026.

Before that, the Volkswagen ID.3 is due to receive a similarly focused update, scheduled to arrive in the second quarter of 2026.

Meanwhile, the ID.5 - the ID.4’s SUV coupé sibling - is expected to reach the end of the line next year. A replacement is not planned, for a straightforward reason: sales have fallen short of expectations.