2024 Volkswagen ID.4

2024 is a change year: the 82 kWh rear-drive cars get the new APP 550 motor, jumping from 201 to 282 hp. That is mid-pack for a compact electric SUV, and the entry 62 kWh cars stay on the old 201 hp motor.

The APP 550 motor's 402 lb-ft from a standstill is strong for the segment and is the biggest single change for 2024, up sharply from 229 lb-ft on the 2023 car.

Several instrumented tests of the 2024 RWD Pro S agree on about six seconds, down from 7.7 s for the 2023 car. That is brisk, but it trails dual-motor Korean and Tesla rivals by roughly a second.

Delivery is silent and seamless, as you'd expect from a single-motor EV, and the 2024 motor adds the mid-range urgency the earlier car lacked. It sits a few points below Ioniq 5, EV6 and Model Y because the throttle is softly mapped off the line.

With a single-speed reduction gear there is nothing to hunt or shift. It is marked down because there is still no true one-pedal mode: B mode tops out at about 0.25 g of regen, and there are no paddle-selectable regen levels.

The 2,700 lb rating beats the Ioniq 5 and EV6 (2,300 lbs) but falls short of the Model Y (3,500 lbs), and it sits low in the SUV band.

AWD comes only with the 82 kWh pack, so the entry 62 kWh Standard and S trims are RWD-only. Where it is offered, it is a simple on-demand front motor with no low range, terrain programs or torque vectoring.

About 8 inches of ground clearance is decent for an electric compact crossover. Beyond that there is no off-road trim, no underbody protection beyond the battery tray, no lockers and only a Traction drive mode.

The lineup is EV-only, but 2024 still offers two batteries and motors (62 kWh / 201 hp and 82 kWh / 282 hp) plus RWD or AWD, so it is somewhat broader than the 82 kWh-only 2026 range. There is still no hybrid, combustion or performance version.

The volume rear-drive 82 kWh car is rated at 113 MPGe combined (30 kWh/100 mi). That is respectable mid-pack efficiency for an EV SUV, short of Ioniq 5 and Model Y territory.

As with every EV, city is the strongest cycle, but 122 MPGe is only about average against the EV-SUV city band.

104 MPGe on the highway is strong for a tall crossover, and the gap between city and highway figures is fairly narrow.

291 miles is mid-band for an EV SUV and up from 275 miles in 2023. The AWD trims drop to 263 miles, and the entry 62 kWh cars manage only 206.

From 2024 the 82 kWh car can take 175 kW, up from 135/170 kW. On a 400-volt architecture that is still well below the 230–350 kW peaks of 800-volt E-GMP rivals.

About 28 minutes is competitive for the peak power, helped by a flat charging curve, but it is roughly half again the 18-minute benchmark of 800-volt rivals. Confidence is MEDIUM because VW also quotes a rounded 'around 30 minutes'.

EPA's published 2024 figure for the volume configuration puts it near the bottom of the EV-SUV energy-cost band.

There is no fuel to buy, and 2024 buyers got 500 kWh of free Electrify America DC charging plus three years of Pass+ pricing. It scores below the 2026 car because the Tesla Supercharger (NACS) adapter was a paid extra, not included, and it is a 400-volt car tied mostly to the CCS network.

The 2024 ID.4 carries NHTSA's 5-star overall rating with 5 stars in both frontal and side crash categories, consistent with the result first earned by the 2021 car of this MEB generation.

Earned a 2024 IIHS Top Safety Pick (not TSP+) under the tightened 2024 criteria, with Good ratings in driver- and passenger-side small overlap, moderate overlap and the updated side test. Top band but toward its floor, since it missed the plus award that the 2021–2023 car held.

IQ.DRIVE — Front Assist AEB with pedestrian monitoring, Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Traffic Alert, Lane Assist and Travel Assist stop-and-go adaptive cruise with lane centering — is standard across the 2024 ID.4 range, covering all five core features on the volume trim.

Front Assist avoided collisions in the IIHS daytime crossing-child tests at 12 and 25 mph, but at night it only cut impact speed by 21 mph in the 37 mph parallel-adult test, giving an overall pedestrian rating of Acceptable. That is adequate daytime performance with a weaker night result.

Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Traffic Alert are standard on every trim, and rear automatic braking is standard too. The blind-spot system only warns and does not steer or brake, so this sits at the floor of the top band.

Standard Travel Assist lane centering is steady on well-marked highways, but it hunts on faded lines and wide curves, and its capacitive hands-on detection works well. A solid mainstream system.

Full-speed-range adaptive cruise with stop-and-go is combined with lane centering in Travel Assist, which makes it a well-integrated highway assist for the segment. It offers no automated lane changes.

No hands-free highway driving is offered on the 2024 ID.4 in the US. Travel Assist needs continuous hands-on contact.

The curve-adaptive LED projectors on the S, Pro S and Pro S Plus trims rate Good, but the Standard and Pro trims' LED reflectors rate only Acceptable. So the headlights are Good on the mid-to-upper trims that make up much of the volume, and weaker at the bottom of the range.

The upright greenhouse and low cowl give good forward sightlines, but the thick rear pillars and shallow back glass limit the rear three-quarter view. A rearview camera is standard, and the 360-degree Area View camera is limited to upper trims.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Good overall, with two full LATCH positions and a tether in the center seat. A flat rear floor, wide bench and large door openings make installing seats easy.

The US-market 2024 ID.4 is a two-row, five-passenger compact SUV on every trim (Standard, S, Pro, Pro S, Pro S Plus); no third row or six-seat layout is offered.

Excellent front headroom for a compact SUV thanks to the tall, flat roofline over the front seats; the glass-roof trims give up about half an inch.

Front legroom is the ID.4's weakest interior measurement, behind the Ioniq 5 and Equinox EV; the dash is pushed far forward but the battery floor limits stretch-out room.

Above the compact-SUV midpoint; the roof does not taper hard over the rear bench, so adults sit upright without brushing the headliner.

The 108.9-in wheelbase buys adult-usable rear legroom and a flat floor, though it trails the Ioniq 5 (39.4 in) and the bench neither slides nor reclines.

No third row exists on any 2024 ID.4; scored in the bottom band per the rule for two-row SUVs.

About 30 cu ft behind the rear seats beats the Ioniq 5 and EV6 but is modest against the whole-SUV band, and there is no front trunk to add to it.

Seats-folded volume is competitive among compact EVs but low for the SUV band in absolute terms.

Competent everyday storage — flat floor, a large two-level center console, deep door bins, under-floor cargo storage and a rear pass-through — but no frunk, so the charging cable lives in the cargo bay, and nothing approaches the Ioniq 5's sliding console.

Front seats on the volume Pro S are 12-way power with massaging lumbar, memory and ventilation and are praised over multi-hour drives; the rear bench is roomy but sits low over the battery floor.

Ride compliance is a highlight — soft, well-damped and settled — though the 20/21-in wheels on Pro S/Pro S Plus add brittleness over sharp impacts and the AWD car's firmer springs and bars stiffen it slightly.

Silent powertrain and a hushed cabin around town, but reviewers note pronounced wind rush around the A-pillars and audible tire noise at highway speed, keeping it below the quietest rivals.

Heated front seats and dual-zone automatic climate are standard; the volume Pro S adds ventilated, massaging, memory front seats and a heated wheel, and Pro S Plus adds heated outboard rear seats and tri-zone climate. App-based remote preconditioning is available.

The 2024 ID.4 lineup opens with the 62 kWh Standard RWD at $39,735 before destination. That is mid-pack for a compact electric SUV.

The Pro S (82 kWh pack, heat pump, panoramic roof) is the representative volume configuration. CarEdge puts a typically equipped ID.4 at about $52,259, which supports a low-$50K volume price.

With no oil changes and regenerative braking, scheduled service is minimal. The ID.4's history of 12V, software and door-handle service visits, plus VW franchise labor rates, puts a realistic maintenance-plus-repair figure in line with compact EV peers in this dataset ($3,900–$4,700).

The ID.4 is one of the fastest-depreciating vehicles in the segment. Five-year retention projects below the floor of the SUV band, behind the Model Y (~39%).

VW's 4-year/50,000-mile coverage is a year better than the 3/36 norm. It falls short of Hyundai and Kia's 5/60.

The 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty is the industry-standard EV term. It is not a standout next to Hyundai and Kia's 10-year EV powertrain coverage.

Two years / 20,000 miles of Carefree Scheduled Maintenance, roadside assistance and a 3-year Electrify America Pass+ membership with 500 kWh of free charging make a solid package. The charging credit is smaller than the 3 years of unlimited 30-minute sessions offered on earlier ID.4s, and well short of a multi-year maintenance plan.

$51,420 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (38% retained, or about $19,540) leaves about $31,880 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $36,380 in total.

Consumer Reports scores the 2024 ID.4 around 29/100 for predicted reliability, less reliable than other cars of its model year, and has named the ID.4 among the least reliable vehicles it surveys. The problems are mostly in the battery and charging system, electrical and infotainment rather than mechanical wear. The 2024 refresh brought a new rear motor and new infotainment software, so it did not get much benefit from earlier years' fixes.

Volkswagen has ranked in the bottom third of Consumer Reports brand-reliability rankings and below the industry average in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for several years running, so this is a lasting pattern and not a one-year dip. Most complaints are about infotainment and electronics, which the ID. family makes worse.

Eight NHTSA campaigns cover the 2024 model year, and some affect safety systems. The worst is 24V-651: water could get into the door-handle electronics and let a door open while driving. It covered about 98,800 ID.4s from 2021–2024 and led to a stop-sale and a production halt. The other campaigns add up to a pattern, not one-off bad luck.

MY2024 brought the new APP550 rear drive unit (282 hp, 410 lb-ft), the first year it was offered. It has no systemic failure pattern, but it also had no track record yet in 2024. CR singles out the battery and charging system as a trouble area, and 12V-system faults that leave the car unable to start are well documented. That keeps this item in the lower part of the mid band.

Reviewers keep criticizing hard, hollow-feeling plastics on the doors and lower dash, and switchgear that feels cheap for the price. The 2024 update added a larger 12.9-inch screen and backlit touch sliders, but the materials themselves stayed largely the same. The cabin is adequate, not competitive with an Ioniq 5 or EV6.

Panel fit on the Chattanooga-built ID.4 draws few complaints. However, the door-handle defect was a sealing problem in a supplied part, not software, and initial-quality perception suffers from the electronics glitches owners report.

Volkswagen's roughly 600–650 US dealers cover metro areas reasonably well but leave rural gaps compared with Toyota or Chevrolet. EV readiness also varies from dealer to dealer, and owners reported long waits for recall parts and appointments during the door-handle campaign.

Parts specific to the ID.4 are effectively dealer-only, with little aftermarket support. German-brand parts cost more than mainstream ones, and high-voltage repairs are expensive. Routine EV maintenance is cheap, which partly offsets this.

2024 is a change year: the 82 kWh cars, including the volume Pro S, get a new 12.9-inch display replacing the previous 12-inch unit; the 62 kWh cars keep the 12-inch screen.

The 2024 software is much faster, the climate bar is now persistent and the sliders are backlit, but the interface still leans on touch: climate adjustments take multiple swipes, capacitive wheel pads are easy to bump, and the rear-window toggle remains a touch panel.

Wireless App-Connect (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) is standard on every 2024 ID.4 trim, with a wired fallback.

Native navigation with EV route planning is standard and the 2024 'Hello ID.' natural-language voice assistant is more capable, but reviewers report it triggering unintentionally from conversation and audio, and most owners still default to phone projection.

The base system is adequate; the Harman Kardon upgrade grows to nine speakers plus subwoofer and a 16-channel amp for 2024, a genuine but not class-leading improvement, and it is mainly a top-trim item.

The ID.4's small (5.3-in) column-mounted digital driver display is standard and crisp but shows a limited, barely configurable set of readouts — small against rivals' 10–12-in clusters. 2024 moved the drive selector off it to a column stalk.

MEB cars receive genuine over-the-air vehicle software releases covering charging, range and infotainment behavior, broader than maps-only OTA, but VW's cadence has been slow and uneven and rarely adds headline features.

The myVW app with Car-Net covers remote lock/unlock, locate, climate preconditioning and charge scheduling/state-of-charge, but there is no phone-as-key and owners report recurring app connectivity issues.

USB-C ports front and rear and standard wireless phone charging, but no 120V household outlet and no vehicle-to-load — a gap against the Ioniq 5 and EV6.

KESSY keyless access with proximity unlocking and push-button start is standard, the volume Pro S adds a power liftgate, and remote climate is available through the app, but there is no phone-as-key.

Rear camera and Park Distance Control are widely fitted, but the Area View surround camera is reserved for the top S Plus trims.

The AR head-up display offered on European ID.4s is not sold in the US on any 2024 trim, including Pro S Plus.

Flat rear floor, tall door openings and 37.6 in of rear legroom make car-seat duty easy, and 30.3 cu ft behind the bench swallows a stroller; held back by two-row-only seating and a fixed bench.

Five-star NCAP and an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2024, with IQ.DRIVE (AEB with pedestrian monitoring, blind-spot, rear traffic alert, Travel Assist) standard on the cheapest trim families can buy.

Compliant ride, comfortable seats and good luggage space with the rear seats occupied; rear amenities are thin below Pro S Plus (heated rear seats and tri-zone only there), and 291 miles of range means regular charging stops.

Instant torque, a soft ride, standard stop-and-go Travel Assist and a quiet cabin make for an easy commuter, but there is no true one-pedal mode, B mode must be re-selected every drive, and the creep can't be disabled.

As an EV with roughly 291 miles of rated range from 82 kWh, home-charged per-mile cost is among the lowest in the compact SUV class, with minimal routine maintenance and regen-spared brakes.

A 180.5-in footprint and an exceptionally tight 33.5-ft turning circle on rear-drive cars make it easy in town; AWD widens the circle and rear three-quarter visibility is limited, with the 360 camera only on S Plus.

A 2,700 lb tow rating and 64.2 cu ft folded cargo cover light utility duty, but it is a five-seat compact EV whose range drops sharply under load.

Simple EV drivetrain, but the ID.4 has a weak reliability record with 12V, software and door-hardware complaints, and no fleet-proven toughness for hard use.

No 120V outlet or vehicle-to-load, so it can't power tools; provisions are limited to cargo tie-downs, an adjustable load floor and an available hitch.

Comfortable seats, a compliant ride and standard Travel Assist make miles easy, and the 2024 82 kWh car gains range and 175 kW charging, but 263–291 miles and wind noise at speed limit it against the best long-haul EVs.

Reasonable ground clearance, available AWD with a 0.7-in taller ride height, and a 2,700 lb tow rating handle trailheads and small trailers, but no outlets/V2L for camping and AWD only on 82 kWh trims.

30.3/64.2 cu ft is large for a compact EV, with a 60/40 fold, pass-through, under-floor storage, roof rails and an available hitch for bike racks; no frunk.

Low battery mass keeps it flat and secure in corners, but the comfort-biased suspension and ~4,700 lb curb weight make it predictable rather than engaging.

Accurate and effective, but unusually light and filtered with little feedback.

The pedal feels good and blending is smooth, but regen is mild (≈0.25 g max) and the rear drum brakes plus heavy curb weight give average-to-long stops for the class.

The new 282-hp/402 lb-ft APP 550 motor is silent and linear with strong mid-range, cutting 0–60 to about 6 s; the soft initial tip-in, non-defeatable creep and B mode resetting each drive keep it off the top band.

Essentially silent under load with only faint motor whine and no vibration through the controls; scored on drivetrain only — wind and tire noise are counted under cabin quietness.

With no engine or driveshafts up front, the rear-drive ID.4 turns tighter than nearly every compact SUV; the AWD car's front motor widens the circle.

A high, commanding seat with 12-way adjustment and easy ingress, and 2024's column shifter is an improvement, but capacitive wheel pads, touch-panel window toggling and swipe-heavy climate keep ergonomics a weak point.

The 2024 motor makes it genuinely brisk and the tiny turning circle is satisfying in town, but light steering and a comfort-first chassis leave it pleasant rather than engaging.

From MY2024 every ID.4 gets the new 12.9-inch touchscreen, the IQ.DRIVE driver-assist suite (Travel Assist, Front Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, Lane Assist), heated front seats and steering wheel, and LED lighting. That is competitive content for the class. It stops short of the top band because the cluster is only a 5.3-inch display, and navigation, KESSY keyless entry, the 360 camera and the AR head-up display are Pro S or Pro S Plus items.

At sticker price, a Pro S at about $51K is merely fair against the Ioniq 5 and EV6. In 2024, though, every ID.4 qualified for the full $7,500 federal credit, which brought the Standard to an effective ~$33,660. The MY2024 APP550 motor (282 hp RWD) also improved performance per dollar. Worst-in-class resale and weak reliability hold it in the fair band.

Five trims (Standard, S, Pro, Pro S, Pro S Plus) span two battery sizes (62 and 82 kWh) and RWD or dual-motor AWD, covering roughly $41K to $60K. That is a well-spaced ladder for an EV, but there is no performance variant and no larger pack beyond the 82 kWh.

US sales fell 55% in calendar 2024, from 37,789 to 17,021. The decline started in Q1 and Q2, before the September door-handle recall brought a stop-sale and a production halt. This is a sharply declining seller.

Volkswagen is a neutral mainstream brand in the US. It has European-driving cachet but no aspirational halo, a below-average reliability reputation and lingering Dieselgate baggage. Brand image is a marque-level attribute, so this matches the other Volkswagens in the dataset.

In 2024 buyers could stack the full $7,500 point-of-sale federal credit (or the lease pass-through) with heavy VW factory cash, low-APR financing and lease support on swelling inventory. The ID.4 was among the most discounted EVs in the market, which is the top band on buyer benefit.

MY2024 is the major mid-cycle update of the 2021-launched generation. It brought the new APP550 rear motor (282 hp / 410 lb-ft), the 12.9-inch infotainment screen with illuminated sliders and a revised interior. Underneath, it is still a 400-volt first-generation MEB car with rear drums, so it is mid-cycle and current but not cutting-edge.

Reviewers welcomed the 2024 update: they praised the extra power, the more responsive screen and the ride and space. They still criticize the haptic controls and the small cluster, and the ID.4 rarely wins comparisons against the Ioniq 5, EV6 or Model Y. Its 2021 World Car of the Year title and IIHS Top Safety Pick+ (2021–2023) are the main honors.