VW ID.4
Pure 125 kW Business electric RWD automatic
Sustainability Rating: 4.5 stars
Our verdict:
The ID.4 is a small electric SUV by Volkswagen. Tested here is the ‘Pure’ version with 125 kW. It comes with a relatively small battery of 52 kWh nominal capacity but weighs almost 2 tonnes. Despite the good consumption figures, the weight is a factor that caps the car’s sustainability scores to a yet very creditable result of 4½ stars with an average score of 84%.
- The ID.4 has no tailpipe emissions and excels in mitigating harmful brake dust through regenerative braking and the use of rear drum brakes. Production and energy supply slightly reduce its score.
- Energy use is typical for a small SUV. Cabin heating raises demand temporarily, but urban and real-world tests show efficient consumption (14.7–16.6 kWh/100 km).
- Low consumption, a small battery, and Europe’s clean electricity mix boost the ID.4’s environmental rating, despite its relatively high weight.
Driving Experience
Our comments:
- The estimated real-world consumption values of the ID.4 are in the ‘adequate’ range for all scenarios – warm weather and cold winter, urban, rural, highway and mixed driving. However, due to the relatively small battery of 52 kWh usable capacity, the driving range is seen as ‘poor’. The consumption readings on the board computer display are accurate.
- Drivers are advised to preheat the vehicle before cold winter trips, if possible. By doing so, an increased driving range can be achieved. The possible values are not high for the tested ID.4, but are still a valuable contribution to a longer driving range in cold conditions. The ID.4 impresses with a very quick heat-up of the cabin in cold ambient conditions, ensuring good thermal comfort for all passengers. It offers good standard equipment level, climatisation control scheduling and remote control possibilities, as well as smart cabin management, which will reduce energy consumption if the vehicle is not fully occupied. Its cabin insulation is found to be ‘adequate’ and improving it would probably further reduce climatization energy demand in both heating and cooling scenarios.
- The vehicle’s home charging efficiency is unsurprising with a standard grid-to-battery-output value of 89.4%. The fast DC charging is seen as adequate. The ID.4 doesn’t offer any kind of bidirectional charging functionalities.
See datasheet for more details.