- Facelifted VW ID.4 spotted testing ahead of debut later this year.
- Visual changes include new doors, lights, bumpers, rear hatch.
- Updated MEB+ platform may add LFP batteries and extra range.
Volkswagen isn’t sitting still when it comes to electric cars, even if most of its lineup in the US has struggled to gain traction this year. The ID.4, one of only two VW models whose American sales actually increased in 2025, is getting more than a light polish.
Instead, it’s heading into a major refresh that reshapes it into what some within the company are already calling the “electric Tiguan.”
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Our first spy shots show a crossover that’s recognizably an ID.4, but one that’s been carefully sharpened. The front end is squarer, clearly aligned with the upcoming ID Cross look.
SB-Medien
As you can see in our spy shots, the doors are new with proper pull handles, and the rear end has been subtly reworked with a concave rather than convex tailgate panel, plus a re-profiled D pillar.
It’s not a ground-up redesign, because there’s only so much you can change with a facelift. The underlying structure appears mostly identical, which makes sense for a mid cycle update.
However, the surfacing and proportions have been tweaked just enough to bring the ID.4 visually into sync with the new Tiguan and VW’s upcoming electric ID.Cross, which was unveiled in concept form last September, and goes on sale in Europe later in 2026.
Buttons Are Back
Inside is where the biggest changes may be felt day to day. Physical buttons and switches will feature prominently, including a real volume knob, alongside a new dashboard, better materials, and a revised user interface. We got our first glimpse of this direction in the official photos of the new ID. Polo’s interior (pictured above) earlier this month.
The software gets an upgrade too, with an improved AI-powered voice assistant, and the currently undersized digital gauge cluster will grow in size.
Powertrains and Batteries
Under the skin sits a revised MEB plus platform that should feature LFP battery chemistry for better efficiency and potentially more range, though it’ll still be stuck with 400-volt electrics.
Powertrains are expected to receive light updates rather than dramatic changes. But VW did, after all, only relatively recently dramatically improve the output of the base single-motor ID.4, which since 2024 produces 282 hp (210 kW / 286 PS). That represents an increase of 80 hp (60 kW / 82 PS) over the previous version.
This facelifted ID.4 is expected to arrive near the end of 2026, helping carry the model through to 2028. That’s when a fully new version is due, this time based on a true 800-volt platform. That is nearly sure to be badged ID.Tiguan, if VW hasn’t decided that this year’s facelift is extensive enough to justify that name change for the 2027 model year.