Extensive update looming for 2026 Volkswagen ID.4

Just weeks after the first deliveries of the much-delayed Volkswagen ID.4 have begun in Australia, fresh reports suggest the mid-size all-electric SUV will undergo a radical facelift late next year.

Helping it keep pace with the recently updated Hyundai IONIQ 5, Kia EV6 and new Chinese opposition like the XPeng G6, the upgraded Volkswagen ID.4 isn’t expected to go on sale until early 2027.

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When the drapes are pulled off, insiders speaking to Auto Express claim that “everything on the outside will be different” and that its “swooping styling will be cleaner”, suggesting a reskin of the current car.

Inside, the same source said the cabin will be redesigned too and see the return of physical buttons, with VW’s Tesla Model Y alternative set to be heavily influenced by the much smaller, more modern ID.2 hatch when it comes to its design.

The Volkswagen insider also confirmed that the ID.4 will embrace new powertrains and the firm’s next-generation battery tech, but stopped short of revealing any details.

It’s not known if the ID.4’s MEB platform has been built to accept 800-volt electrics but if it has been, the Volkswagen SUV could finally leap to the top of its class for charging speeds, with current versions hamstrung by its 400V system.

Teasing the inbound facelift, Volkswagen said that the changes will be so extensive it would be like the switch from the Mk5 to Mk6 Golf, referencing the hatch that largely used the same body and underpinnings but was a big leap forward in tech.

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