The Volkswagen ID.4 Is Getting A New Name—And It’s One You Already Know

Volkswagen’s best-selling car in the U.S. will lend its name to the ID.4 later this year, when the EV gets a comprehensive facelift.

2026 Volkswagen ID.4

Photo by: Volkswagen

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jan 26, at 3:45am ET

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Volkswagen is reportedly dropping the ID.4 name for its popular electric crossover.
The EV will get a big facelift this year, with new looks, a new interior and a new name.
The U.S.-spec ID.4 is assembled in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Volkswagen ID.4 has had a good run since its introduction in 2020, but it’s time for a change. After nearly six years on sale, one of the most successful Volkswagen EVs is getting a huge facelift and a new name later this year.

The ID.4, which is built in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the U.S. market, will be known as the ID. Tiguan when the revised model debuts in 2026, as the German company is moving away from numbers for its battery-powered models.

The move was confirmed by the German IG Metall labor union during a press conference at the automaker’s Emden factory, according to Automotive News. VW’s Emden factory assembles the ID.4 for the European market.

The ID.4 has been on sale for half a decade without any major redesigns.

The car company declined to comment on the union’s statement, but it’s clear that the days of the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7 are numbered. Not because they’ll be retired anytime soon–the renamed ID. Tiguan, for instance, is slated to remain in production in Europe through the end of 2031–but because Volkswagen is changing its naming strategy to integrate the names of its gas models in its EV lineup.

The ID. Polo, which was originally labeled ID.2, is the first to get the new treatment, and the ID.4 will follow as the ID. Tiguan. But it’s not just the name that changes–when the new electric crossover debuts, it will come with a revamped interior with more buttons and a user interface that’s easier to understand and use.

The ID. Polo’s interior has proper buttons for the electric windows and climate control system, as well as a traditional dial to control the audio volume. By contrast, the ID.4 has some pretty annoying capacitive buttons under the main touchscreen, as well as a set of frustrating capacitive sliders for the temperature and volume control. All of these, along with the infuriating window controls on the driver’s door, are expected to get the cold shoulder when the ID. Tiguan arrives later this year.

The ID.4's interior controls are lackluster, to say the least. That's about to change when the refreshed ID. Tiguan debuts later this year.

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"[Buttons] will be in every car that we make from now on,” said Andreas Mindt, Volkswagen’s head designer, last year. “We will never, ever make this mistake again. On the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. Honestly, it's a car. It's not a phone," he added.

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Besides a new interior, the facelifted electric crossover is in for a comprehensive exterior refresh, with looks that resemble the gas-powered Tiguan. That might not be to everybody’s taste, as yet another generic crossover isn’t exactly a showstopper, but the sales figures speak for themselves. Last year, the Tiguan was Volkswagen’s best-seller in the U.S., with 78,621 units sold. Meanwhile, the ID.4 found 22,373 customers.

We don’t know what the company has in store for the ID. Tiguan’s battery and charging specs. Currently, the 2026 ID.4 can go up to 291 miles on a full charge, courtesy of an 82-kilowatt-hour battery pack.