Volkswagen ID.4 review: reliability & safety rating
Volkswagen is plagued with lacklustre results in our Driver Power surveys, but the ID.4 should be very safe
| Euro NCAP | Adult protection | Child protection | Safety assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars (2021) | 93% | 89% | 85% |
Despite sharing its platform with many other electric cars, it’s difficult to get any definitive long-term reliability data given it hasn’t been out for all too long. We do know how the ownership experience is likely to be, though, because of Volkswagen's track record in the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.
The 2023 Driver Power poll found that Volkswagen owners weren’t exactly wowed by their ownership experience, with the brand placing a lowly 27th out of 32 manufacturers. Roughly 26% of respondents claimed they had a fault with their car within the first year of ownership, with 40% reporting issues with the electrical systems – not good news for an electric car like the ID.4.
Volkswagen ID.4 reliability & problems
The 'MEB' platform that the ID.4 sits on is still quite new and while we can’t predict how reliable it'll be in the long term, electric-car technology is already proving itself to be more reliable in general than traditional cars and vans. This is because EVs boast fewer moving parts than their petrol-powered cousins, meaning there’s less to go wrong. Long service intervals of two years show that the cars can go longer without mechanical inspection too, which is promising news.
Safety
The ID.4 received the maximum five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash-testing, scoring over 93% for adult occupants and 89% for children. Standard safety kit on the ID.4 is comprehensive and includes Volkswagen’s ‘Front Assist’ active emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, tiredness detection, swerving support in emergencies and front and rear parking sensors, as well as a reversing camera. High-spec models further increase safety with even more safety assistance features.
