Technical details of the facelifted ID 3 and ID 4 have yet to be revealed, though Autocar has been told Volkswagen’s best-selling electric models will benefit from the efficiency and performance gains brought to other more recently launched models, including the ID 7, through newer and more technically advanced electric motors and more contemporary battery and inverter technology.
The facelifted ID 3 is scheduled to be revealed during the second quarter of next year, with the ID 4 arriving later in 2026.
The ID 4’s rakish-roofed ID 5 sibling is understood to be earmarked for retirement, rather than undergoing the same round of updates. Volkswagen does not break out individual model performance in its annual reports, but the ID 5 is not currently in Europe’s top 25 EVs, and has sold around a third the number of ID 4s in the UK since the duo launched.
The updates are part of a broader effort to reset Volkswagen’s image as a maker of EVs after early criticism of quality, software and user experience in its first-generation MEB-based models.
Alongside the arrival of three new MEB Entry-based EVs next year – the VW ID 2, Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq – the goal is to extend the lifespan of the current 400V models to keep VW at the top of Europe’s EV sales charts, insiders say, while the firm readies its next-generation 800V SSP platform, which is due to underpin VW EVs from 2028.
Volkswagen also intends to differentiate its EV designs by region, with European and US models sharing a common design theme while Chinese-market cars receive their own styling direction. This strategy was hinted at by the unveiling of the ID Aura, Era and Evo at the Shanghai motor show in April.
Before the arrival of the heavily updated ID 3 and ID 4, Volkswagen will use the Munich motor show in September to preview its next electric model: the ID 2X. A crossover sibling of the ID 2, it is due to arrive in 2027 as a rival to the Jeep Avenger and Peugeot e-2008.