Ranked #83 car in the UK · SUV (EV) · 7,350 units sold last year

Volkswagen ID.4

The Volkswagen ID.4 (2021 on) is the family-sized electric SUV on VW's MEB platform - the practical, sensible electric Tiguan alternative. Roomy, comfortable and refined, it prioritises easy family use over driving sparkle. Like the ID.3 it was launched with patchy software that later updates improved. A solid, unflashy used electric SUV, with the sportier GTX dual-motor at the top of the range.

Volkswagen ID.4
Photo: LuvsMG481 via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Body
SUV (EV)
Years
2021–2026
Fuel
Electric
Range
— mi

WLTP

Insurance
Group 25

The short version

24/100

Forecourt score

Value 8 · Reliability 34 · Insurance 38

The Volkswagen ID.4 loses value faster than most cars and is dearer to run than most. Its MOT-based reliability is good, 70 out of 100, ahead of 34% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 8% of models.

The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20). Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.

Eligible for £1,500 off — UK Electric Car GrantBand 2

Applied at point of sale by the dealer — no application needed. Details on gov.uk.

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Electric

Power

286 ps

Drivetrain

RWD

Efficiency

3.6 mi/kWh

The volume ID.4. 77 kWh NMC, ~339 mi WLTP, 175 kW DC (Gen-2 software). The mainstream electric family SUV.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

2023
20212026
23,400 mi
0Expected: 23,400180k
good
PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

How we got this number — click for the breakdown, or to challenge it.

£18,150

Range £14,600£22,000

medium confidence

When new (2023)£43,500Age-based value£21,750Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region-£2Market calibration-£2,398Forecourt price£19,350Private sale£16,950Part-exchange£14,900

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration Volkswagen ID.4 loses value over time.

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2023 car with 23,400 miles you entered above — worth about £18,150 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 7,800 miles a year.

5-year total

£14,859

Per year

£2,972

All-in per mile

£0.38

Fuel per mile

7.3p

If a company carAround £48/mo Benefit-in-Kind tax at the 40% rate (£24/mo at 20%) — 3% band (EV)

Depreciation£3,373
Fuel / energy£2,846
Servicing£1,765
Road tax£975
Insurance£5,900

If you're a company-car driver

At 3% BIK, this would cost a 40% taxpayer about £48/month in company-car tax (£24/month at 20%) — one of the strongest cases for choosing an EV via salary sacrifice. Full BIK table below for context.

Best age to buy — around 2 years

A 2-year-old example loses roughly £5,350 a year — under half the £12,150 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 8%
Reliabilitybetter than 34%
Cheap to insurebetter than 38%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

Pro 77 / Pro S 86

VW's electric Tiguan equivalent. Post-2024 facelift fixed many software complaints. Cross-shop Skoda Enyaq (same platform, more practical), Audi Q4 e-tron (same platform, more premium feel), Nissan Ariya.

New price
£43,000
Annual fuel / energy
£950
3-yr depreciation
51%

Watch for

  • ·Same software issues as ID.3 (improved post-2024 facelift)
  • ·Cabin feels less premium than Audi Q4 e-tron / Skoda Enyaq
  • ·Boot space smaller than equivalent Skoda Enyaq

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 22/06/2026) · Petrol 153.3p/L, Diesel 172.5p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 25 of 50 (mid — around the UK average) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

3 years
0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+
Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£1,180/ year

Roughly £98 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.
Age bandLower riskTypicalHigher risk
Age 17-25£2,690£3,363£4,372
Age 26-32£1,404£1,652£2,015
Age 33-39Selected£1,038£1,180£1,392
Age 40-49£881£979£1,136
Age 50+£786£873£1,030

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

7,800 mi/yr
2,000UK avg for this model: 7,80030,000

Routine service

£185

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£210

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£195

Standard rate, post year-one

Electricity

£585

3.7 mi/kWh, 27p blended

Insurance

£1,180

Age 33-39, group 25

Clean-air zones

ULEZ compliant
  • Electric variants are compliant with London ULEZ and all UK clean-air zones.

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£2,355 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£80

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£240

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£520

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£900

per year · high risk

Tyres

215/65 R17 · 235/55 R18 · 235/50 R19

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.

Budget

£400

set of 4, fitted · £85 per tyre

Mid-range

£580

set of 4, fitted · £130 per tyre

Premium

£840

set of 4, fitted · £195 per tyre

What to fit

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

OptionNew costAdded used valueReturn

Tow bar (factory-fit)

Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it.

£650£45069%

Parking sensors & reversing camera

Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns.

£500£30060%

Heat pump

Genuinely useful in winter; buyers increasingly look for it.

£1,000£45045%

Heated seats / cold-weather pack

£450£20044%

Faster on-board AC charger

£800£30038%

Metallic or premium paint

Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk.

£600£20033%

Panoramic / opening roof

£1,100£35032%

Larger alloy wheels

£700£20029%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 23,400 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

12V auxiliary batteryUpcoming

Typical at 40k-70kCost £120-£220low severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

Tyres (wear faster on EVs)Watch now

Typical at 18k-28kCost £320-£600 per setlow severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

Brake discs (corrosion from light use)Upcoming

Typical at 40k-70kCost £240-£480low severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

Suspension bushes & drop linksUpcoming

Typical at 60k-100kCost £150-£400medium severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

Safety rating

Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the Volkswagen ID.4, from its 2021 assessment.

5/5
TEST YEAR2021
Rating expired (test protocol superseded)

The passenger compartment of the ID.4 remained stable in the frontal offset test.

Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014.

Reliability

70/ 100

Good

No usable MOT data — estimated score.

MOT outlook

Insufficient MOT history at this car's reference age — too few tests to compute a reliable percentile.

Things owners say

  • 01The bigger-battery rear-drive Pro is the range and value pick; the GTX adds dual-motor pace.
  • 02Later cars benefit from improved software and a less laggy interface - prefer updated examples.
  • 03Comfortable and spacious rather than fun to drive - it's a relaxed family hauler at heart.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Volkswagen ID.4, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Higher

Desirable SUVs like this are relay-theft targets — keyless entry can be exploited from the driveway in under a minute.

Parts theft

Lower

As an electric car it has no catalytic converter, so the most common parts-theft vector doesn't apply.

Worth doing

  • Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
  • A visible steering lock is a cheap, strong deterrent on a frequently-targeted car.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a Volkswagen ID.4 into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

CityAreaDaily chargeLikely outcome
LondonAll of Greater London (within the M25)£12.50
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
BirminghamInside the A4540 Middleway£8.00
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
BristolCity centre and part of the Portway£9.00
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
GlasgowCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
EdinburghCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
AberdeenCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
DundeeCity centre
Likely exempt
Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.

Zones that don't charge private cars

  • BathCity centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
  • BradfordOuter ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
  • SheffieldInside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
  • Newcastle & GatesheadCity centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
  • PortsmouthPart of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

EV reality check

64 kWh
Winter range
245 mi
Cold-weather realistic
DC charge 10–80%
30 min
Typical
Heat pump
Standard
Standard fit
Battery chemistry
NMC
Higher energy density, faster charging, charge to 80% daily
Cost to charge
~£17
full charge · ~£7.50/100mi

Winter range estimates assume ~5°C ambient with cabin heating; figures from manufacturer cold-weather testing where available, otherwise derived as a fraction of WLTP. DC times are manufacturer-claimed 10–80% on the headline charger; real-world sessions on UK rapids can be slower. Charging cost is a full battery at the home/blended electricity rate; public rapid charging costs more.

UK charging network

119,080 public chargers across the UK

As of 2026-04-01, the UK has 119,080 publicly available EV chargers, up 12.6% on the prior year (13,281 added in 2025). 23% of those are rapid (50 kW+) or ultra-rapid (150 kW+), so the network can support both home and on-route charging.

3-8 kW

50%

Standard

8-50 kW

27%

Standard plus

50-150 kW

12%

Rapid

150 kW+

11%

Ultra-rapid

Source: Department for Transport / Zapmap · Released 2026-05-21 · DfT statistics

Company car tax

What HMRC's Benefit-in-Kind charge looks like if you ran this Volkswagen ID.4 as a company car, by tax year and income-tax band. Calculated from a CO₂ of 0 g/km, using £48,000 as the P11D value.

EVs sit at the bottom BIK band — currently 3% — so this is one of the cheapest ways to take a company car.

Tax yearBIK %Tax @ 20%Tax @ 40%Monthly @ 20%Monthly @ 40%
2025-263%£288£576£24£48
2026-274%£384£768£32£64
2027-285%£480£960£40£80
2028-297%£672£1,344£56£112
2029-309%£864£1,728£72£144

P11D value is approximated from the latest new price; the exact figure on your tax code will depend on options fitted. The 4% diesel surcharge applies only to non-RDE2 (pre-2021) diesels — we assume RDE2 compliance for current models. Bands and rates from HMRC's Autumn Budget 2024 confirmation through 2029/30.

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported Volkswagen is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~190

Large network

Mass-market

Network size relative to the UK's largest (Volkswagen is 4.2% of all franchised outlets)

Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

Length

4,600 mm

Width

1,880 mm

Height

1,650 mm

Kerb weight

2,100 kg

Boot

500–1,600 L

Battery

64 kWh

Common questions

Volkswagen ID.4, answered

Is the Volkswagen ID.4 ULEZ compliant?
Most petrol Volkswagen ID.4s from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.
What insurance group is the Volkswagen ID.4 in?
The Volkswagen ID.4 sits in insurance group 25 of 50. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.
Is the Volkswagen ID.4 reliable?
Our reliability score for the Volkswagen ID.4 is 70 out of 100 (good), derived from DVSA MOT records.
What economy does the Volkswagen ID.4 get?
Expect roughly around 3.7 miles per kWh for a typical Volkswagen ID.4, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.
What are the common problems on the Volkswagen ID.4?
On the Volkswagen ID.4, the issues that come up most by mileage include 12V auxiliary battery, Tyres (wear faster on EVs) and Brake discs (corrosion from light use). The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.

Same underpinnings

Built on the VW MEB platform

Dedicated battery-electric platform with rear-mounted motor and skateboard battery pack. Introduced 2020 with ID.3. Different badges, often substantially different residuals, but broadly the same mechanicals and repair cost profile.

Volkswagen Group Modular Electric Drive Matrix · Volkswagen Group

Common questions

Volkswagen ID.4, answered from the data

Is the Volkswagen ID.4 reliable?
The Volkswagen ID.4 scores 70/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure. That is computed from 9 real DVSA MOT test results.
How much does a used Volkswagen ID.4 cost?
A 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 with around 23,400 miles is worth roughly £18,150 today (typical range £15,650–£20,650). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the Volkswagen ID.4 depreciate?
A new Volkswagen ID.4 typically loses about 50% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the Volkswagen ID.4?
The Volkswagen ID.4 sits in insurance group 25 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used Volkswagen ID.4?
The most common age-related issues we track for the Volkswagen ID.4 are: 12v auxiliary battery (typically around 40k-70k, £120-£220 to put right); tyres (wear faster on evs) (typically around 18k-28k, £320-£600 per set to put right); brake discs (corrosion from light use) (typically around 40k-70k, £240-£480 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the Volkswagen ID.4 cost to run?
Expect around 3.7 miles per kWh, £195 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.

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