The Volkswagen ID.4 and Volkswagen ID.5 are battery electric compact crossover SUVs produced by Volkswagen. Based on the MEB platform, the ID.4 is the second model of the Volkswagen ID. series. The production version of the ID.4 debuted in September 2020 as the first fully-electric crossover SUV under the Volkswagen brand,^[8] while the coupe-shaped variant of the ID.4 (akin to the Audi e-tron Sportback) is marketed as the Volkswagen ID.5 and was revealed in November 2021.^[9]

The ID.4 is positioned by Volkswagen as a high-volume, mass-market electric vehicle — a car for “the millions, not the millionaires,” as the company claimed in its advertising.^[10] It was delivered to European customers from late 2020, and the first quarter of 2021 for the North American market

The ID.4 is fitted with the APP 310 drive of the underlying MEB platform, which consists of a water-cooled brushless permanently excited synchronous machine positioned at the rear axle. The motor produces between 109–150 kW (148–204 PS; 146–201 hp) of power and up to 310 N⋅m (230 lb⋅ft) of torque, revolving at speeds of up to 16,000 rpm.^[18]

The ID.4 recuperates energy when braking using the service brake pedal, with up to 0.25 g. When driving with the gear selector set to “D” mode, if the driver lifts their foot off the accelerator pedal, the vehicle is set to coast along in order to preserve energy, with the motor freely rotating. However the vehicle can also be set to “B” mode where it will recuperate instead, again with forces of up to 0.25 g. When stronger deceleration is required, the vehicle uses electrically-boosted conventional hydraulic brakes.

The battery consists of a lithium-Ion battery pack which houses 9 battery modules in 10 compartments (Pure) or 12 modules (Pro) containing the individual battery cells (24 per module) in a rectangular aluminium casing which sits in the vehicle’s underbody. While the smaller battery holds an energy content of 55 kWh, of which 52 kWh are made available to the user, the larger pack comes in at 82/77 kWh.

The battery’s thermal management system is designed to maintain the battery’s temperature around the ideal range of 25 °C (77 °F) and utilises liquid cooling.