In case you’re unfamiliar by this point, the ID.4 is Volkswagen’s new compact electric crossover. It’s racked up plenty of kudos since it debuted, not least of which being that it’s the reigning World Car of the Year. It offers a compelling combination of style, affordability and practicality for an EV, and VW hopes it will follow in the footsteps of the Beetle and the Golf, becoming the people’s car for the electric future.
I was excited to drive the ID.4 — not just for my own edification, but because my wife and I are in the market for a new car. And we’re pretty much VW’s exact target customer. We’re a young family. We’re concerned about global warming and EV-curious (if it comes from a brand we trust). We have some disposable income to throw at this. We live in the burbs with a garage so charging infrastructure won’t be a pressing issue.
And we both daily drive Volkswagens. If the ID.4 can work for any family, it’d be ours. So VW let me sample an ID.4 Pro S as our family car for the week. Here are five key thoughts on how it fared.
The VW ID.4 has more than enough range for real life

The ID.4 Pro S delivers 250 miles of range, according to the EPA. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s about on par for a (non-Tesla) EV here in 2021. That said, it’s going to be more than enough for just about anyone living in the suburbs.
I used the ID.4 for a week. I didn’t charge it, didn’t disable the climate controls or do anything crazy. Still, I took my family on an excursion to Ann Arbor (77 miles roundtrip), attended a friend’s cookout (27 miles), took the kids to my inlaws’ country club (21 miles), ran errands during the week and I dropped my kids off at school and daycare. The ID.4 still showed 110-plus miles of range when I gave it back.
Of course, that’s not how most ID.4 owners will use it. Most will install a Level 2 charger at home, leave the car on it overnight and rarely if ever approach the limit. Still, if you’re stuck depending on public fast chargers — say, if you live in an apartment or rent your home — you can be assured that the ID.4 can get you through an average week without charging concerns.