The official range ratings are out for the first of Volkswagen’s mass-market electric vehicles. No surprises, they’re exactly what VW had anticipated leading up to the launch. 

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, which is due for first deliveries early in 2021, earns identical range and efficiency ratings in both its 1st Edition and Pro S versions: 250 miles, with an efficiency rating of 35 kwh per 100 miles. Or, if you happen to think in the EPA’s kludgy miles per gallon equivalent, that’s 97 MPGe. 

2021 Volkswagen ID.4

With its battery pack offering about 77 kwh of usable energy (82 kwh gross), the ID.4 fits in between the Tesla Model Y and Volvo XC40 Recharge (both at about 75 kwh usable) and the Ford Mustang Mach-E (at 88 kwh usable). But among the crowd, the range results are very different. At present, the Model Y leads the pack at 326 miles, followed by the Mach-E at 300 miles, with the XC40 Recharge at 208 miles. 

Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron concept

This result for the ID.4 also bodes well for the Audi Q4 E-Tron, which is expected to carry over much from the ID.4. Audi has already said that the Q4 E-Tron will be offered in two body styles, including an SUV and a Sportback that has a better coefficient of drag (which might help boost its range rating). 

The ID.4 1st Edition and Pro S are both rear-wheel drive. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions of the ID.4 are due in summer, likely with less range.