Volkswagen listens and buttons will be back in the next major ID.4 overhaul

Volkswagen is charting a new course for its electric vehicles, and it looks like the future has… buttons. In a decision that will be welcomed by many drivers, the German automaker is planning a significant update for its popular ID.4 electric crossover, reintroducing physical controls for key functions.

That's the good news. The not-so-good part is that the upcoming changes are expected to be rolled out by the end of 2026. That's a long wait for a long-overdue update. The 2026 Volkswagen ID.4 will get a significant facelift with the front-end styling updated to align more closely with the design language of the upcoming ID.2, a smaller electric hatchback.

The most significant change is happening inside the cabin. Volkswagen is reversing course on the trend of embedding all controls within a touchscreen interface. The updated ID.4 will feature the return of physical buttons for the five most important functions: volume control, heating for both sides of the car, fan speed, and hazard lights. This decision comes after feedback from customers who found the current touch-sensitive controls to be cumbersome and unnatural to use.

Kai Grünitz, Volkswagen's head of technical development, acknowledged the importance of user-friendly design, stating that if a feature has worked well for years, there's no reason to replace it. This sentiment was echoed by Volkswagen's head of design, Andreas Mint, who has previously stated that the company will "never, ever make this mistake again" of relying too heavily on screen-based controls. The steering wheel will also see the return of physical buttons, a direct response to driver feedback.

Tesla pioneered the touchscreen trend, and many automakers followed suit. This, however, has led to growing concerns about driver distraction. Safety regulators have warned that complex touchscreen menus take a driver's attention away from the road. As a result, we have a growing movement to bring back physical controls at least for essential functions.

The Volkswagen ID.4 has become a crucial vehicle for the brand's electric ambitions. It has been a strong seller in both the United States and Europe. In the US, the ID.4 at one point accounted for 12% of the brand's sales. After a temporary production halt in early 2024 due to a recall, sales of the electric crossover rebounded strongly. In Europe, the ID.4 has been instrumental in helping Volkswagen compete with Tesla for the top spot in the EV market.

Volkswagen is developing its next-generation Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), a new software-defined vehicle architecture. It will be the basis for a wide range of electric vehicles from the end of this decade. The upcoming refresh of the ID.4 should keep the current lineup competitive for just long enough for the company to transition to the new platform.

Since it is quite a long wait until 2026, you might wanna read our review of the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX. That SUV with physical buttons would probably be the best family EV Volkswagen has ever made.

Via