VW’s First All-Electric SUV Captures 5-Star NHTSA Rating

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) has bestowed a 5-Star overall safety rating on Volkswagen of America’s 2021 ID.4 RWD, the automaker’s first all-electric SUV.

The all-wheel-drive ID.4 was put through the paces of a series of crashworthiness tests designed by NHTSA’s NCAP team. The SUV garnered a 5-star combined rating in the frontal test and 5-star ratings in the side tests. The ID.4 is also expected to undergo testing for rollover in the near future to complete the overall ratings.

Founded in 1978, the NCAP program tests new vehicles and rates them on how well they protect occupants in frontal and side crashes, and resist rolling over in single-vehicle crashes. The “stars on cars” program assigns vehicles one to five stars, with five stars being the highest safety rating.

The ID.4 was designed with a combination of both passive and active safety systems. It features six airbags as standard — front and side airbags for front passengers, and side curtain airbags for outboard seating positions.

The electric SUV is also equipped with Volkswagen’s IQ.DRIVE advanced driver assistance technology, featuring hands-on semi-automated capability. This safety-enhancing technology is designed to help monitor the driver’s surroundings and alert the driver of potential obstacles.

With its full equipment package, the ID.4 utilizes a front radar, front camera, two rear radars, and eight ultrasound sensors to collect data from the surrounding area, enabling Travel Assist (semi-automated driving assistance); Front Assist (Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Monitoring); Active Side Assist (Blind Spot Monitor); Rear Traffic Alert; Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop and Go; Lane Assist (Lane Keeping System); and Emergency Assist (semi-automated vehicle assistance in a medical emergency).

Volkswagen is no stranger to the 5-star accolade from NHTSA’s NCAP. The ID.4 RWD joins the 2021 and 2022 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, 2021 Jetta and Jetta GLI, and 2021 Golf and Golf GTI as Volkswagen vehicles that have captured a 5-star overall safety rating.