VW ID.3 and ID.4 facelift: Real buttons back in the cockpit

VW ID.2, ID.3, and ID.4 / ID.5 – all of these models are either new or will receive a facelift in the foreseeable future. And while these facelifts are profound both visually and technically, one innovation already stands out: the return of real buttons to the control concept. VW engineers have devoted a great deal of attention to this innovation.

Apparently, customers aren't entirely happy with the current slider and touchscreen control system. Judging by the comments on social media and the results of JD Power's recent " Initial Quality Study 2025 ," it's not just VW customers who feel this way. But since Tesla almost completely banned buttons from its interiors, some designers, and likely users as well, consider these physical controls to be outdated. The realization that technological development through software replacement, while significantly cheaper to produce, isn't always better for the user, took time to mature. And very few will long for the sometimes unmanageable button deserts of the late 2000s, even if there were fans even for such pilot cockpits.

First, the ID.2 will receive the new operating technology that VW already presented in the ID. 2all concept car. The ID.3 will arrive almost simultaneously in spring 2026, followed by the ID.4 at the end of 2026. VW is revamping the body, interior, engine, and battery so radically that it practically amounts to a new model generation. The new operating system will feature real buttons on the steering wheel, and a physical button bar below the infotainment screen in the center console will provide direct access to the most important functions.

And a sleek, genuine rotary push-button for activating the infotainment system and adjusting the volume seems to be the pinnacle of control development for this function. The touch slider introduced as a replacement was, if some users' comments are to be believed, a painful step backward in ergonomics. VW agrees, as a spokesperson confirmed to us – the genuine rotary push-button volume control is returning to the dashboard.

During the development of the operating system, it was also important to VW that every VW user immediately finds its way around – regardless of which model they are currently driving. While this is a challenge in times of increasingly complex functionalities, the engineers are determined to solve it. To achieve this, they divided the models' interiors into zones and defined 40 relevant points where things need to be located or accessible. Consequently, VW is gradually rolling out the operating concept across all its models – a VW driver should then be able to navigate a future ID.1 just as intuitively as a Touareg.