Compare the2026 Volkswagen ID.4VS 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen ID.4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Alfa Romeo Tonale doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The ID.4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Tonale doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the ID.4 and Tonale have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The ID.4 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Tonale’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The ID.4 has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Tonale doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Volkswagen ID.4’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Alfa Romeo Tonale does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the ID.4 and Tonale have rear cross-traffic warning, but the ID.4 has Rear Traffic Alert (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Tonale’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the ID.4 and the Tonale have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Volkswagen ID.4 weighs 442 to 1164 pounds more than the Alfa Romeo Tonale. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Volkswagen’s powertrain warranty covers the ID.4 4 years and 50,000 miles longer than Alfa Romeo covers the Tonale. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Tonale ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The ID.4’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Tonale’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the ID.4 for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Alfa Romeo doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Tonale.

There are almost 6 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the ID.4’s warranty.

The ID.4’s standard electric motor produces 14 more horsepower (282 vs. 268) and 107 lbs.-ft. more torque (402 vs. 295) than the Tonale’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The ID.4’s electric motor produces 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (402 vs. 347) than the Tonale’s optional 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The ID.4’s optional electric motors produces 50 more horsepower (335 vs. 285) and 189 lbs.-ft. more torque (536 vs. 347) than the Tonale’s optional 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen ID.4 electric motors is faster than the Alfa Romeo Tonale 4 cyl. hybrid gas:

On the EPA test cycle the ID.4 gets better mileage than the Tonale running on electricity:

On the EPA test cycle the ID.4 gets better mileage than the Tonale running its gasoline engine:

The ID.4 can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 263 to 291 miles. The Tonale has to start its internal combustion engine after only 33 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen ID.4 higher (10 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Tonale (5 to 6). This means the ID.4 produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tonale every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the ID.4’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Tonale:

The ID.4 stops shorter than the Tonale:

For better traction, the ID.4 has larger tires than the Tonale (F:235/50R20 & R:255/45R20 vs. 225/55R18).

The ID.4’s standard 255/50R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tonale’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the ID.4 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Tonale. The ID.4 Pro S Plus AWD Pro S Plus’ 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Tonale.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ID.4’s wheelbase is 5 inches longer than on the Tonale (108.8 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The ID.4 Pro S Plus AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tonale Veloce (26.2 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the ID.4’s turning circle is 6.4 feet tighter than the Tonale 1.3 PHEV’s (31.5 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The ID.4 AWD’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Tonale 2.0T’s (36.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the ID.4 has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tonale (6.9 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the ID.4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the ID.4 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tonale doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The ID.4 has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tonale.

The ID.4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tonale with its rear seat up (30.3 vs. 27 cubic feet). The ID.4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tonale with its rear seat folded (64.2 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

While the Tonale 1.3 PHEV can only tow 2000, any ID.4 can tow a minimum of 2200 pounds.

Standard trailer stability control on the ID.4 uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Tonale doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

When the ID.4 Pro S/Pro S Plus is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Tonale’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the ID.4 and the Tonale have standard heated front seats. The ID.4 Pro S Plus also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Tonale.

The ID.4 Pro S/Pro S Plus has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Tonale.

The ID.4’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Tonale’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The ID.4 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Tonale doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volkswagen ID.4 outsold the Alfa Romeo Tonale by almost five to one during 2024.