The Mustang Mach-E Extended Range goes 29 miles further on the EPA test — 320 against 291 — and it needs 14 kWh more battery to do it. On a fast charger the Volkswagen is the quicker of the two despite the smaller pack, adding 204 miles in 28 minutes against 224 in 32. In the UK it is also £23,900 cheaper, which is the number most of these decisions actually turn on.
What actually differs
- Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD goes 30 km further on the observed real-world figure than the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro.
- On the EPA highway cycle – the one that decides a long drive – Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD is rated 61 km further than the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro.
- Volkswagen ID.4 Pro is 7% more efficient than the Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD, which is what the electricity bill follows.
- Volkswagen ID.4 Pro charges from 10 to 80 per cent 4 minutes faster than the Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD.
- At home Volkswagen ID.4 Pro accepts 1 kW more, so it refills faster overnight than the Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD.
- Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD carries 14 kWh more usable battery than the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro.
- Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD is 1 seconds quicker to 100 km/h than the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro.
Every line above is computed from the table below, not written: a difference is only stated where both cars carry that figure from a named source.
| Specification | Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD Ford | Volkswagen ID.4 Pro Volkswagen |
|---|---|---|
| Market & identity | ||
| Curb weight | 4,764 lb | 4,716 lb |
| Battery | ||
| Cell chemistry LFP tolerates daily charging to 100% and is the most thermally stable; NMC and NCA pack more energy per kilogram. | NMC | NMC |
| Usable capacity The figure every range and cost calculation on this site is based on. | 91.0 kWh | 77.0 kWh |
| Thermal management Active liquid or direct-refrigerant cooling is the strongest single predictor of slow degradation and repeatable fast charging. | liquid-active | liquid-active |
| Pack voltage 800 V architectures hold high charging power for longer and waste less energy as heat. | 400 V | 352 V |
| Capacity loss per year Rate for this vehicle class from published fleet datasets, not a measurement of this model and not a manufacturer claim. | 2.7% / year est | 2.7% / year est |
| Projected state of health at 8 years Modelled from the observed degradation rate at average annual mileage. An estimate, not a measurement. | 78% est | 78% est |
| Range & efficiency | ||
| EPA range US EPA combined cycle, the most conservative of the three official tests. | 320 mi | 291 mi |
| EPA range, city The city half of the EPA combined rating. Usually the higher of the two for an electric car. | 335 mi | 313 mi |
| EPA range, highway The highway half of the EPA combined rating, and the figure to plan a long drive around. | 302 mi | 264 mi |
| WLTP range European combined cycle, typically 15 to 25 percent more optimistic than EPA for the same car. | 382 mi | 355 mi |
| Observed real-world range Mixed-conditions figure from independent testing. This is the number that matters on a road trip. | 295 mi | 277 mi |
| EPA consumption | 30.7 kWh/100 mi | 29.8 kWh/100 mi |
| Real-world consumption | 298 Wh/mi | 278 Wh/mi |
| Charging | ||
| Peak DC power Held briefly, often only inside a narrow state-of-charge window. | 150 kW | 175 kW |
| 10 to 80 percent DC charge time The honest measure of fast-charging speed. | 32 min | 28 min |
| AC onboard charger Sets how fast the car fills up overnight at home. | 11 kW | 11 kW |
| DC connector (Europe) | — | CCS2 |
| DC connector (US) The plug fitted to the car as sold in the United States. Blank where we have not sourced it for that market. | NACS | CCS1 |
| Performance | ||
| Peak power | 203 kW | 210 kW |
| 0-60 mph | — | — |
| 0-100 km/h | 6.1 s | 6.7 s |
| Cost of ownership | ||
| Base MSRP (US) | — | $45,095 |
| Base price (EU) | €55,400 | €44,990 |
| Est. out-of-warranty pack replacement (US) | $15,000 est | — |
| Battery warranty | 8 yr | 8 yr |
| Est. 5-year residual value | — | — |
| Safety & risk | ||
| NHTSA overall rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Euro NCAP overall rating | — | 5/5 |
| Battery or high-voltage recalls | 5 | 7 |
| Battery safety score | ||
| Composite score Our own composite of thermal management, cell chemistry, crash rating and recall record. Formula | 6.5 / 10 | 6.5 / 10 |
highlighted marks the better figure for that row. Where a car is not sold in a market, its price and official range for that market are blank rather than converted. est marks a modelled value, explained on the methodology page.
More range, bought with more battery
320 miles EPA for the Ford against 291 for the Volkswagen, and 475 km against 445 observed in mixed European driving. The gap is real, but it is not efficiency: the Mach-E carries 91 kWh usable against the ID.4’s 77, and uses 30.7 kWh per 100 miles on the EPA test against 29.8. Put another way, the Ford is 10 per cent less efficient and carries 18 per cent more battery, and the second number is bigger than the first. That is the whole of its range advantage.
The bill follows the efficiency rather than the range. At the US average home rate the Mach-E costs $5.65 per 100 miles and the ID.4 $5.48 — $64 a month against $62 at average US mileage. A full charge is the line where the bigger pack shows up: about $18.60 against $15.74, because there is simply more to fill. Neither is expensive next to the $170 a month a 27 mpg petrol car costs over the same miles, and where you live moves both figures far more than the choice between them.
The smaller battery is the faster charge
Both cars are 400-volt, and neither is quick by 2026 standards. The ID.4 peaks at 175 kW and takes 28 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent; the Mach-E peaks at 150 kW and takes 32. Convert that into the thing you are actually waiting for and the Volkswagen adds about 204 miles in its 28 minutes, 7.3 miles a minute, against 224 miles in 32 for the Ford, 7.0 a minute. The Ford puts more range in per stop because its pack is bigger; the Volkswagen puts it in slightly faster.
Neither car gains anything from a 350 kW post — both are at their own ceiling well below it, which is true of most cars we have measured. The 800-volt crossovers in this class, the Ioniq 5 and EV6, do the same 10 to 80 in 18 and 17 minutes. If charging stops are the deciding factor, neither of these two is the answer.
At home they are the same car
11 kW onboard for the ID.4, 10.5 kW for the Mach-E. On a UK or European three-phase wallbox that is a full charge overnight for both with hours to spare; on a US single-phase 48-amp circuit both are limited to about 11.5 kW at the wall regardless, so the difference disappears entirely. The practical question is the one in 7.7 kW against 11.5 kW at home, and for cars this size the answer is usually that the cheaper circuit is enough.
Price is where this stops being close
£35,495 for the ID.4 Pro against £59,390 for the Mach-E Extended Range in the UK — £23,900, which buys a second small car. In Europe the gap narrows but does not reverse: €44,990 against €55,400, so €10,410. The Volkswagen is the cheaper car in both markets we hold a price for, and by a margin no running-cost difference comes close to repaying: at $2 a month, the Mach-E’s higher energy bill would take a lifetime to matter next to the purchase price.
We do not publish a US price for either car, because we do not hold one from a source we can credit. Both are sold in the United States and both are EPA-rated, so every energy and range figure on this page applies there; the price comparison does not.
Recalls, ratings and the plug
Both hold five stars from NHTSA. On recalls the Ford is clean in our record and the Volkswagen carries seven, which is what pushes our battery safety score to 9 for the Mach-E against 6.5 for the ID.4 — a composite whose formula is on the methodology page, not a crash rating. The Mach-E also ships with a NACS connector, so it plugs into the Supercharger network without an adapter; that is worth more in the United States than anywhere else, and worth nothing in Europe.
Performance splits the other way and barely matters: 203 kW and 6.1 seconds to 100 km/h for the Ford, 210 kW and 6.7 for the Volkswagen, 22 kg apart on the scales.
Frequently asked questions
Which has more range, the Mach-E or the ID.4?
The Mach-E Extended Range, by 29 miles on the EPA test — 320 against 291 — and by 30 km on observed European figures, 475 against 445. It carries 14 kWh more battery to get there.
Which charges faster?
The ID.4, marginally. It goes from 10 to 80 per cent in 28 minutes against the Mach-E’s 32, and adds about 7.3 miles per minute of charging against 7.0. The Ford still puts more total range in per stop, because the pack is larger.
Which is cheaper to run?
The ID.4, by about $2 a month at average US mileage and the average US home rate — $62 against $64. The difference is small enough that your electricity tariff decides it, not the car.
Sources
Every figure above is credited on the two car pages: the Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD and the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro, each with the source and the date it was read. Running costs use the standing assumptions on the methodology page: $0.184 per kWh at home, 1,125 miles a month, and charging losses of about a tenth on a full charge.