Compare the2026 Lexus RZVS 2025 Volkswagen ID.BUZZ

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RZ 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 Volkswagen ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the RZ are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Lexus RZ has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer knee airbags.

With its standard Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, the Lexus RZ is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

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

Both the RZ and the ID.BUZZ 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 and available around view monitors.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the RZ 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the ID.BUZZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the ID.BUZZ ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The RZ’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the ID.BUZZ’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the RZ’s reliability 27 points higher than the ID.BUZZ.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 59 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 26th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in reliability, above the industry average. With 145 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 35th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus second in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 18th.

The RZ has more powerful engines than the ID.BUZZ:

As tested in Car and Driver the RZ 450e electric motors is faster than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ electric motors:

The RZ can travel longer on a full charge than the ID.BUZZ on a full charge:

The Lexus RZ has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.BUZZ. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The RZ stops shorter than the ID.BUZZ:

For better maneuverability, the RZ’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the ID.BUZZ’s (36.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The RZ’s turning circle is 5.9 feet tighter than the ID.BUZZ 4Motion®’s (36.8 feet vs. 42.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the RZ has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the ID.BUZZ (7.9 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the RZ to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Lexus RZ may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1550 to 1650 pounds less than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ.

The RZ is 6.2 inches shorter than the ID.BUZZ, making the RZ easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The RZ is 11.8 inches shorter in height than the ID.BUZZ, making the RZ much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

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

The RZ uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The RZ has a much larger cargo volume than the ID.BUZZ with its rear seat up (34.1 vs. 18.6 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Lexus second in service department satisfaction. With a 71% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 31st.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The RZ offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The RZ’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The ID.BUZZ has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Compared to the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ, the Lexus RZ eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

The RZ is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the ID.BUZZ, which solely provides FM radio. With AM radio, you can enjoy a wider variety of stations featuring news, talk shows, sports commentary, native language programing, automated traffic guidance, and emergency broadcasts. AM waves travel further and penetrate buildings and obstacles more effectively than FM signals, especially at night. Having both FM and AM stereo radios the RZ offers a more comprehensive listening experience compared to only FM in the ID.BUZZ.

HD Radio boasts several benefits over conventional radio: superior sound quality with clearer and consistent FM broadcasts, CD-quality audio, and Multicast Channels offering up to four streams from a single station, adding programming choices. Cars like the RZ equipped with HD Radio provide an improved in-car entertainment experience. The ID.BUZZ, devoid of this technology, foregoes these benefits. Selecting the Lexus RZ empowers drivers to enjoy a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience while on the go.

The Lexus RZ outsold the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ by over five to one during 2024.