Pz.Kpfw.IV was intended as a support or escort vehicle. The driver's compartment on Ausf.A (Vs.Kfz.622) was built farther forward than that of the radio operator, and front of the superstructure therefore angled back to the right of the driver. The commander's cupola in this model was cylindrical in construction.

Ausfuehrung B (Vs.Kfz.622) was equipped with a more powerful motor and a new transmission. The engine provided more power for the upgrade to the frontal armor. The commander's cupola was modified, replacing the vision slits with sliding visors. The superstructure front was straightened so that it ran across the hull, and the bow MG was replaced by a vision slot and pistol port. Applique armor was attached to the sides of some Ausf.B tanks in late 1940.

Modifications to Ausf.C (Vs.Kfz.622) included a new engine mount and a redesigned gun mantlet and turret ring. The first 40 vehicles were powered by the HL120TR engine. The HL120TRM of later production tanks were was modified from the HL120TR to improve carburization. Additional armor was also attached to Ausf.C vehicles starting in late 1940.

The side and rear armor on Ausf.D (Sd.Kfz.161) was thickened, and the main gun mantlet was changed to an external design with armor protection for the coaxial machine gun. The superstructure front was modified back to the stepped design, with the driver slightly in front of the radio operator. The bow machine gun was also again fitted. New tracks were used with taller center guides, and these tracks could not be used on earlier tanks. Later production tanks had 30mm (1.2") plates attached to the hull front and 20mm (.79") armor plate added to the hull sides. Some Ausf.D were rearmed with the 7.5cm Kw.K.40 L/48 in 1943.

The commander's cupola in Ausf.E (Sd.Kfz.161) was again modified, and the turret sides were lengthened so that the cupola no longer had to be cut from the rear turret plate. The turret rear was now constructed from a single plate, and stowage bins were attached to the turret rear. An exhaust fan was introduced to expel gases produced from the weapons, and the tanks were again uparmored. The drive sprockets on Ausf.E were modified, new idler wheels were installed, and a new pivoting driver's visor was fitted. This replaced the older sliding visor. The access hatches on the hull front were redesigned to be flush with the rest of the hull plate.

The base armor of Ausfuehrung F1 was thickened again, requiring new external fittings for the visors (Fahrersehklappe 50) and ball machine gun mounts (Kugelblende 50). The superstructure front plate was once again straightened across the front. New dished drive sprockets and welded tubular idler wheels were installed with the new wider track. Cooling air intakes were added to the hull front access hatches to cool the steering brakes, and the mufflers for the HL120TRM and the auxiliary generator engine were modified. The previous one-piece turret side doors were replaced with two-piece hatches.

Ausfuehrung H (Sd.Kfz.161/2) was constructed with 80mm (3.1") basic armor on the hull front. A new idler was fitted during the production run, and all-steel return rollers, external air filters, and a cupola-mounted AAMG mount were also introduced. The drive sprocket wheels were modified to allow replacement of the sprocket teeth rings. The vision slots on the side of the hull were deleted, and a new cupola with thicker armor and a single-piece hatch instead of the earlier split hatch was provided. Schuerzen, first used in March 1943, were installed at the factory beginning with Ausf.H.

The auxiliary engine generator that powered the electrical turret traverse was deleted on Ausf.J (Sd.Kfz.161/2), and was replaced by an additional fuel tank. Supplies of fuel tanks, however, were unavailable until July 1944, and even then the tanks supplied were prone to leaks. Once this was realized, the new fuel tanks were not fitted until September 1944, when satisfactory tanks were acquired. This necessitated installation of a second reduction gear in the traverse mechanism to allow the turret to be turned if the tank was canted. The naehverteidigunswaffe was introduced in the roof to provide close-in defense. The number of return rollers was dropped to ease production a bit, and steel-tired road wheels and return rollers could be fitted to conserve rubber. The hull side plates were extended, and the towing hooks were formed from these plates instead of being welded to the tank. The mufflers were also redesigned into two vertical pipes. During the production run, the turret side doors and rear vision ports were deleted, and some tanks were fitted with wire mesh schuerzen instead of the earlier solid skirts.