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The Toyota bZ4X has been updated for 2026, with more power, a longer range and a new dashboard; front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive options are available, along with a choice of two battery sizes.
Originally introduced in 2022, the Toyota bZ4X crossover was the brand’s first electric car (it’s not the most memorable name, and we still struggle to remember which letters are upper or lower case). More than 150,000 units have been sold since launch, with Toyota saying that this makes it the third most popular model in its segment in Europe. The bZ4X has now received a mid-life update; does this keep it competitive?
Updates for the 2026 Toyota bZ4X include more power, a longer range, and an improved dashboard.
The bZ4X is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and two battery sizes. The 57.7kWh battery is only available with the Icon grade front-wheel drive bZ4X. The higher capacity 73.1kWh unit is available in both front and all-wheel drive versions.
The new batteries and eAxles deliver improved efficiency and more power: 165 bhp, 221 bhp or up to 338 bhp for the AWD variant. The bZ4X’s driving range has been extended, up to 352 miles (WLTP), and a new battery cooling system helps with faster charging.
Suspension tuning aims to improve ride comfort and the car’s dynamics, and a series of new measures including acoustic glass in the front side windows reduce cabin noise levels.
Inside, a new 14-inch multimedia screen replaces the previous 12.3-inch display, and the centre console is 10 cm lower. However the overall dashboard appearance is similar to the previous bZ4X, and the new Toyota C-HR+; the dark grey plastic is very Toyota, and quite different to the current fashion of minimalistic premium-feel cabins.
The new C-HR+ also shares the same platform, but the bZ4X is larger, with a length of 4,690mm. It offers generous rear legroom and a 452-litre boot, which includes an underfloor space where charging cables can be stored. On the outside, we think the angular styling looks good.
The AWD bZ4X model gains a 1,500kg towing capacity.
We’ve previously reviewed the all-wheel drive Toyota bZ4X and rated its driving experience very highly. Our updated bZ4X test car was front-wheel drive. It was still good to drive, with comfortable ride quality, enjoyable handling and responsive steering (you look over the relatively small steering wheel to the driver’s instrument display). However the front-wheel drive layout can result in wheelspin and torque steer, so the all-wheel drive model offers more grip and a better overall driving experience, as well as delivering more performance. The AWD bZ4X (co-developed with Subaru) was also impressive off-road and in the snow – something that the FWD variant can’t match.
The bZ4X has a conveniently-located rotary gear selector on the centre console, and new steering wheel-mounted paddles allow you to adjust the degree of brake regeneration (with four levels to choose from).
There’s no drive mode selector, but there is a button for Eco mode (watch out for the car staying in Eco mode when you restart it rather than it defaulting to Normal), and one for Snow, but there’s no Sport drive mode, and sometimes you feel you need a bit more response than the Normal mode provides.
The touchscreen may have grown in size slightly, but its graphics are still behind competitors in terms of quality, and the controls could be arranged in a more user-friendly way. For example, if you want to switch off beepy, intervening driver assistance systems, it’s really hard work to find where these are in various menus and sub-menus.
At the bottom of the screen is a row of digital buttons for climate controls; located somewhat randomly in these controls is a button with six dots. If you press this a window pops up with frequently-used features. By chance, one of these buttons enabled the deactivation of the lane departure warning system; if this hadn’t appeared here, it would have been difficult to find how to do this.
The Toyota bZ4X Excel FWD (with 20-inch wheels), as tested, has an official WLTP combined electric driving range of 319 miles. After a week on test the real-world range was averaging 237 miles, which is disappointing compared to the official figure (even though the bZ4X features a heat pump as standard). Official WLTP consumption is 4.47 miles/kWh, which is good.
The front-wheel drive bZ4X with the 57.7 kWh battery has an official range of up to 274 miles. The FWD bZ4X with the 73.1 kWh battery has a range of up to 352 miles (with 18-inch wheels), and the AWD model with the 73.1 kWh battery has a range of up to 291 miles.
A maximum DC rapid charging rate of 150 kW should give a 10% to 80% charge in 28 minutes. A new battery pre-conditioning function aims to reduce the charging times, particularly in cold climates.
The driver’s instrument display features new information including current, real-time charging power and the time remaining to reach a full charge, however, like the rest of the infotainment system, this information isn’t presented in the stylish way that is typically the case with most other EVs.
Interestingly, another new feature is an indicator showing the battery’s state of health and remaining capacity. Toyota says this gives the driver full transparency of the battery condition and remaining capacity, in line with its impressive Battery Care Programme which guarantees 70 per cent of original battery capacity still being retained for up to 650,000 miles or 10 years of vehicle use.
The bZ4X can also AC charge at up to 11kW, or 22kW for the Excel grade.
The Toyota bZ4X is available in three equipment grades – Icon, Design and Excel. Icon comes with front-wheel drive and the smaller 57.7kWh battery. Design is also front-wheel drive but with the larger 73.1kWh battery. Excel is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and the larger 73.1kWh battery.
Prices for the bZ4X range start at £39,995. Our Toyota bZ4X Excel FWD test car was priced at £48,995, with options of Premium Pack (£2,500) and Scarlet Flare Premium Paint.
There’s also the Subaru Solterra – also in the process of being updated – which is basically the same car as the bZ4X but with slightly different styling and all-wheel drive only.
When the Toyota bZ4X was originally launched in 2022 it was one of our favourite electric cars when we tested it in all-wheel drive form. It offered agility, grip, performance and entertaining handling. The bZ4X’s 2026 update brings a number of improvements (although the quality of the infotainment system lags behind rivals). The front-wheel drive version remains a good car, but it doesn’t have the unique selling points of the AWD model, which is better to drive on the road, and, unusually in this sector, it’s also capable off-road – which gives the AWD model real differentiation in a crowded sector. The 2026 Toyota bZ4X FWD is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 8 out of 10.
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