2026 Toyota bZ4X review: Quick drive

Toyota’s bZ4X mid-size electric SUV might lack some of the superstarheadline-baiting power of some of its rivalsbut it’s an electric vehicle (EV) that’s quietly been building up a head of success around the world.

Although it’s been criticised in the past for not offering enough real-world rangeespecially in very cold conditionscustomers have liked itand it’s become a strong sellerespecially in Europe.

NowToyota is answering the bZ4X’s criticswith a bigger battery and efficiency improvements that are designed to give it more rangeand reduced energy consumptionas well as tidying up the styling inside and out.

The latter now brings the bZ4X into line with othernewer Toyota EVs including the C-HR+ small SUV and the closely related bZ4X Touring. It gets the ‘Hammerhead’ styling of those cars at the frontwith a cleaner line to the noseand wrap-over C-shaped LED lights.

Down the sides and around the backthe bZ4X is basically the same as beforebut small detail tweaks to the rear spoiler and the underbody aero package make the bZ4X more slippery than beforewith a drag coefficient of 0.27Cd – compared to 0.29 previously.

We tested the upgraded bZ4X in Europeahead of its Australian release in 2026.

How much does the Toyota bZ4X cost?

Toyota Australia hasn’t confirmed pricing for the new bZ4X as yetbut given Subaru has slashed thousands off the updated version of its closely related Solterra despite the tech advancementsToyota may do similar.

Currentlythe outgoing bZ4X range starts from $66,000 for the front-wheel drive 2WD and $74,900 for the AWD – all prices exclude on-road costs. Meanwhilethe pre-facelift Solterra – sold here only in dual-motor AWD form – docked $6000 from its starting price (to $63,990) and $7000 off the flagship grade (to $69,990).

A similar repositioning from the Big T could see the single-motor bZ4X’s entry point start with a ‘5’putting the Japanese giant right in the mix against a litany of rivals including the Tesla Model Y (from $58,900) and BYD Sealion 7 (from $54,990)as well as the Skoda Enyaq (from $54,990 drive-away).

To see how the Toyota bZ4X lines up against the competitioncheck out our comparison tool

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What is the Toyota bZ4X like on the inside?

As with the bZ4X’s exteriorthe interior looks familiarbut Toyota’s design team has made tweaks such as a more horizontal for the dashboardand the addition of a new 14-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Thankfully that screen gets a few physical controls – neat rotary dials for cabin temperatureand a physical volume knob for the excellentif optional JBL stereo – but while the on-screen graphics look quite slickas with so many big touchscreens the menus can be too deep and too confusing to use safely on the move.

The 7.0-inch instrument screen is simpler – indeedit’s a bit disappointing there’s really no option to customise its layout nor design – and it’s mounted up high and far awayat the base of the windscreen.

This means Toyota doesn’t have to fit a separate projected head-up display to keep the instruments in your direct line of sight. The small steering wheel – which comes with plenty of buttonsand which is now heated too – sits almost in your lap.

There’s plenty of adjustment in the driving positionbut the front seats feel over-stuffed (although they’ll likely yield with a bit of use).

Storage space is bit limited up front. There’s no conventional gloveboxand neither the open storage area under the centre console nor the storage box under the armrest are quite big enough. The door bins are OKthoughand you do get two wireless phone chargers now.

Overall quality feels excellentwith that typical sense of Toyota solidity.

Space in the back seats is hugewith acres of legroom for even the tallest of passengersand decent headroom too. The floor isn’t quite flat – there’s what seems to be a faint ghost of a transmission tunnel – but the rear seats are comfortableand the backrest feels nicely laid-back. The centre rear seat is a little narrowbut it’s just about useable.

The penalty for all that rear seat space comes in the bootwhich is really quite small. At 452 litresit is considerably smaller than you’d find in most of the bZ4X’s competition.

To see how the Toyota bZ4X lines up against the competitioncheck out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

The primary model in the bZ4X lineup is the front-wheel drive versionwhich gets an updated electric motor – Toyota calls this an ‘e-Axle’ – producing up to 165kW of power and 268Nm of torqueand improved efficiency too.

There’s an on-paper 7.1-second 0-100km/h timebut the front-drive bZ4X feels livelier than that on the roadwith solid performance. Of courseyou van upgrade to the all-wheel drive variant with 252kW and an extra 169Nm of torque from its rear-mounted motorwhich cuts the claimed 0-100km/h time to just 5.1 secondsbut there’s a considerable penalty in terms of range.

Mind youif you’re venturing off the tarmac muchthe AWD bZ4X comes with a useful off-road driving modedeveloped by Toyota’s partner on the bZ projectSubaruwhich makes it far more capable than you might expect. 

The battery has also been updatedgrowing to a 73kWh (gross) or 69kWh (net) capacityas there are more battery modules in the same space as before. It’s what allows Toyota to quote a much-improved one-charge range of up to 569km for the front-drive versionand energy consumption of 13.9kWh/100km.

Charging is now possible at 150kW using a suitable DC fast-chargeror up to 22kW via a three-phase AC outlet. Showing impressive confidence in its batteryToyota even includes a live battery health display in the instrument panel.

To see how the Toyota bZ4X lines up against the competitioncheck out our comparison tool

How does the Toyota bZ4X drive?

That new front-mounted ‘e-Axle’ motor delivers balanced performanceas the 2WD bZ4X manages to avoid that too-sudden acceleration feeling of many EVs. The speed feels more evenly parceled out than thatbut it certainly never feels slowwith a handy dump of mid-range torque for easy overtaking.

Obviouslythe AWD version with its considerably higher power and torque figures feels more vigorousbut the all-wheel drive bZ4X is also packing a tweaked handling setup that allows it to alter the torque balance between the four wheelsmaking it feel pointer and more agile in corners.

It’s not that the front-drive version feels dead in comparison or anythingbut there is a noticeable gap between the two when it comes to fun – keen driverstake note.

Both versions share steering that feels almost surprisingly heavy and firmcompared to the over-assisted setups of most of the bZ4X’s rivals. Neither offers especially good road-feel butoverallthe bZ4X feels confidence-inspiring and grippy as you attack a series of tightmountainous roads.

Body control when cornering is excellentand the inherent understeer can be cured by backing off or dabbing the brakes – which also feel firmer and more responsive than is the norm for this class of car.

Howeverthe price for that body control is a ride that’s too firm at timesand which can make the bZ4X lurch over really large bumps. It doesn’t seem to matter much whether you have the 18-inch alloy wheels or the optional 20-inch items.

What’s impressive is the refinement at cruising speed. Thanks to sound-absorbing glassand more noise-deadening panelsthe bZ4X is seriously refined on a long journey.

Which you’ll now be able to do – that improved range of 569km for the front-drive version feels broadly realisticand going by our brief test on Spanish roadsaround 450km feels like a doable figure in day-to-day driving.

There’s also a heat-pump heating system to take the strain off the battery in colder conditionsand a new battery conditioning feature to speed things up when you need to fast-charge.

The AWD version willof coursenot go quite so farbut around 400km should be achievable by most drivers. What’s really impressive about the all-paw bZ4X is just how capable it is off-road.

Using the Subaru-designed X-Mode systemToyota was content to let us roamsoloalong a surprisingly gnarly stretch of mountain track with some very rough surfacessteep climbs and descents. The bZ4X coped admirably.

To see how the Toyota bZ4X lines up against the competitioncheck out our comparison tool

What do you get?

Full pricing and specifications for the Australian market haven’t been announced yetbut vehicles sold overseas provide an indication of what to expect.

Equipment equipment highlights overseas include:

• 14.0-inch touchscreen
• Smartphone mirroring
• LED headlights and tail-lights
• Digital instrument panel
• Heat-pump
• Dual zone climate control
• Adaptive cruise control
• 9-speaker stereo
• Heated front seats and steering wheel
• Dual wireless phone chargers

To see how the Toyota bZ4X lines up against the competitioncheck out our comparison tool

Is the Toyota bZ4X safe?

Yesthe bZ4X is safegetting a five-star ANCAP safety rating back in 2022 when the model was first launchedand Toyota has improved the car’s safety systems since then.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Autonomous emergency braking
• Forward collision warning
• Speed limit warning
• Lane centring
• Traffic sign recognition
• Rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Drive attention warning
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Safe exit assist

To see how the Toyota bZ4X lines up against the competitioncheck out our comparison tool

How much does the Toyota bZ4X cost to run?

All new Toyotas come with a five-yearunlimited mileage warranty in Australiawhich is par for the coursebut much better is that if you keep your bZ4X serviced annually at a Toyota dealer the battery warranty will be stretched to a massive 10 years and unlimited kilometres.

That’s considerably more battery cover than is offered by almost any other EV maker and just shows how confident Toyota is in the long-term life of its batteries.

If you’re able to get a good night-time charging price of 16c per kWhthen a full charge of the bZ4X is going to cost around $11 a gowhich for a real-world 450km seems like solid value.

Obviouslypublic fast-charging is going to be considerably more expensivebut that’s true for all EVs.

To see how the Toyota bZ4X lines up against the competitioncheck out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Toyota bZ4X

This is a solid update of a solid EV.

The bZ4X had already been a success for Toyota globally – 150,000 have been sold around the world – but the improvements to battery range and efficiency have made it a much more useable day-to-day carespecially for long-haul drivers.

The off-road ability of the all-wheel drive version is the icing on this sensiblebut tastycake. 

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MORE: Explore the Toyota bZ4X showroom