Riding High on the bZ
Electrification has been a cornerstone of the Toyota product line since the 1997 debut of the original Prius in Japan. But that doesn’t mean Toyota has been a huge proponent of electric vehicles (EVs). In fact, in recent years, it’s been anything but. Company leadership, from chairman Akio Toyoda on down, has argued that hybrids like the Prius make more sense than EVs, at least for now. However, Toyota isn't ignoring EVs. The automaker just hosted a huge media event at its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, where it announced five new or substantially upgraded EVs, including the 2026 bZ.
The bZ4X Is Now the bZ
If that name seems slightly familiar, it’s because the bZ (which stands for beyond zero) is a heavily revamped version of the bZ4X that debuted in 2022. At least here in North America, many people found the name awkward, so it’s been shortened. The rest of the world, where additional bZ models, including the bZ3 and bZ5, are already available, will keep the original name.
When the bZ4X debuted three years ago, it absolutely failed to wow the market. Relative to competition like the Volkswagen ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Ariya, and, of course, the Tesla Model Y, it had shorter range, modest performance, a higher price, and miserably slow charging speeds. It also looked kind of odd, with lots of heavy black cladding.
Let’s cut to the chase. For 2026, Toyota has fixed virtually everything we complained about over the past three years, with one notable exception that I’ll come to a little later.
The basic shape remains unchanged, but the front fascia has been reworked with Toyota’s now signature “hammerhead” running lamps and a small projector headlamp below. Customers who select the white, grey, or black (which unfortunately is likely to be most buyers) now get body color wheel arch extensions. It provides a much cleaner, less cluttered look, particularly on the white and grey colored versions. The other colors, including the dark blue and the red, retain the black cladding.
The bZ Can Now Charge From 10% to 80% in 30 Minutes
More detail-oriented viewers may notice that the charge port has been moved from the left front fender to the right front. That’s because Toyota has replaced the CCS charging port with the SAE J3400 port, more commonly known as the Tesla-designed North American Charging Standard or NACS. The port was moved because the bZ is now compatible with Tesla Superchargers, which have notoriously short cables. All Teslas have the charge port on the left rear corner and are designed to back into charging stalls. The bZ and other North American market Toyota and Lexus EVs will go nose in, and the new port location should reach.
Toyota will be shipping all of its new EVs with two charging adapters. The AC adapter will allow users to charge from a J1772 connector (that’s the standard found on most of the Level 2 chargers located in parking lots and garages) while the DC adapter will allow connecting a CCS cable. We didn’t get an opportunity to do any charging in the fresh bZ, but chief engineer Daisuke Ido explained that charging will now peak at 150 kilowatts and remain at that level longer than before.
The previous bZ4X peaked at 100 kW and started ramping down almost immediately. It often took over an hour to charge to 80%, but the new bZ should get from 10% to 80% charge in about 30 minutes.
Home charging should be a lot faster now as well, with an 11-kW onboard charger replacing the previous 6.6-kW unit. This is enabled by an improved cooling system for the battery that will keep it at the optimum temperature for charging and allows preconditioning for faster DC charging, especially in cold weather.
New Dashboard Leads to Unobstructed Gauge Cluster Views
Another annoyance of the original bZ4X was the gauge cluster display, which is shared with the latest Prius. The 7-inch display was mounted near the base of the windshield at the end of a plastic “valley.” The location was designed to make it easier to refocus your eyes when switching between the gauges and the road. The problem is that it was mounted a bit too low, and, after setting the steering wheel height to a comfortable position for driving, it ended up blocking the bottom half of the display for almost all drivers.
In the 2026 bZ, the entire dashboard has been redesigned, and while the display is the same size, it now sits a couple of inches higher and remains clearly visible at any reasonable steering wheel height.
As part of the dashboard rework, the center console, which previously formed a significant barrier between the driver and passenger, has also been reshaped and whittled down. The storage space below the console appears to be a bit smaller, but the rest is far less intrusive, and now includes dual wireless charging pads for phones at the front end.
Battery, Performance, and Power
According to Ido-san, there has been no change to the cell chemistry in the lithium-ion battery, so it still has nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes. However, the pack is now a bit larger in order to accommodate more cells and an improved thermal management system. The capacity has increased from 71.4 kilowatt-hours for the previous front-wheel-drive model and 72.8 kWh for the all-wheel drive to 74.7 kWh for both drive types. In addition to the capacity, those extra cells provide a boost to the total output from 335 volts to 389 volts.
The front motor is essentially the same as before, but the extra electrical output from the battery raises the power from 201 to 221 horsepower. The AWD bZ uses the same setup as the old Lexus RZ, with a more powerful motor in the front and a smaller one in the back. This combo now delivers 338 horsepower, up from 308, thanks to the battery update.
We had both the FWD and AWD bZs available to drive in Plano, but no bZ4X to compare it against. Despite the additional battery capacity, Toyota lists the curb weight of the FWD bZ at 4,156 pounds, which is about 110 pounds less than before. Toyota claims 0-60 mph in about 8 seconds, and by my seat of the pants, it felt plausible. In fact, the bZ is actually more than quick enough for pretty much all everyday driving, including freeway merges and passing maneuvers.
The performance difference can really be felt in the AWD bZ. With an extra 124 horsepower on tap, this bZ feels way more lively than before, and Toyota’s claimed 4.9-second 0-60 mph run seems totally believable. Customers who pick the AWD bZ should be quite pleased with the performance.
There is also one more new bZ variant for 2026, but it wasn’t available to drive at the event. This will be a lower-priced XLE FWD trim with a smaller 57.7-kWh battery targeted at customers who need a more basic urban commuter. This base model is projected to have a still very useful 235-mile range, only 17 miles less than the old XLE FWD, with considerably more battery. The 2026 XLE Plus is projected to go 314 miles, while the Limited AWD trim with larger 20-inch wheels and tires should still do 278 miles, an improvement of 56 miles.
Overall, the improved interior design, which is more open and functional, combined with noticeably better performance and range, makes the 2026 bZ what it probably should have been from day one. It’s roomy, reasonably fun to drive and at least a bit better looking.
One-Pedal Driving Is Still Missing
Earlier, I mentioned that Toyota failed to address one crucial EV feature: one-pedal driving, which is still absent in the 2026 bZ. Toyota’s philosophy on this topic is that customers will prefer a feel similar to the internal combustion vehicles they are probably transitioning from.
Paddles behind the steering wheel allow the amount of regenerative braking to be adjusted up or down, but the maximum is still not as strong as what is offered in many other EVs, and the system will never bring the bZ to a full stop. I’ve been driving EVs for many years now, and I’ve really come to prefer one-pedal driving. Toyota could address this with a software update, and the manufacturer is considering it. If their customers prefer the more traditional feel, they can make that the default, but one-pedal mode should at least be an option in every EV.
Pricing
The 2026 bZ arrives at Toyota dealers later this year, but no pricing has been announced yet. In 2024, Toyota reduced the price of its EVs across the board, and the base XLE FWD started at $38,940, including delivery.
The bZ/bZ4X are produced in Japan, which means they are now subject to tariffs, and Toyota has acknowledged that prices will probably be going up across the board sometime this year. The longer-range XLE FWD Plus will probably get back up above $40,000 when it arrives, but hopefully, Toyota can manage to keep the shorter-range model in the mid-$30s. It would be a shame if this much-improved EV lost out because of tariffs.
