Gallery
Toyota’s hitting the reset button on its quirky electric crossover, and the timing is — well, it’s less than ideal.
Rebates are being paused or put out to pasture across the country, and zero-emission vehicle interest is down by a big margin. According to Statistics Canada, combined sales of all-electric and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles dropped 45 per cent year-over-year in March, and that was before British Columbia suspended its incentive program in what’s poised to be a big blow to adoption. But then playing the short game is a fool’s errand, especially given the zero-emissions sales targets that still exist here and elsewhere.
Toyota’s decision to push ahead with its plans will see the brand launch two entirely new electric vehicles (EVs) later this year to go with a significantly refreshed one. In fact, if it weren’t for the familiar shape there’d be no indication the renamed 2026 Toyota bZ is updated instead of entirely new, such are the changes that were made this time around. While the market is more competitive than it was when this crossover first launched a few short years ago, it finally feels like Toyota is ready to get serious about its electrification efforts.
A Little More Tasteful
The bZ (née bZ4X) remains an odd-looking entry in a segment filled with similarly strange small crossovers — for evidence, see the updated Kia EV6 — but the styling has been cleaned up considerably this time around. For starters, the front end features the same sort of C-shaped lights found on a growing number of Toyota models, including the redesigned RAV4. They’re connected by the same thin light bar that’s all the rage these days, while the overfenders have been cleaned up and don’t extend onto the fascia as much as they did before.
On the subject of those chunky flares shared with the fundamentally identical Subaru Solterra, the look always seemed better suited to the adventurous disposition of that brand’s crossovers than one with a Toyota badge on the back. While they haven’t been abandoned entirely, their new look includes gloss-painted finishes across the lineup — it was previously unpainted plastic for the cheaper of the two trims — and the option to have them colour-matched with the rest of the exterior, depending on hue.
A Lot More Intuitive
Inside, a new 14-inch touchscreen sits front and centre, while the console has been rearranged and frankly makes more sense than before. Keen eyes will note the screen’s similarities to the one available in the luxurious Lexus RX; aside from their surrounds they’re identical, right down to the incorporated climate controls. While physical switchgear is typically easier to operate, the toggles used before were tiny, as were the capacitive buttons that came with them. In the 2026 bZ, however, the icons are larger and easier to see, plus there are dials with dedicated displays inside for temperature adjustment.
The push-and-turn gear selector has been moved closer to the driver, with dual wireless phone chargers located just ahead of it. Meanwhile, the digital instrument display is also the same as before, although the shroud of old has been sent to the scrap heap so the seven-inch screen now looks like a freestanding unit. Unlike traditional screens, this one sits far away from the driver and is designed to minimize distraction by putting it barely a glance away from the road ahead. While it takes some getting used to versus looking through the steering wheel, it’s a rather ingenious approach that also negates the need for a separate head-up display.
Like other automakers, Toyota has turned to steering wheel-mounted paddles for regenerative braking adjustment instead of the console button from before. There are now four levels of motor-based braking force to choose from — previously it was a simple on/off switch — although even the strongest setting won’t bring the bZ to a full stop through modulation of the throttle pedal. Instead, the driver still needs to take over using the mechanical brakes at speeds slower than about 15 km/h, which is among the few frustrations that carry forward with this refresh.
Improved EV Essentials
Among the components that have been swapped out this time around are the batteries. The cheapest bZ XLE that’s front-wheel drive — pictured here in black — has a rather small 57.7-kWh pack, whereas the one it replaces has a 71.4-kWh unit, while a 77-kWh battery underpins all-wheel-drive examples. That’s a 4.2-kWh increase from before. Both are paired with updated electric motors that use silicon-carbide semiconductors to improve output, according to Toyota.
That doesn’t translate into more power for the front-wheel-drive bZ, with its single motor making 168 hp — a 31-hp decrease compared to the outgoing version. However, the twin-motor setup sees a big boost, with a 50 per cent output increase to 338 hp (versus 214 hp before). Interestingly, Toyota hadn’t published torque figures at the time of this writing, and that’s the stuff that helps determine how quickly a vehicle can accelerate. Toyota did, however, note an improvement in the zero-to-100 km/h time for the all-wheel-drive bZ, which now takes a claimed 5.1 seconds.
In reality, the instantaneous nature of electric torque means the outgoing version feels quicker than the estimated 6.9 seconds it takes to make the same benchmark sprint. And indeed, it didn’t feel like it was wanting for passing power when driven back-to-back with the updated 2026 bZ. However, the newer of the two managed to offer more responsive power delivery whether taking off from a standing start or increasing velocity while already in motion — perfect for passing manoeuvres whether around town or on the highway.
Despite the nearly 20 per cent drop in battery capacity for the front-wheel-drive bZ, estimated range rings in at 378 km — just seven per cent less than the 406 km its predecessor is supposed to be good for. Meanwhile, the 77-kWh battery offers 430 or 460 km, depending on wheel size, versus 367 km for the outgoing bZ4X. Better still, the onboard charger’s capacity has been increased to 11 kW from seven before, while it features a Tesla-style DC charging port that’s now on the passenger side. (An adapter for other chargers is included.)
Other Added Benefits
Beyond providing access to more places to add electrons, the North American Charging System (NACS) port allows for plug-and-charge capability that means sessions can be billed directly to a registered credit card — no third-party apps or accounts required. Maximum charging speed is capped at the same 150 kW as before, but Toyota claims the 10-to-80 per cent jump should take 30 minutes in ideal conditions — almost twice as fast as before. There’s also a new battery pre-conditioning system this time, plus the battery’s temperature management has been improved.
While the updated bZ is slightly heavier than before, its ride feels smoother and more composed than its predecessor’s. There’s a sense in both the front- and all-wheel-drive examples that the suspension damping is better suited to the battery pack than before, soaking up bumps while hiding the heavy and stiff object underneath the cabin. Travelling along precast concrete surface streets in and around metro Dallas, an outgoing 2025 bZ4X was more prone to bucking and bouncing its way down the road than its impending replacement.
Final Thoughts
While it wouldn’t be fair to call the older of the two uncomfortable, the 2026 Toyota bZ is simply smoother and more refined. It’s yet another way this refreshed EV has been meaningfully improved, with most of its drawbacks addressed with this update. Yes, it comes at a difficult time — not just for EV adoption but for competition, with the segment more tightly contested than ever — but it finally feels like Toyota is rising to meet the challenge head-on.
The 2026 Toyota bZ is set to go on sale in the second half of this year. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.
