When Toyota introduced the bZ4X electric SUV, it easily felt like it wasn’t truly a rival to the Tesla Model Y, mainly because of its less than stellar driving range. Now Toyota has fixed that, in addition to giving its electric SUV an easier name to say – bZ.
The 2026 Toyota bZ not only gets more driving range, but it also is available with more power and it also gets updated styling and an upgraded interior.
Starting with the powertrain, the bZ is available with a larger 74.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which gives the bZ up to 314 miles of range, up from 252 miles that the bZ4X had. A smaller 57.7-kWh battery is available on the XLE FWD version. To charge the bZ, it’s a bit easier with the standard NACS charging port, which gives drivers access to the Tesla Supercharger network.
Here’s the range breakdown by model:
• 314 miles (XLE FWD Plus; 74.7-kWh battery)
• 299 miles (Limited FWD; 74.7-kWh battery)
• 288 miles (XLE AWD; 74.7-kWh battery)
• 278 miles (Limited AWD; 74.7-kWh battery)
• 236 miles (XLE FWD, 57.7-kWh battery)
The electric motors have also been updated with silicon carbide (SIC) semiconductors to give them more power. The bZ has up to 338 horsepower, which Toyota says will accelerate the bZ from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. The front-wheel drive single motor version also gets a horsepower increase to 221 hp, up from 201 hp.
On the outside, the bZ gets a small facelift, which includes a new face with updated lighting and new front fenders. Color-matched moulding is now available too. Inside Toyota says that the bZ gets a “slimmed down dashboard” with a larger 14-inch touchscreen. The center console has also been redesigned and now has two wireless phone chargers. Lastly there are new steering wheel mounted paddle shifters to adjust the level of regenerative braking.
