2026 Toyota bZ Seems to Have Something for Everyone

Yahoo

4 days ago

Four versions of the '26 Toyota bZ will use a 74.7-kWh battery and achieve estimated range of between 278 miles and 314 miles. A front-drive XLE trim will get a new 57.7-kWh battery and 236 miles of range.
Early next year, bZ shoppers can step up to something more rugged: the 2026 bZ Woodland edition with a range-topping 375 hp and standard AWD.
The new instrument panel overall is streamlined and looks more upscale than the one in the 2025 bZ4X, and the design team moved the gauge cluster higher, making it easier to see in the '26 model.
It's much more than just a name change.
Yes, Toyota has ditched the clumsy and awkward bZ4X moniker for its most recent battery-electric vehicle for the US market, in hopes that the simplified name 'bZ' will resonate with shoppers and bear fruit when this updated 2026 model starts arriving at Toyota showrooms later this summer.
The bZ4X has been in the market for three years—and has taken its lumps along the way. The 2022 launch was plagued by an embarrassing recall for loose hub bolts that might cause wheels to detach. Barely 1,200 units sold in 2022.
But the bZ4X recovered well enough to achieve 9,329 sales in 2023 in the US and then another 18,570 in 2024.
But for context, higher-priced luxury EVs like the BMW i4, Cadillac Lyriq, and Rivian R1S handily outsold the bZ4X in 2024, as did mainstream EVs like the Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Ariya, and Honda Prologue.
So Toyota clearly has work to do in this volatile and politically charged segment for all-electric vehicles, and the latest changes to this refreshed (and renamed) 2026 bZ are notable on a number of fronts.
On the outside, you can barely see the difference in the trim and unaltered sheetmetal compared to the 2025 bZ4X.
But the mechanical changes for the new bZ are meaningful. The '25 bZ4X offered two battery packs (71.4 kWh and 72.8 kWh), capable of range between 222 and 252 miles.
Four versions of the '26 bZ will use a 74.7-kWh battery and achieve estimated range of between 278 miles (with AWD) and 314 miles (with front-wheel drive).
Even better, a front-drive XLE trim will be offered with a new, smaller 57.7-kWh battery, rated at 236 miles of range and likely coming in at a lower price point—but with a meager 168 hp.
Look for 338 hp combined with AWD (Limited and XLE trim) for '26, up from 214 hp combined on the prior AWD bZ4X.
We didn't get to drive that new 338-hp bZ, but even the 221-hp Limited FWD model felt more than lively on a short route last week in and around Plano, Texas, near the Toyota North American headquarters. It was even capable of squawking tires from a standstill.
The spec sheet shows a big step up in acceleration to 60 mph, from 6.5 seconds with AWD for the bZ4X to 4.9 seconds with the 338-hp AWD system in the new bZ.
But at the lower end with FWD and the smaller 57.7-kWh battery, the bZ is slower to 60 mph: a leisurely 8 seconds compared to 7.1 in the base bZ4X with a larger battery.
Toyota's basically giving EV shoppers more options—at both the lower and upper end of the bZ range. For some people with shorter range and power requirements, 168 hp and 236 miles of range might be the perfect vehicle, at a lower price point.
And early next year, bZ shoppers can step up to yet another option if they are looking for something more rugged. The 2026 bZ Woodland edition will bring a range-topping 375 hp, standard AWD, up to an estimated 260 miles of range, 3,500 pounds of towing capacity, and 8.3 inches of ground clearance for adventuring off-road.
Another important addition for the '26 bZ, including the Woodland: Standard on all of them is the Tesla-designed North American Charging System (NACS) port, giving access to thousands of DC fast charging stations nationwide.
If you have a favorite charging station that still uses the Combined Charging System (CCS) port that has been standard for most other EV makers, then you'll be glad to find an adapter that comes with your bZ, at no extra charge. Consider it an insurance policy giving you a lot more charging options during road trips.
Look inside the 2026 bZ and you'll see significant design upgrades.
The instrument panel is all new and now gets a larger 14-inch multimedia touchscreen in the center that integrates more neatly within the instrument panel. That new screen is positioned higher for better visibility.
The old screen had tiny buttons positioned at the base for adjusting volume up and down—good luck working those while moving. Below that were climate controls that were also poorly organized and hard to read.
The new configuration is cleaner and simpler and includes two chunky dials for adjusting cabin temperature for both driver and passenger.
And right between those dials is another welcome new addition: a physical volume knob (which could use some brightwork to stand out from the all-black background).
The instrument panel overall is streamlined and looks more upscale than the one it replaces. The digital gauge cluster in the bZ4X sat too low, and the steering wheel would block its visibility. But for '26 the design team moved the cluster higher, making it easier to see, and pushed it a bit closer to the windshield.
And there was just too much going on with the old gauge cluster, which had arms on either side reaching forward toward the driver. In between those arms was a hump that extended and tapered back from the steering wheel toward the cluster. The mess is cleaned up.
Also for '26, that steering wheel (which is unchanged and has lots of buttons) comes with paddles to crank up the regenerative braking force (up to four clicks) with the right side, or down with the left.
Those paddles weren't there for the bZ4X, so you had to use a switch in the center console. The new paddles work great, but you still don't get full one-pedal driving, just like with the bZ4X.
There's another big interior change worth mentioning. The bZ4X center console had one port for wireless phone charging, while the new bZ gets two. And the console has been reconfigured to bring the gear shifter closer to the driver. It all looks better than it did.
Starting price for the 2025 bZ4X was $38,205, and we'll have to wait until later this summer for the new pricing when the '26 bZ starts arriving at Toyota showrooms, in XLE and Limited trims. Toyota builds the bZ4X in Japan and China.
Do you plan to cross-shop the 2026 Toyota bZ with any other EVs? Please comment below.