Three (and a half) new all-electric Toyotas coming soon

Independent

12-03-2025

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The world's biggest car maker, Toyota, has revealed three new all-electric models set to arrive in the next twelve months at its annual Kenshiki Forum.
We've already seen the new Toyota Urban Cruiser, the first of the three new cars to arrive later this year that's set to go into the fiercely-contested small electric SUV sector to rival the upcoming Ford Puma Gen-E. However, this is our first look at the revised bZ4x model – although you'd have to put old and new models side-by-side to spot the difference – while the C-HR+ is all-new and makes the bigger bZ model look a little superfluous.
There was also a surprise at the Kenshiki Forum – Toyota's annual show and tell event – in the small shape of the FT-Me electric quadricycle, although Toyota would rather we call it a micromobility car. The FT-Me is currently only a concept, but if it makes production it's set to rival the likes of the Citroen Ami.
Toyota Urban Cruiser
First to arrive will be the new Urban Cruiser, the first of a new wave of Toyota models to bring back cherished names rather than odd mixtures of letters and numbers.
The Urban Cruiser is a compact SUV expected to get a starting price in the region of £32,000 – it'll rival the all-electric Ford Puma Gen-E, Kia EV3 and the forthcoming Suzuki e-Vitara, which shares much with the new Toyota. It sits just above the Toyota Yaris Cross in terms of size in the Toyota range.
Two battery sizes will be available in the Urban Cruiser, 49kWh and 61kWh, giving maximum claimed ranges of around 186 and 250 miles, while there will be a choice of Icon, Design and Excel trims.
The design of the Urban Cruiser is what Toyota calls 'Urban Tech' featuring a 'hammerhead' design at the front of the car with slim headlights in keeping with the rest of the Toyota range. At the back there's the now familiar full-width light bar that wraps around to the side of the car.
Inside there's the equally familiar combination of a digital driver and central infotainment screen, both measuring just over 10-inches in diameter. There'll be the usual Apple and Android smartphone integration, plus a host of driver assistance and safety features.
Expect the Urban Cruiser to arrive in UK Toyota showrooms in the late summer of this year, just before the second of the three new all-electric Toyotas, the revised bZ4x.
Toyota bZ4x
Toyota's biggest EV has sold well in the UK, but its range and charging speeds have been criticised. Both have been addressed, while the exterior gets a mild makeover with a sleeker look at the front and improved aerodynamics.
The interior has also had a tweak with new instruments for the driver, a larger 14-inch infotainment screen, a new centre console with twin wireless chargers and improved materials.
Changes to the suspension are also said to improve the ride quality and refinement, as well as the driving dynamics, while the bZ4x remains capable of some reasonable off-roading with its four-wheel drive system.
The battery line-up of 57.7kWh and 73.1kWh remains unchanged, although software tweaks and the aerodynamic improvements means a slight improvement in range – up to a likely claimed maximum of 356 miles.
Pre-conditioning of the battery before charging – which is linked to the cars navigation system to know when you're heading for a charger – allows for higher charging power, although the peak of 150kW DC charging is the same as before, although AC charging at up to 22kW is an improvement.
There's no word on what will happen to the pricing of the bZ4x, but we'd expect a slight increase over the current starting price of £42,860. First cars should arrive before the end of this year.
Toyota C-HR+
The star of the show at Toyota's grand unveiling was the new all-electric C-HR+, which shares part of its name with one of Toyota's most popular models (the C-HR) and it's coupé SUV style, but nothing else.
The new C-HR+ sits in Toyota's EV range between the Urban Cruiser and the bZ4x, with prices expected to start at around £37,000. We won't be seeing the newest member of Toyota's EV family until around March 2026.
The + name not only refers to the new model's electric powertrain, but also its extra space and practicality over the standard C-HR model, which is available as a full or plug-in hybrid model.
It sits on Toyota's e-TNGA platform and comes with two battery options: 57.7 and 77kWh – both bizarrely bigger than those available in the larger bZ4x model. The likely claimed maximum range of 373 miles is greater than in the bZ4x, too.
Sitting inside the C-HR+ also reveals decent space in the front and the back, with Toyota saying that it's the larger bZ4x's off-roading ability and more SUV-like stance that marks it out from what looks like the more appealing smaller car. The C-HR+'s 416-litre boot isn't that far from the bZ4x's 452-litre luggage space, either.
Both front- and all-wheel drive is available with the C-HR+, with the larger of the two batteries promising 338bhp of power and a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds – that makes it the most powerful Toyota outside of the brand's GR sports line-up.
Like the bZ4x, the C-HR+ gets fast DC charging at speeds up to 150kW, helped by the same battery pre-conditioning tech, while 22kW AC charging is also available.
Also the same as in its bigger brother, the C-HR+ gets a 14-inch infotainment screen with a similar digital display in front of the driver. However, there's no word yet on whether Toyota will be bringing software-over-the-air updates to the latest EV models.
What Toyota will offer is the promise of an extended guarantee on its EV's batteries. If you undertake an annual battery health check, Toyota will guarantee that the battery will retain up to 70 per cent of its original charging capacity for up to ten years or 650,000 miles – well ahead of most other EV's eight-year coverage.
The three new Toyotas are part of a promise of six new all-electric Toyotas through 2026, likely to include another two SUVs and an all-electric pick-up model.
Toyota FT-Me
Also unveiled at the Kenshiki Forum was the Toyota FT-Me micromobility concept. This two-seat 2,500mm-long car has been developed to meet Europe's L6E quadricycle regulations and rival the likes of the Citroen Ami.
Although strictly a concept, Toyota UK boss Scott Thompson told us that he'd love to see the FT-Me in the UK, but wasn't sure whether that would happen. In markets where allowed, the FT-Me can be driven by teenagers as young as 14 without the need for a full driving licence.
The vehicle has been designed with simplicity, sustainability and budget in mind, and was inspired by some of the mobility solutions developed by Toyota specifically for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The small battery can be topped up by the integrated solar panels on the top of the vehicle, adding 12 to 18 extra miles to the claimed 62 mile maximum range. Top speed, like all quadricycles, is limited to 28mph.