Revised 2026 Toyota bZ4X addresses our key concerns

On sale Autumn | Price from £46,000 (est)

Kaizen is a concept which refers to a business and its employees learning from their successes and failures to continuously improve. It’s a philosophy that Toyota has long followed, and it’s been used to full effect for the development of the facelifted Toyota bZ4X.

That’s because while Toyota's family-size electric SUV was very good in many areas, range was not one of them. In fact, when we ran one for six months, we struggled to see more than 200 miles from a charge – a far cry from the official 286 mile figure.

So it’s good to see that the headline change for the new 2026 Toyota bZ4X sees some new battery options – including one that provides a healthy increase in usable capacity, from 64kWh to 69kWh. So equipped, the bZ4X will be able to travel 356 miles on a charge, although that figure is yet to be ratified. The smaller battery has a 54kWh usable capacity, but range data for the smaller battery is yet to be confirmed.

By comparison the Kia EV6 has a 80kWh (estimated usable capacity) battery and an official range of at least 324 miles.

The new bZ4X will retain its impressive off-road ability, and four-wheel drive versions will be available with both sized batteries; models with the smaller battery will be front-wheel drive only.

While the new bZ4X retains the same maximum charging rate of 150kW, a new battery preconditioning system can improve charging speeds. The system raises the temperature of the car’s batteries to enable them to charge more quickly, and can be activated manually or by using the car’s sat-nav system to guide the car to a charger. The latter is already available for the current bZ4X.

Home charging speeds have been improved too, with higher-spec models able to accept a 22kW AC charge from home wallboxes fed with three-phase power. Other models will accept the more commonly-used 7.2kW charge rate from regular wallboxes, as is the case with today’s bZ4X.

As well as improved battery and charging technology, the new bZ4X also has improved, more powerful motors. The base model produces 165bhp, while the mid-spec car develops 221bhp, up from 201bhp of the equivalent version today. The 338bhp four-wheel drive flagship makes 338bhp, making it among the most powerful non-GR-badged Toyotas available in Europe. Indeed while there’s no work yet on 0-62mph times, the quickest versions of the mechanically similar Toyota C-HR+ take just 5.2sec.

Perhaps more importantly, though, is that the four-wheel drive version has its towing capacity doubled to 1500kg.

The 2026 Toyota bZ4X has received a visual spruce, too. It has a sleeker front end, designed for a smarter look and improved aerodynamics outside, and there’s a new centre console and instrument panel design inside. It does mean that the previous infotainment system remains, which we found hesitant in operation, and the system in the Genesis GV60 is easier to use.

As before, the bZ4X will have a warranty that will stretch to up to ten years, as long as it’s serviced annually by Toyota. The battery will also be covered for ten years, or 650,000 miles.

There’s no further word on standard equipment, nor pricing, although it’s likely it’ll attract a small premium over the current car – and the new Toyota C-HR+ – suggesting a starting price of around £46,000.

Read more: Best and worst electric SUVs >>

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