Toyota's had hybrids down pat for a really long time, but their EV lineup tells a different story. Instead of taking, let's say, Ford or Hyundai's somewhat head-first approach into EVs, Toyota has arguably been dragging their feet. But this updated 2026 Toyota bZ, among a flurry of other new EVs due out this year, tells us that Toyota has made a New Year's resolution to up their step count, and they're hellbent on following through.
For all the flak Toyota gets over their less-than-early adoption of EVs compared to other legacy automakers, we can see their reasoning. Toyota's dabbled with electric versions of gas cars over the years, but those were only sold in very specific markets, like the RAV4 EVs you sometimes see while on vacay in California. Mass-producing that takes a massive investment of time and money; of blood, sweat, and tears, all for a slice of the market fraught with soaring peaks and deep, deep valleys as we've been seeing lately.
Instead, Toyota stayed the course with hybrids while continuing to dabble with EVs here and there. This approach sure resonates with a lot of people — just try to walk into a dealer and drive out with a Sienna or a RAV4 Prime a few days later — but the day will come when you will need a good mainstream EV. But given Toyota's expertise with hybrids, we were surprised to see the original bZ4X left so much on the table. It didn't have much power, it didn't have much range, it was expensive, and it sure looked the way it did.
What's new for 2026?
But that changes this year. This refreshed-for-2026 bZ pulls a two-fer: it rights most of the wrongs of the last one, and it leaves us genuinely curious about its upcoming siblings. The changes start with the name; the "4X" suffix, whatever the hell that meant, is no longer crowding the tailgate. The bZ also receives freshened styling inside and out; the front and rear fascias are simpler than before, and Toyota redid the daytime running lights in their new "Hammerhead" look. The bZ also rolls on new wheels and wears much less body cladding; this top-of-the-line Limited tester is all colour-matched, too. It's a big improvement.Inside, the 2026 bZ is a mishmash. Right away, you'll recognize the almost comically small steering wheel and high-mount digital gauge cluster plucked right out of the Prius. Beside it is a revamped infotainment-and-climate control arrangement; it looks similar to the previous layout, but the screen is technically larger. It's now 14 inches, because it now includes digital climate controls along the bottom. It’s a similar setup to what you’d see in a Lexus NX.
Interior impressions
We're not overly thrilled about the climate controls going almost-all-digital, but at least we have two physical temperature dials, a proper volume knob, and hard buttons for defrost. Further down, the redesigned centre console now includes two very large wireless charging pads, a new armrest lid that opens from the driver and passenger side, and best of all, there's much less shiny black trim than before.If we had to nitpick, the 2026 bZ's interior feels a little plain. There's little ambient lighting, and your only option is black leatherette, making it all feel a bit drab and uninviting. A tan or brown leatherette option would be a welcome way to warm up the space and make it feel a little classier, because it's actually pretty nice otherwise. Everything feels solid and well-made, the bZ is adequately roomy no matter where you sit — even if the seats themselves are a little firm — and the whole look doesn't come across as needlessly futuristic for the sake of futuristic.
Size-wise, the 2026 bZ is on par with two-row EV crossovers like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Nissan Ariya. Cargo space punches in at 784 litres with the seats up, growing to 1,611 when folded — pretty much on par with those two and the Mach-E. If you need more and still want to stay within the Toyota (or Subaru) family, the bZ Woodland (and Trailseeker) offer 959 L seats-up and 2,104 seats-down.
How does the new bZ drive?
Along with the reworked look, Toyota reworked the bZ's powertrain options, too. The base, front-wheel-drive bZ XLE uses a 57.7 kWh battery pack and a 168-horsepower electric motor up front. Range is estimated at 378 kilometres — lowest of the bZ lineup, but still an improvement over last year’s bZ4X. Still, considering it packs the least amount of horsepower and range, the front-wheel-drive bZ probably isn’t the one you want.Things get more interesting when Toyota adds a second rear motor to the rear axle. From the XLE AWD trim and up, the bZ uses a larger 77 kWh battery pack for more range, and gets a nice power bump to 338 hp. On the XLE, it's good for a generous 460 km of range thanks to its 18-inch wheels and aerodynamic covers; our top-trim Limited tester is rated at 430 km. Still pretty good, but these numbers carry the ideal-driving-conditions caveat. More on that in a sec.
Toyota's bold enough to declare the all-wheel-drive bZ scoots from zero to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds. We didn't break out the timing equipment, but based on our butt dynos, the bZ is plenty quick and handily embarrasses something like a Civic Si in a stoplight drag race. At the same time, it rides well, and keeps wind and road noise minimal at highway speeds. There's no spaceship soundrack party trick on board the bZ, either; only swift silence and your inner demons.
For 2026, Toyota switched out the CCS charge port for a Tesla-style NACS connector. This means you can now charge up at a Tesla Supercharger, where Toyota claims you can expect a 10-to-80 per cent charge in about half an hour. On a more typical Level 2 charger — the kind you'd have at home or work — we saw a 20-to-full charge in about six hours. Not bad, but not great. Neither was our observed range — despite Toyota's ratings, we only saw about 230 kilometres thanks to a particularly bitter cold snap.
Final thoughts
Toyota's done a mighty fine job addressing everyone's complaints about the bZ4X. The new 2026 Toyota bZ is more fun to drive, it offers more range as long as it isn't too cold out, and it's more polished than before inside and out. Toyota might've been dragging their feet, but with this updated bZ and soon the bZ Woodland, C-HR, and its Subaru spin-offs, they're now up to a leisurely stroll.
