2026 Toyota bZ first drive review: Leaving the bZ4X in the dust

When the Toyota bZ4X electric crossover hit the streets, it received a lackluster reception. While it was a perfectly fine vehicle, the range left a lot to be desired, and the DC fast charging performance was some of the worst I’ve ever seen. For the right person at the right time, it’s a fine enough vehicle, but it needed some help if it was going to attempt to be competitive in the fast-growing EV landscape.

That’s why, for 2026 Toyota dropped the 4X from the name and gave the bZ a ton more power. It now has 338 horsepower in the all-wheel drive version. The front-drive base model does 314 miles now, which is also a huge improvement. A new 74.7 kWh battery pack helps there, and a new NACS charging connector opens up charging capability to thousands more stations.

I have a brief opportunity to drive the new bZ on the roads around Toyota’s headquarters in Plano, Texas, and the first thing you notice is the extra horsepower. I’d argue that it almost has too much horsepower — if there is such a thing — because no matter the speed, you can quickly reach extra-legal speeds. It’s zippy and responsive, and remarkably quicker than the outgoing model.

The rest of the driving experience is similar to the outgoing car. It’s comfortable enough on the pockmarked side streets, and it’s pretty quiet in speed at highway speeds. It’s not a luxury car, but ripping out the gasoline engine makes cars quieter and nicer to drive. Who knew?

The interior receives some small updates, with the most noticeable to me being the addition of another wireless charging pad. The instrument cluster still has its funky setup above the steering wheel, and while I have no issues finding a comfortable driving position where I can see the cluster, it is a complaint of some of my colleagues.

Outside, the changes are subtle, but on lighter-colored models, the lack of the extra black plastic cladding around the fenders is a nice improvement. Parked next to a bZ4X, you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference, but keen-eyed car spotters will appreciate the more streamlined look.

I would have loved to test the improved DC fast charging performance, but there simply wasn’t time on this quick drive to do that. I did take it to a Tesla Supercharger, but the software wasn’t enabled yet to work with the station. Toyota assured me when pressed about this that it’ll be online when cars start showing up in dealerships.

The one thing about Tesla Supercharger stations is the charging cords are often quite short. They’re designed to be plugged into the rear of a car near the taillight, like on nearly every Tesla model, and the location of the charging port on the new bZ means you have to stretch the cable quite far. You’ll want to get as close as you can to the charging pylon, but watch out for tall curbs as you don’t want to scrape your front valance. I didn’t, because the bZ sits reasonably high off the ground, but I’ve also seen some pretty tall curbs at charging stations to help protect the charging equipment.

Pricing is ultimately going to be a determining factor in the success of the bZ, but it does seem like Toyota took the feedback to heart and looked to fix the foibles in the updated car. We’ll know for sure later this year when we have a chance to put the car through its paces here at home.