The 2026 Toyota bZ battery electric SUV gets a shorter name and a longer driving range. More power and new technology inside come along for the ride.

Toyota updated its battery electric, compact crossover SUV. And in the process, changed its name. As a result, the bZ4X gives way to the updated, 2026 Toyota bZ. While designers kept styling changes to a minimum, engineers went to work. The bZ includes a larger battery pack, more power, and a new charge port. That’s, of course, in addition to updates inside.

The most subtle changes come to the exterior styling, mainly on the front fascia. You see in the slimmed down, LED daytime running lights that wrap around just under the hood. Toyota also changed the shape of the front fenders and relocated the main beams. Those fenders also remain body color all the way down to the arches.

That’s true for both XLE and Limited trims. And, by the way, you can equip both with either front- or all-wheel-drive or FWD and AWD. One difference between the two trims, XLE’s roll on 18-in wheels, while the Limited gets 20s. Incidentally, this two trim line-up reminds me of the hybrid only Toyota Crown Signia.

Powertrain that Packs a Punch

Perhaps the most significant change to the bZ, Toyota Installed new semiconductors in the crossover. Made from silicon carbide, they allow higher power output. And that may help explain the massive horsepower boost for the AWD models. In the bZ4X, power peaked at 214, now its 338 horsepower, a 58 percent improvement. With that gain, the bZ needs but five second to reach 60 mph from rest.

FWD models get a power boost from 201 and 221 horsepower, a 10 percent improvement for those keeping score. While not as significant, that’s still plenty of electric muscle to offer just the front wheels.

More Range Too

Toyota also increased the size of the battery pack, though not by that much, the original bZ4X got a 72.8 kWh battery pack in AWD form. Now both the FWD and the AWD Limited draws from a 74.7 kWh pack, as does the AWD XLE trim. Despite the nominal increase, range jumps from 252 miles to as high as 314 miles (XLE FWD Plus). Even the least efficient bZ (Limited AWD) beats the most efficient bZ4X with a range of 278 miles.

The standard battery pack on the FWD XLE trims offers 57.7 kWh of energy. With the smaller pack, you’ll still travel 236 miles on a charge. It’s the only trim to not get the larger pack.

Regardless of battery size, all bZs make use of the North American Charging System or NACS port. So equipped, it will charge from 10-80 percent in “around 30 minutes.” Not stellar, but not bad. Moreover, level one and two charging speeds up courtesy of a 11-kW on board charger, a noticeable improvement of the 7-kW charger of the bZ4X.  

Looking Inside

Inside, you now get a 14-in center display to work with, which, of-course, includes wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto. You also get two wireless smartphone chargers, not to mention a 30-day free trial of a 4G mobile hotspot, to use some of that charged battery.  On the more traditional end of interiors, Toyota also added 64-color ambient light.

Summary

Toyota says to expect the 2026 bZ to arrive at dealers in the second half of 2025. We do not yet know how much it will cost, but based on the fairly significant changes, we could see a noticeable increase above the 2025 bZ4X’s 38,465 base price, which includes the $1395 destination price.

The name change make sense, and I always applaud more power, but I am a bit nervous about the driving range claims. That remains a big sticking point for a lot of shoppers and longer range seem to enter the fold at a steady clip. Then again, it’s definitely a big step in the right direction. Perhaps one of many.

Either way, I need to review the 2026 Toyota bZ to let you know how it drives.