After a rocky start with its first full BEV, Toyota has dramatically improved its electric vehicle offerings with the 2026 bZ. The world's largest automaker redesigned its e-TNGA platform, featuring a new 74.7 kWh battery and switching to Tesla's NACS charging port for North America. This represents a significant shift for a company historically focused on hybrids over pure electric vehicles.

The bZ XLE FWD Plus starts at $37,900 and delivers an impressive 314-mile range, a substantial improvement from the previous model's 252-mile range despite having only 3.3 kWh more capacity. With 221 horsepower moving 4,156 pounds, the sedan accelerates to 60 mph in 8 seconds. Its dimensions come in at 184.6 inches long, 73.2 inches wide, and 65 inches tall.

Toyota's redesigned EV demonstrates remarkable efficiency, achieving 5.7 miles/kWh in testing without aggressive driving. The vehicle includes four regenerative braking levels and fast charging capabilities that take 30 minutes to charge from 10-80% at 150 kW. Despite having fewer frills than its Lexus counterpart, the bZ emerges as a much better electric vehicle option in Toyota's lineup.