Toyota has been late to the EV or electrical vehicle market around the world. Toyota finally launched a full lineup in China, but people have been wondering what they have in store for the rest of the world.
Welcome the 2026 bZ battery electric vehicle.
The bZ starts off the 2026 model year with a higher capacity lithium-ion battery that comes in at 74.7-kWh capacity good for a manufacture-estimated range of 314 miles.
Toyota then packs on the updated features as you have an industry standardized NACS charge port that allows access to the Tesla Supercharger network. Toyota goes farther by adding a Plug & Charge capability that allows this industry standard protocol to automatically identify, authenticate, and authorize at select charging networks, reducing the need for multiple mobile charging applications to one in the Toyota smartphone app. Charging goes from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes when using a DC fast charger.
The 2026 bZ gets an updated instrument panel that is 14-inch in size and is an audio multimedia touchscreen with customizable ambient lighting.
The interior changes continue with a much slimmer dashboard that has dual wireless chargers, soft touch materials throughout, 64-color customizable ambient lighting allowing for a premium feel through the interior.
Toyota did not stop on refreshing the interior and battery pack. They increased the combined horsepower of the AWD system from 214 to 338 net hp allowing for the EV to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. The upgrades continue in that Toyota changes to lightweight energy-efficient eAxles that now use silicon carbide (SIC) semiconductors that contribute to the new horsepower rating of the AWD system and even the FWD system that has gone from 201 hp to 221 hp. Toyota offers both the XLE and Limited trim in FWD or AWD configurations.
Last year's model had what many called a quirky style, Toyota has restyled the exterior. The front-end has new lighting and fascia designs along with color-matched overfenders that used to be black plastic only giving the bZ a sleeker look.
2026 bZ will arrive in the second half of 2025 with pricing and full details released closer to on-sale date.
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