Toyota bZ4X (2025) Review

Introduction

Toyota’s first generation bZ4X was a perfectly capable family EV that boasted distinctive styling, bundles of interior space, impressive handling and a wealth of techno treats. But it fell short when it came to the driving range between charges and that was at a time when potential new EV customers had range anxiety at the top of their list of concerns.

Fast forward to 2025 and we see the new facelifted car - and it’s better in every department. There is a more upmarket interior with quicker software, a refreshed exterior design, improved sound-proofing, a dual battery line-up and, most importantly, a full revision of the battery electric powertrain resulting in a driving range that has increased by 14 per cent. With up to 352 miles on the most efficient model, the car also now offers faster charging too.

Customers can choose between two batteries – a 57.7kWh unit that can deliver 274 miles on a single charge, or the larger 73.1kWh battery with a range of up to 352 miles. Additionally there are three generously-equipped trims to select from called Icon, Design and Excel.

The Icon specification is only available with the smaller battery and in front-wheel drive; the Design is matched to the larger battery and also features front-wheel drive. Finally, range-topping bZ4X Excel is offered with the 73.1kWh battery and with front- or all-wheel drive.

Prices range from £39,995 to £51,545, and just in case you’re wondering about the name, the ‘bZ’ stands for Beyond Zero which is Toyota’s sub-brand name for its electric vehicles, the ‘4’ is the size of the car, so it is mid-size and the ‘X’ means it is a crossover model.

We opted for the bZ4X Excel with FWD model for an extended drive in Spain close to the border with Gibraltar, but we couldn’t resist some off-road adventures in the AWD model too.

At a glance

The five-door Toyota bZ4X boasts robust, distinctive styling with its hammerhead front end featuring slimmer headlights connected by an LED bar. The lower grille and bumper have been revised to give more of a 3D appearance and the wheel arches now have a piano black gloss finish.

The rear spoiler and mirrors have been redesigned for superior aerodynamics and efficiency, and a smoother underbody also improves airflow.

Customers are offered a wider choice of colours with metallic paint and a bi-tone finish available as an option. There are 18-inch alloys on Icon and Design cars, while the Excel rides high on 20-inch wheels.

Key features

The Icon is the entry point to the Toyota bZ4X line-up and it features plenty of technology as standard, including cloud-based navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connection, a six-speaker sound system, reversing camera and dual zone climate control. Additionally, new to the 2025 car is an upgraded 14-inch multimedia display, ambient cabin lighting with 64 colours, two wireless charging pads, heated front seats and steering wheel, a powered tailgate and the addition of blind spot monitoring.

Step up to Design trim and this front-wheel drive model gains the more powerful 73.1kWh battery. You also get puddle lights, a panoramic view monitor and a windscreen de-icer.

Finally, high-end Excel, available in FWD or AWD, adds 20-inch alloy wheels, heated, ventilated and power-adjustable front seats, a digital rear-view mirror, full synthetic leather seat upholstery, plus a 22kW on-board charger for faster AC charging.

Range and batteries

The latest Toyota bZ4X is sold with the choice of two batteries. The smaller 57.7kWh unit, which is matched to entry Icon trim, can deliver up to 274 miles on a single charge. Design features the larger 73.1kWh unit and can achieve up to 352 miles. Both Icon and design cars are front-wheel drive.

The bZ4X Excel, with larger 20-inch wheels, also has the 73.1kWh battery and can deliver 319 miles in FWD guise, dropping to 292 for the all-wheel drive version.

Performance and drive

Our front wheel-drive Toyota bZ4X Excel model featured the longer-range 73.1kWh battery with a single motor delivering 221bhp and 268Nm of torque. With a 0-62mph sprint time of 7.4 seconds and top speed of 99mph, it can achieve a WLTP-tested 319 miles between charges.

Toyota engineers have worked on the refinement levels for the latest model with improved damper optimisation resulting in a smoother ride alongside additional insulation for a quieter cabin.

Thankfully, these revisions have not come at the expense of performance or handling with the five-door family crossover boasting sharp acceleration from the off and bundles of instant pace to overtake slower-moving vehicles. It’s confident when pushed hard into sweeping bends and delivers excellent grip with very little sign of body sway.

The steering is perfectly weighted with ample driver feedback and there are paddles that can be used to alter the strength of the regenerative braking with four settings to choose from. This is a really handy feature in busy stop-and-go town centres, although there is no single-pedal driving function to bring the car to a complete standstill.

Drive modes alter the dynamics with Eco and Normal settings, plus a Snow mode for added grip. There is no Sport mode which sort of sums up this car. It's fast enough, but there are more dynamically-focused rivals out there if that’s the priority.

While the performance figures on our test car were more than adequate, additional pace can be discovered on the Excel AWD version which gains an extra 117bhp electric motor on its rear axle. The extra power shaves more than two seconds off the 0-62mph time with an official figure of just 5.1 seconds.

Additionally, as we discovered, this car can be taken away from the comfort of the Tarmac and proved very capable as we scrambled up muddy mountain climbs. It crossed rocks, water troughs and the hill descent system was impressive in its control. To be honest, I expected quite a soft-roading course, but this was boggy, slippery and certainly testing for the car, which can even wade through water to a depth of 500mm.

Charging

Toyota has introduced a new battery pre-conditioning function to the latest bZ4X. By ensuring the battery is at its optimum temperature when charging begins, the times are reduced – this is particularly useful in colder weather conditions.

The 57.7kWh battery can be boosted from 10 to 80 per cent in 25 minutes via a 150kW fast charge or from 10 to 100 per cent in 8 hours, 15 minutes if using a 7kW charger. The larger 73.1kWh battery takes 30 mins (10-80 per cent) if connected to the rapid charger or 10 hours, 30 minutes via the 7kW wallbox (10 to 100 per cent).

Running costs and emissions

Pricing for the bZ4X is relatively competitive and the cars do tend to have a good resale value too. The line-up starts at £39,995 for the Icon grade with the smaller 57.7kWh capacity battery. Design grade costs £45,795 and is only sold with FWD and powered by the 73.1kWh battery. Range-topping Excel is £48,995 for the FWD version and increases to £51,545 for the AWD model.

Although EV drivers do now have to pay road tax, the first year charge is set at just £10, increasing to the standard fee of £195 after 12 months. And for any business drivers considering the bZ4X as a work-based car, it has an attractive three per cent Benefit in Kind tax rating.

For added peace of mind, Toyota offers one of the best warranties in the industry. Customers get a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, but this is extended via service-activated cover up to 10 years or 100,000 miles. Additionally, Toyota’s Battery Care Programme guarantees 70 per cent of the original battery capacity will still be retained for up to 650,000 miles or 10 years of use.

Interior and tech

The interior of the bZ4X is upmarket, modern, spacious and neatly laid out with a perfect mix of physical and touchscreen controls. A new 14-inch multimedia screen replaces the 12.3-inch set-up on the outgoing car and this offers clear, sharp graphics and access to the wealth of on-board features.

The centre console has also been lowered by 10cms freeing up extra space and this unit houses the dial-type shift selector, along with twin wireless charging pads.

Creature comforts are plentiful across all trim levels and include cloud-based sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, a six-speaker sound system (upgraded to a pitch perfect JBL set-up on our test car).

The clever navigation system will automatically recommend a route with convenient charging stations along the way and this is a dynamic function, so will update according to charging status en route. Elsewhere, all the vital driving data is clearly displayed on a seven-inch screen behind the steering wheel

The seats on the test car were upholstered in a smart black synthetic leather material and were power adjustable. They could be heated or ventilated and the outer rear seats could also be warmed against the winter chills.

The new climate control system is more efficient with practical dials to quickly adjust the temperature, and the car features new 64-colour ambient lighting with a shade to match every mood imaginable!

Practicality and boot space

The Toyota bZ4X is a family crossover that stretches 4,690mm in length, is 1,860mm wide (excluding mirrors), 1,650mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,850mm. All those numbers translate into a practical all-rounder that ticks all the right boxes for any active family.

Up front, a couple of six footers can sit comfortably and the same can be said for back seat occupants too. Even with the front seats pushed right back, there’s ample room for two more adults (three at a bit of a squeeze) or a trio of youngsters. Legroom and headroom are generous and the back seats are also supportive and comfy, so there will be few complaints on longer journeys.

The boot is accessed via a powered tailgate and it can swallow 452 litres of kit; that’s easily enough space for several overnight cases or a month’s worth of shopping. The limit can be increased further by lowering the 60:40 split-folding rear seats and, while Toyota does not have an official figure for the total capacity, it would easily accommodate golf clubs, trollies and some other bits and pieces. There is additional storage space beneath the floor which is ideal for keeping charging cables safe.

Throughout the cabin are plenty of other handy compartments, although strangely there is no glovebox. Instead you get a huge storage area beneath the floating centre console, front and rear cup holders, seat back pockets, door bins with space for large water bottles, a centre cubby box, twin wireless charging pads, some practical trays, plus four USB ports.

The bZ4X with AWD can now tow braked trailers or caravans weighing up to 1,500kg, while the FWD version has a towing capacity set at 750kg. But, unlike some rivals, there is no capacity for Vehicle-to-Load charging to power up external appliances.

Safety

The Toyota bZ4X secured a maximum five stars when it was tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating at launch in 2022, and that will carry over into the latest model. It was awarded a score of 88 per cent for adult occupant safety, 87 per cent for child occupant, 79 per cent for vulnerable road users and 91 per cent for safety assist.

There is a comprehensive list of safety features and driver assistance aids fitted as standard across the line-up. All models get a pre-collision system with intersection emergency turn assist and emergency steering assist, plus intelligent cruise control, lane trace assist, lane departure alert with steering control, road sign assist with speed limiter, emergency driving stop system, automatic high beam, a driver monitor, blind spot monitor, rear-cross traffic alert with auto braking, safe exit assist, hill-start assist and a full suite of airbags.

The high-end bZ4X Excel also gains an upgraded high beam assist system, lane change assist, front cross traffic alert, along with intelligent parking assist.

Options

The Toyota bZ4X is well equipped as standard, but customers can look to personalise their vehicle via a number of optional extras. For example, a Premium Pack costing £2,500 is available on Excel grade cars and this introduces a panoramic roof, JBL premium sound system and bi-tone paint.

Metallic paint costing £680 or Premium paint priced at £965 is available across all trims. An Essential Protection Pack (£205) adds a boot liner, a rear bumper protection apron, rubber floor mats and mudflaps, while a Towing Solution introduces a detachable 13-pin plug and costs £635.

Rival cars

Toyota is competing for sales in a popular EV sector with established rivals including the Tesla Model Y, Nissan Ariya, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and VW ID.4 being just a few of the many competitors.

Verdict and next steps

While we haven’t really seen that many bZ4X cars on our roads since its launch, it has been quite a success story for Toyota with in excess of 150,000 models sold since launch, making it the third most popular model in its segment across Europe.

Now the bar has been raised with this latest version that is better in every department. It looks more dynamic, handles better, boasts superior fixtures and fittings, along with enhanced technology. And, perhaps most importantly, it has improved driving ranges between charges.

Factor in that exceptional warranty package and the car’s competitive pricing structure and this bZ4X is certainly worth a test drive.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Toyota bZ4X.

**Correct as of 31/12/2025. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12 monthly payments, or £4,707.36 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.