Toyota bZ4X

Toyota bZ4X at a glance

Development and launch

Toyota showed the bZ4X Concept on 19 April 2021 at Auto Shanghai. Toyota developed the battery and the electric axles; Subaru was responsible for the all-wheel-drive control and crash safety. Production started in April 2022. In Japan the car was at first available only on lease through Kinto, from 12 May 2022.

The start was difficult. On 23 June 2022 Toyota and Subaru recalled 2,700 bZ4X and 2,600 Solterra because the wheels could come loose, and production and sales stopped. On 6 October 2022 Toyota reported a fix and resumed production.

Toyota had planned seven "bZ" models by 2025. The plan fell far short, and in 2025 the company moved away from the naming; in North America and Ireland the model is now sold as the Toyota bZ.

The first versions (2022–2025)

Wikipedia gives two different WLTP ranges for the first FWD car, 510 and 567 km, so neither is used here. The European battery was supplied by PPES and charged to 80 percent in about 30 minutes; North American AWD cars used a 72.8 kWh CATL pack with only 100 kW DC power. Toyota expected the battery to keep 90 percent of its capacity after ten years. A solar roof and, in some markets, steer-by-wire with a yoke were offered.

The 2025 facelift

The facelift was announced in May 2025 and reached German price lists in September 2025. The changes:

• new silicon carbide electric axles and three versions: 57.7 kWh LFP with 123 kW, 73.1 kWh with 165 kW, and 73.1 kWh AWD with a combined 252 kW;
• a 14-inch infotainment screen replacing the 12.3-inch unit, plus physical knobs for volume and climate;
• a "hammerhead" front and body-coloured wheel arches on selected colours;
• four selectable regeneration levels via steering-wheel paddles;
• a towing capacity of 1,500 kg for the AWD version instead of 750 kg.

Autonotizen.de lists WLTP ranges of 442 km for the 57.7 kWh, 569 km for the 165 kW FWD on 18-inch wheels and 506 km for the AWD on 18-inch wheels. Toyota gives a battery warranty of 10 years or one million kilometres with at least 70 percent capacity, according to the same source.

Technical data of the facelift

In the Autonotizen.de test drive in July 2025 the FWD car used 15.0 kWh/100 km on 18-inch wheels and the AWD 17.5 kWh/100 km on 20-inch wheels.

Facelift compared with the first bZ4X

• The facelifted AWD has 92 kW more than the original AWD, an increase of 58 percent by our calculation (Wikipedia speaks of a 50 percent gain).
• The new entry version has 27 kW less than the original FWD but a battery that is 13.7 kWh smaller, with LFP cells.
• The new bZ4X Touring estate version is 140 mm longer and 20 mm taller than the standard car and uses a 74.7 kWh battery; in Europe it is due in 2026.

Safety

Euro NCAP gave the bZ4X five stars in 2022: 88 percent for adult occupants, 87 percent for children, 79 percent for pedestrians and 91 percent for safety assistance. The facelift was tested again in 2025 with 88, 85, 80 and 79 percent; the star rating is not given in the source. In Japan NASVA awarded five stars, and IIHS named the 2025 model a Top Safety Pick+.

Sales

European registrations were 2,382 in 2022, 19,606 in 2023, 24,465 in 2024 and 27,191 in 2025. In the USA sales peaked at 18,570 in 2024.

Prices in Germany

Photo gallery