Toyota bZ4X review: Reliable electric SUV let down by its real-world range

The Toyota bZ4X is a futuristic-looking first all-electric car from giant Japanese brand. It has been developed in partnership with Subaru, another Japanese firm that’s an expert in 4WD models, meaning a similar-looking version, the Solterra, is also sold.

The Toyota is cheaper to buy though, because it offers a more efficient single-motor front-wheel drive setup, alongside the range-topping AWD. For some, this will be a dependable and worry-free first step into EV motoring, particularly as Toyota guarantees its batteries for 10 years or an incredible 620,000 miles (in other words, one million kilometres!). It’s easy to drive, practical, refined and, in mid-spec Motion trim, well equipped.

We do have one unusual gripe, though – the fact that Toyota’s official range figures are rarely seen in practice when driving the bZ4X. The range readout on the dashboard often shows a much lower distance, and many miles are taken out even when you turn on the climate control. Toyota is aware of this, and is said to be working on it via over-the-air updates, but it’s still a disappointing negative for an otherwise decent EV.

I spent a week with the Toyota bZ4X to try and better understand its range. There was frustration on one trip, where a surprise detour in a remote area left me without enough range to easily get back home, even with the climate control turned off. This dented my confidence in Toyota’s first mainstream EV.

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Independent rating: 7/10

The Toyota bZ4X has a generous-sounding 71.4kWh battery. This is bigger than, say, the entry-level battery in a Volkswagen ID.4. Toyota’s figures say it has an official WLTP-assessed range of 318 miles in front-wheel drive guise, and 286 miles in dual-motor AWD guise.

However, in real-world driving, it’s harder to achieve these figures. It is dependent on driving style, of course, but we found a bigger-than-normal disparity during testing. Unusually, even turning on the climate control sees the range take a big hit – and who drives around with the heater and air con turned off? Toyota says it is taking action to address it.

The Toyota bZ4X can use 150kW rapid chargers that will top up the battery from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in around half an hour. This is a decent speed, although rivals such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 can charge even more quickly.

The Toyota bZ4X is easy and effortless to drive. It’s not very exciting, but is safe and secure, with a decent ride and refinement. With 204PS, it isn’t the most powerful of models. But 0-62mph performance in 7.5 seconds is okay. The AWD version has a bit more power, 218PS, and its extra traction gives 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds, and greater stability on winter roads.

At just under 4.7 metres long, the Toyota bZ4X is similar in size to the Toyota RAV4, albeit not as tall. Because it has a dedicated electric car platform, the interior is spacious, with a high seating position and a good view over the dashboard.

The instrument panel will take a bit of getting used to, though – you look at it over the top of the steering wheel, rather than through it. This also means the steering wheel is positioned a bit low, so some might find it’s in the way when getting in and out.

Space in the rear is family-friendly, and a clear design means it’s easy to help children get in and out. It’s a shame the floor is so high though, as this leaves knees floating in the air, rather than supported from the seat below.

The Toyota bZ4X has a 452-litre boot, which is a little shallow, but easy to use. It doesn’t have a front boot, or ‘frunk’, but does have stowage space beneath the boot floor for charging cables.

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The Toyota bZ4X has a futuristic feel to its interior. The design is centred around an extra-tall centre console, with a fully-integrated 8.0-inch infotainment screen. This has wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and standard Toyota sat nav. Move up from base Pure into Motion and Vision, and the screen grows to a 12.3-inch HD display. The system itself is easy to use.

The standard Toyota stereo is a bit weedy, with just six speakers. Unusually, a premium stereo upgrade isn’t available, either – although on the Toyota bZ4X’s sister car, the Subaru Solterra, choosing the premium stereo does see boot size reduce, due to the location of the subwoofer.

Toyota is proud of its Safety Sense suite of active safety technology. This includes a reversing camera, ‘safe exit assist’ that warns those getting out if there’s a cyclist coming up behind, front cross traffic alert and acceleration suppression at low speed (to stop you accidentally shooting away when parking). As with the infotainment, some of these features are reserved for Motion and Vision models, which Toyota hopes will encourage people to upgrade.

The Toyota bZ4X is a more affordable proposition than it was at launch. Prices start from just under £44,000 and move up to just over £52,000. The Motion is our sweet spot, with a plentiful array of extra equipment for just over £2,000 more.

As discussed, on-paper EV efficiency is good, but it’s less impressive in practice You’ll have to try and see how your own driving style affects things during a test drive. As with many EVs, the Toyota bZ4X could also be more expensive to insure than a regular SUV such as the Toyota RAV4, with insurance ratings starting from group 35, and 36 for the favoured Motion model.

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The Toyota bZ4X has 150kW rapid charge functionality. It will go from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in around 32 minutes.

The Toyota bZ4X is better value than it was when first launched, but the prices are still a little steep.

The Toyota bZ4X has an excellent 10-year battery warranty, with the company claiming it will retain at least 70 per cent of its charge by then – even with more than 600,000 miles on the clock.

Toyota has long focused on cutting emissions with its hybrid engine tech, and the bZ4X is its first step towards eliminating tailpipe emissions entirely.

It’s a well-designed car overall, one that’s practical for families and surprisingly futuristic-looking too, but the generous-sounding 71.4kWh battery capacity doesn’t quite translate into a long range.