2023 Toyota bZ4X SUV

　　

2023 Toyota bZ4X Review

byMichael CantuCorrespondent

　　Michael Cantu has worked in the automotive industry since 2014. He has written over 800 car-related articles and tested and reviewed over 100 vehicles over the course of his career. Michael is a contributor at zzdcar and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Digital Trends and InsideEVs. Michael was featured on a few InsideEVs YouTube channel videos on the topic of electric vehicles. Michael was a MotorTrend Car of the Year judge for 2019 and was a driver in MotorTrend's World's Greatest Drag Races 7 & 8.

　　, rating written byMichael CantuVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　The 2023 Toyota bZ4X is the automaker's first mass-produced electric vehicle and is currently the only EV the brand offers. It's a small SUV that's about the size of a RAV4 and is closely related to the all-new Subaru Solterra. This Toyota EV has some appealing qualities, but it's also not quite the home run you might have otherwise expected considering how long it's taken Toyota to finally roll it out.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below

　　

Toyota bZ4X EV Insights

Trim:bZ4X XLE

　　XLE 4dr SUV (electric DD) - $42,000 MSRPXLE 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD) - $44,080 MSRPLimited 4dr SUV (electric DD) - $46,700 MSRPLimited 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD) (Most Popular) - $48,780 MSRP

　　

Range

　　252 miles

　　EPA Estimated Range

　　EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 214 miles after 8 years.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.

　　Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Rutland, North Dakota. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © Recurrent contributors | Recurrent

　　from 58067

　　

EV Battery Warranty

　　10 yrs or 150,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.

　　

Charging at Home

　　No charging time information available

　　SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.

　　Plug Type

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　$400

　　Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

　　Utility EV Charger Offer

　　$400

　　Restrictions: Otter Tail Power offers EV owners a rebate of up to $400 towards the installation of a Level 2 charging station. To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements: Receive electricity from Otter Tail Power.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　Complimentary Charging Offer

　　Restrictions: This program is a charging agreement between Toyota Motor North America and EVgo. Customers who purchase or lease a new 2023 Toyota bZ4X will receive one year of unlimited complimentary charging at all EVgo public charging stations. One year of complimentary charging begins upon the date of vehicle purchase or lease. Offer is non-transferable. See your participating dealer for details.

　　

Cost to Drive

　　$60/mo

　　bZ4X

　　vs

　　$183/mo

　　SUV Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

　　EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　This electric SUV produces 201 horsepower in the front-wheel-drive model and 214 hp with all-wheel drive. Neither figure is particularly noteworthy. The same goes for range. Depending on the configuration you get, the bZ4X has an EPA-estimated driving range of 222-252 miles. That's OK, but other EVs go farther, and we found the bZ4X's zzdcar-tested real-world range to be disappointing.

　　On the upside, Toyota has made the bZ4X feel familiar and comfortable. If you like the idea of driving a RAV4 that happens to be electric, this could be the EV for you. It also comes with lots of standard technology and driver assist features. But overall we recommend checking out more highly rated models such as the aforementioned Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y plus the all-new Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. Check out our test team's Expert Rating below to get more detail on where the bZ4X shines and where it falls short.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Average

　　7.5

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.0/10

　　How does the bZ4X drive? For better or worse, the bZ4X feels more like a regular SUV, such as a Toyota RAV4, than it does an actual EV. It's quicker than most small gas-powered SUVs but slower than most rival EVs such as the Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-E. There's enough power to for driving around town or getting up to highway speeds, but by the numbers the bZ4X is objectively slower than other EVs.

　　The brakes provide adequate stopping power, but we found the pedal a bit soft and inconsistent, making it hard to stop smoothly every time. Another downside is the lack of full one-pedal driving. Many EVs can use their regenerative braking to slow down (rather than just coast) and come to a full stop when you lift off the accelerator. We've found this makes driving easier, but in the bZ4X you have to slow down by using the brake pedal. We can understand the rationale — make the bZ4X seem familiar — but it's a missed opportunity in our opinion.

　　Steering and handling are middling. The steering wheel itself is surprisingly small for a crossover SUV, though it doesn't do much to make the bZ4X itself feel small or agile. It's light and quick enough that parking is a cinch, but the lack of road feel and soft suspension fail to provide any appreciable amount of engagement.

　　

Comfort

8.0/10

　　How comfortable is the bZ4X? The bZ4X has a smooth ride quality and is pretty comfortable over bumps. The front seats are also nice thanks to soft padding, sufficient support to keep you secure when cornering, and enough adjustments to suit most people's preferred driving position. The rear seat is comfortable as well, with a nicely padded bench that should keep backseat passengers happy.

　　On the road, the bZ4X is fairly quiet, though other EVs do a better job of keeping wind and road noise out of the cabin. The bZ4X also goes overboard with all types of warning beeps. And unfortunately you can't turn those off.

　　The climate control system is easy to use, and it quickly heats or cools the cabin. We also like the button on the key fob that can get the climate control going remotely, something other automakers usually leave for a smartphone app. Our test vehicle had heated and ventilated front seats, both of which worked well.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below