2025 Toyota bZ4X

The bZ4X is Toyota’s foray into the mainstream electric vehicle (EV) market. This compact SUV debuted a couple of years ago through a partnership with Subaru, which sells its own version as the Solterra. Toyota has a long and distinguished history with electrification, but that has been almost exclusively via hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. For its first major all-electric SUV, Toyota showed some restraint with the bZ4X in all but this compact SUV’s odd name and busy exterior design.

For instance, its range maxes out at 252 miles, whereas competitors such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Tesla Model Y, and the new Chevrolet Equinox EV all achieve over 300. Still, that distance should cover most buyers’ daily needs, and do so all with Toyota’s inherent easy driving manners, wealth of standard safety and driver-assistance features, and reputation for reliability. For 2025, the bZ4X suddenly becomes all the more alluring thanks to a price cut of up to $6,000.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of electric SUVs, including the Toyota bZ4X.

The headline this year is a major price cut for the bZ4X, just like its Subaru Solterra counterpart. Toyota has slashed the 2025 bZ4X’s price by $6,000 for the XLE trim and $5,380 for the top Limited grade. It’s also added a trim in between — the new Nightshade. Also, Limited trims gain standard Traffic Jam Assist, Lane Change Assist, and Front Cross-Traffic Alert.

Thanks to its $6,000 price cut, the 2025 Toyota bZ4X becomes one of the most affordable electric SUVs on the market. It now undercuts the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Nissan Ariya, Tesla Model Y, and Volkswagen ID.4. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is nearly identical in price, starting around $38,500, while the Chevrolet Equinox EV is even lower at around $35,000. The bZ4X’s cousin, the Subaru Solterra, is nearly identical in price when factoring in the Solterra’s standard all-wheel drive. We think the new Nightshade trim of the bZ4X makes a lot of sense. It starts under $42K and comes standard with features like all-wheel drive, 20-inch wheels, height-adjustable power liftgate, and heated front seats and steering wheel.

Toyota Resale Value

We expect the bZ4X’s resale value to be typical for the class, in line with rivals like the Tesla Model Y and Chevy Equinox EV, and well above that of VW ID.4.

The all-wheel-drive version of the bZ4X, with 214 horsepower, can zip from zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. For a modern EV, we’d call that breezy rather than blistering. Stop-light drag races are not usually a big consideration for buyers of electric vehicles — but for the thrill-seekers, an equivalent Ford Mustang Mach-E is 1.5 seconds quicker, and a similar Tesla Model Y a fraction faster than that. And both Hyundai and Kia make far spicier and faster versions of their respective EV rivals in the Ioniq 5 N and EV6 GT.

Placing the battery pack under the floor contributes to a nice low center of gravity, enhancing the feelings of agility and stability. But that’s pretty much the same layout as every other electric vehicle, so this Toyota SUV isn’t any different from the competition in that regard. As with its competitors, we found the bZ4X rides smoothly and handles corners with competence.

One thing the bZ4X does not have is a one-pedal driving function, a feature found in other — but not all — electric vehicles that we’ve found to be a real help in city traffic. Brake energy regeneration is not strong enough to slow the bZ4X sufficiently just by easing off the accelerator pedal.

Range and Charging

Range figures go from 222 miles (Nightshade and Limited with all-wheel drive) to 252 miles (XLE with front-wheel drive). Ordinarily, we would think 222 miles was on the low side, but most buyers go for the Limited AWD, so they must consider this adequate for their needs. Should anyone prefer the ability to travel a bit further between recharges, the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers a maximum of 318 miles, while a version with all-wheel drive is capable of 290 miles. The latest Tesla Model Y can travel up to 320 miles on a charge. We’ll save our main criticism for the bZ4X’s charging times. When connected to a DC fast charger, the all-wheel-drive version’s battery needs about an hour to go from 10% to 80% capacity. An Ioniq 5 would get the job done in about 20 to 25 minutes.

The bZ4X 5-passenger SUV packs plenty of interior space within its small footprint. Up front, the dashboard is covered with fabric, which makes a pleasant change from the usual plastic. All versions of the bZ4X include an ample 12.3-inch infotainment display. The cabin is especially airy, thanks to a fixed panoramic glass roof (with a powered shade) that’s also standard.

The new bZ4X Nightshade spruces things up with red stitching on the seats and steering wheel.

Rear legroom measures 35.3 inches, perhaps just enough for adults of average size. If a full complement of passengers is going to be a regular occurrence, though, keep in mind that the Ioniq 5 has 41.7 inches of rear legroom. The bZ4X’s luggage area tops out a generous 27.7 cubic feet (the same as the Kia EV6 and a little more than the Hyundai Ioniq 5).

Whatever you want to say about the bZ4X’s exterior design, we can all probably agree that it stands out. There’s a lot going on visually, with angles, cladding, and lighting treatments. We’ll let your eyes be the judge on how well it works. The new Nightshade edition adds further flair with black exterior accents and the option of a two-tone color treatment with a black roof.

Size-wise, the bZ4X is a tad larger than Toyota’s popular RAV4 compact SUV, measuring 3.5 inches longer at 184.6 inches in length.

Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
Standard in all three trims, the ability to integrate phones into the infotainment system without using a cable is wonderfully convenient.

Toyota Safety Sense
This set of advanced safety features is standard in every bZ4X electric SUV. It includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, plus the ability to detect not only pedestrians but also cyclists (in low light conditions), motorcyclists (in daylight), and guardrails. Blind-spot monitoring is also standard.

Heat pump
Granted, this is not the most exciting aspect of EV ownership, but every bZ4X has a heat pump as standard. It scavenges thermal energy created by the drivetrain, sending it into the cabin as required. It means the battery can devote more energy to range.

Hey, Toyota
Luxury German cars have had this kind of thing for years, but the bZ4X comes with a digital assistant summoned by saying, “Hey, Toyota.” Then a command given in natural speech — like “lower the cabin temperature by five degrees” — is obeyed.

Digital Key
This comes with the top Limited trim. It allows owners to share their bZ4X with up to seven others, each able to access and start the car with their phones.

Nightshade edition
This new mid-trim splits the price and feature set of the base XLE and top Limited trim. We like that it includes features like all-wheel drive, heated front seats and steering wheel, and power liftgate.

The front-wheel-drive version of the bZ4X has a slightly smaller battery than its all-wheel-drive counterpart: 71.4 kilowatt-hour (kWh) as opposed to 72.8 kWh. There is not much difference, and both batteries are at the lower end of the class in terms of capacity. The top Limited AWD version achieves 102 MPGe in combined city/highway driving, while the front-wheel-drive XLE earns 119 MPGe.

3-year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Toyota’s new vehicle warranty lasts three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. Powertrains are covered for five years or 60,000 miles. These are typical among mainstream manufacturers, but not as good as Hyundai and Kia. The lithium-ion battery has an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty. Toyota also provides free scheduled maintenance for the first two years or 25,000 miles, plus two years of roadside assistance (unlimited mileage).

Safety Ratings

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the bZ4X a maximum 5-star overall score. The bZ4X has yet to be crash-tested fully by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but it earned top scores of Good in four impact scenarios. The virtually identical Subaru Solterra was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the institute.