2025 Toyota bZ4X prototype review

June 9, 2025 Matt Allan

We’ve taken a early test drive in the 2025 Toyota bZ4X to see if large-scale technical updates bring it in line with the best in its class

The Toyota bZ4X hasn’t had the easiest time since arriving as the Japanese firm’s first dedicated EV.

Even according to Toyota’s own team, the bZ4X had a “bumpy” launch in 2022. It was beset by criticisms of its range, slow charging and poor ride. Since then Toyota has implemented various updates to at least partially address these issues, and the model has proved increasingly popular across Europe. However, for 2025 it says it’s gone further than ever before.

According to the engineers behind the updates, this is “not just a new front and bigger battery”, it’s a serious update of the hardware underpinning this Skoda Enyaq and Ford Explorer rival, as well as a comprehensive overhaul of the interior and exterior.

So, just how big a difference does it make? We were given early access to a pre-production model to find out.

Design, interior and technology

It might not just be about a new front but that is one of the most obvious changes to the 2025 Toyota bZ4X.

The sharp angle to the bonnet line remains but there’s a more aggressive, wider lower bumper and new slimmer C-shaped lights. These are linked by a full-width light bar and bring a close resemblance to the incoming CH-R+. Less obvious are the new alloy wheel designs and slimmer door mirrors. The new mirrors, along with a smooth underbody are designed to improve air flow and cut the drag coefficient from 0.29 to 0.27 to help efficiency.

2025 toyota bz4x front detail — The 2025 bZ4X gets a sharper front with slimmer lights

The sharply defined black wheel arches now have a gloss piano black finish instead of the previous matte plastic look. This helps create a more premium appearance but is particularly striking on dark blue and black cars where the arches blend in entirely. One look at these convinced me that they should be body coloured across the range. It might make the car look a little less “rugged” but gives a more coherent overall look.

While the exterior changes are all for the better, the success of the interior updates is mixed. The previous model’s instrument surround, which drew the driver’s eye from the steering wheel to the dials, has been removed. Now the instruments – an oddly cramped digital display – sit isolated just beneath the windscreen with a featureless stretch of plastic between them and the driver. The same can be said for the rest of the dashboard which, apart from a half-hearted feature line through its centre is a big, dark slab. Overall, the interior is oppressively dark, with every surface finished in dark grey or black. It desperately needs even just a small splash of colour to lighten things up.

One positive change is the new infotainment system. Borrowed from premium sibling the Lexus RZ, this 14-inch screen is bigger, brighter and clearer. It’s also pleasingly responsive and features customisable short cuts. And although many functions are now controlled by the screen, it still has proper physical dials for adjusting the two-zone air conditioning. Beneath these is a new-look centre console with twin wireless charging pads and a big, easy to use drive selector.

While it might be dull to look at, build quality inside the bZ4X remains of Toyota’s usual high standard. Another thing that hasn’t changed is the interior space. Rear legroom is generous, but hampered by the high floor level, so any adult passengers sit with their knees unnaturally high. In the front, it’s perfectly acceptable, but some rivals are more generous and offer a better range of adjustment.

2025 toyota bz4x interior image — Interior changes to the bZ4X interior aren’t all for the better

2025 Toyota bZ4X battery, motor and performance

Although plenty of the changes to the bZ4X are visible, there are even more significant ones under the surface.

While this “is not just a bigger battery”, that is part of the equation. The bZ4X’s standard 71.4kWh unit has been replaced with a 73.1kWh one with more cells and improved cell capacity. In range terms, that means a boost from 318 miles to a projected 354 miles. Toyota also says the issues of inaccurate range prediction from the trip computer are a thing of the past. There’s also an entry-level 57.7kWh option for front-wheel-drive cars with a 165bhp motor.

The 150kW DC charging speed has not been increased and is still some way behind rivals such as the Enyaq and Hyundai Ioniq 5. However, AC charging has been boosted to 22kW and there have been major upgrades to charging abilities in “sub-optimal” conditions. Central to this is a new preconditioning system that can heat or cool the battery. With the right preconditioning, charging times in sub-zero temperatures are halved. A regular 10-80% charge in normal conditions should now take 30 minutes.

The bZ4X’s motors have also been overhauled, made lighter and more efficient, with the aim of offering more power yet lower consumption. The front-wheel drive version gets an 11% power boost to 224bhp, while the all-wheel-drive version is now among the most powerful Toyotas on sale, with 338bhp and a 0-62mph time of 5.1 seconds.

My experience with the AWD version was limited to some short closed-road tests which demonstrated that it’s more than quick enough for a car in its class but still feels heavy from the wheel.

2025 toyota bz4x driving image — The AWD bZ4X is fast, but doesn’t feel dynamic

I spent more time on the road with the more powerful of the two front-wheel-drive options. Although it’s some way off the pace of the AWD model, it has the same 198lb ft torque and there’s still sufficient grunt to handle most day-to-day demands. Toyota has responded to customer feedback and added four-level brake regeneration in place of the previous single-level, but there’s still no true one-pedal option.

For the 2025 update, Toyota says it has worked to improve steering response and accuracy as well as addressing customer complaints about the ride comfort. To do this, the spring rates and damper forces have been retuned, suspension bushes upgraded and the steering gear replaced. The difference, while not enormous, does give the bZ4X a little more directness on twisting roads while tightening up the previous generation’s obvious body roll. It’s not as sharp as a Ford Explorer, for example, but improved ride comfort makes up for that, and there’s been work to improve cabin refinement with more sound deadening and acoustic glass.

2025 Toyota bZ4X price and specification

As the 2025 bZ4X won’t be on sale in the UK until later in the summer, we’ll have to wait for full pricing and specification. We would expect a small uplift on the current £43,000 starting price, and we know that all models will come with a heat pump and automatic/manual preconditioning, plus updated Toyota Safety Sense.

We suspect the UK won’t get the solar roof option that, allegedly, can add up to 1,118 miles per year.

Verdict

Incremental updates since 2022 have improved the bZ4X and the 2025 changes do feel like another step forward.

The better range, added power and extra attention given to battery management and monitoring are welcome upgrades. So too are the sharper handling and improved ride, and the external cosmetic upgrades.

We’ll revisit this review once we’ve driven the production-ready car but, for now, from a poor start, the bZ4X has become a perfectly pleasant and capable car. However it’s up against some cars – Enyaq, Kia EV6, Ioniq 5 – which are more than that, leaving its 10-year, 650,000-mile battery warranty the one area where it really stands out.