The Toyota bZ is the automaker's first fully electric car, and after receiving a midcycle refresh in 2025, the 2026 model has a 25% larger battery range than its earlier iteration.
I drove the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland Premium for a week a couple of months after testing the 2026 Toyota bZ XLE, also for a week, to see if it still held up to my earlier positive review.
The Toyota bZ has won plaudits from other reviewers, and it was named the "Most Improved EV" by ARS Technica. The 2025 Toyota bZ was also an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award winner, but the 2026 version fell short of the organization's most stringent recent round of testing.
The XLE I tested is the base model of Toyota's bZ, and it starts at just under $35,000.
The top-of-the-line limited trim starts at $43,300. The bZ Woodland Premium I drove starts at $47,400. An entry-level bZ Woodland is available for $45,300.
I've recently tested several of the bZ's main competitors in the electric compact SUV segment, such as the Chevrolet Blazer EV, and its corporate sibling vehicle, the Lexus RZ. I've also tested the larger fully electric Kia EV9.
Here's what we learned from a second week of real-world testing behind the wheel of Toyota's first fully electric car.
How does the 2026 Toyota bZ XLE drive? Is it worth the cost?
The 2026 Toyota bZ XLE offers a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride, and it has excellent battery range. It handles well, and its acceleration is quick enough to keep daily driving fun. A daily driver might easily forget they are driving an electric car until it's time to charge the battery.
The Toyota bZ XLE is agile, and the automaker decide to leave the refreshed vehicle's dimensions intact.
The bZ XLE comes with a lithium-ion battery and uses a single electric motor for front-wheel-drive models and dual motors for all-wheel-drive models. Toyota says it offers up to 338-horsepower total system power output. The electric SUV achieves an estimated 314 miles per battery charge in front-wheel drive. Our base model test vehicle lost only about 20% of its battery charge during a week of local driving.
The Toyota bZ XLE is 184.6 inches long, 65 inches tall and 73.2 inches wide (without mirrors). The base model we tested offers 27.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, which I found sufficient for luggage and grocery hauls. With the rear seats folded, the space expands significantly to about 56 cubic feet.
The bZ XLE starts at $34,650 before taxes and additional fees, which seems modest in light of most modern new car prices. It's available in two trims, the base model XLE and the top-of-the-line Limited. The top trim Limited vehicle starts at $43,300, but it comes with bells and whistles like all-wheel drive, panoramic roof with a power sunshade and split roof rear spoiler.
I enjoyed the Toyota bZ XLE, and it's the version I would opt for if I were looking to save the most money possible. I would go for the Limited trim ($43,300) if I were looking for the most features.
How does the 2026 Toyota bZ Woodland Premium drive? Is it worth the cost?
Like the XLE, the bZ Woodland is quiet and handles well. But after driving several additional EVs, I was less impressed with the bZ Woodland's features. From the first moment I got in it, the bZ Woodland felt cramped to me, even compared to other similarly sized compact electric SUVs. The bZ Woodland offers 38.6 inches of headroom in the front seats, and even as an average sized adult male (5’7″ to 5’9″), I felt the roof of the vehicle was right on top of me. The vehicle offers 37.1 inches of headroom in the passenger seats.
I drove the bZ Woodland over 100 miles in my week of testing, putting it through its paces on flat interstate highways, suburban streets and roads with winding hills and tight corners. It handled each terrain with aplomb. It took about 35 minutes and cost me about $16 to charge from 70% to 100% at midday public charging rates.
The vehicle had quick acceleration, even on very steep hills, and handled well around tight curves on two-lane roads. The vehicle felt capable of handling every transition in the terrain, but it also felt indistinguishable from other cars I have recently tested.
The bZ Woodland Premium has a dual electric motor, and Toyota says it has 375 total system horsepower. The vehicle gets an EPA-estimated 281 miles, according to Toyota. The model I tested had 213 miles with an 88% battery charge. Even after I had driven down to 71%, the car still had 166 miles left on the range.
I liked the bZ Woodland Premium less than I liked the XLE model on my initial test, but I think the vehicle can be functional for a person that needs an everyday electric driver.
Should you buy a Toyota bZ, and if so, which one?
It's tough to look past the Toyota bZ's affordability and general utility, even its headroom leaves much to be desired.
The bZ XLE starts at $34,650 before taxes and additional fees, which is almost $20,000 less than the cost of an average electric car, which was $54,813 in August, according to Cox Automotive. There were only nine auto brands that averaged prices less than $40,000 in August.
Even the more expensive bZ Woodland starts at $45,300, so it's still almost $10,000 less than the average EV.
If I had to choose, I'd probably choose the bZ Limited trim that starts at $43,300. The bZ limited is cheaper than the base model bZ Woodland, and it still has 20-inch alloy wheels and convenience features like heated and ventilated front seats.
The Woodland didn't stand out as an off-road vehicle, but it felt perfectly serviceable as an everyday electric commuter vehicle. I don't think the adventurous labeling is worth paying an extra $2,000, unless you are planning to go on more off-road adventures than Costco trips. For everything in between, the bZ XLE or Limited should suit you just fine.
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith at klaing@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does the Toyota bZ electric SUV hold up on a second drive?
