Toyota’s first-ever pure EV, the BZ4X had something of a troubled start in life, with a delayed UK launch followed by criticism over apparent real-world range figures.

Toyota says the latter problem has been addressed by the car’s dashboard read-out being changed to stop it significantly underestimating its remaining mileage, as had been happening previously, and that the car’s software has also been updated to allow more fast-charging sessions in a day. Having previously driven the all-wheel drive version on the international launch, we’ve now had the chance to sample the entry-level, front-wheel drive variant on UK roads, with the also-entry-level Pure equipment grade.

Despite our test car’s modest positioning in the range, it doesn’t suffer from any reduction in battery capacity ¬- the same 71.4kWh unit is standard with all BZ4Xs. In fact, with its Pure grade spec, our test car offers the greatest range between charges in the BZ4X line-up, at 317 miles on the official WLTP cycle, compared with between 312 and 277 miles for other FWD versions, and between 286 and 257 miles for the AWD. It’s not as if you pay for this with a major power reduction either, with the FWD’s 204hp output not far at all from the AWD’s 218hp, meaning its 0-62mph acceleration time is only 0.6 seconds slower, at 7.5 versus 6.9. On the road, the FWD’s power level feels absolutely adequate, and you could even say fairly rapid, and we can see absolutely no reason why most drivers would need the AWD version, unless perhaps they spend lots of time driving on slippery surfaces. 

As for the rest of the driving experience, the BZ4X offers a comfortable and fairly settled ride – although, despite the inherent refinement advantages of an electric powertrain, quite a lot of road noise makes its way into the cabin on some surfaces. As we noted when we drove the AWD version, a relatively small steering wheel (you look over it to read the instrument display in the style of Peugeot’s i-Cockpit set-up) makes the steering feel sportier than the chassis, which is fine but no driving thrill machine.

The most disappointing aspect of this car, however, is the equipment level. We’ve noted that this is the entry point to the BZ4X range, however at more than £46k as tested, it’s still far from cheap. And when we’re talking about that sort of outlay, it feels a bit jarring to be presented with things like cloth seats that have to be manually adjusted, and manual windscreen wipers – certainly a far cry from the expected high-tech EV image. Interior trim quality is generally okay but there are some scratchy plastics present, and the 8in infotainment screen (higher grades get a 12.3in version) feels on the small side, and could do with being angled more towards the driver, although it functions well enough and isn’t needed to operate things such as the climate controls.

There’s lots of rear legroom, although taller adults might be tight for headroom back there, while a 452-litre boot is a good size, although with the fastback styling it’s a relatively long and flat space.

From a fleet point of view, if you’re set on a BZ4X, the FWD version is the one. However, the price feels a bit of a sticking point, given that equivalent versions of rivals such as the Skoda Enyaq and Kia EV6 are cheaper to buy and run, have bigger EV ranges, and are better equipped.

Toyota BZ4X Pure FWD

P11D: £46,055

Residual value: 46.2%

Depreciation: £24,765

Fuel: £4,054

Service, maintenance and repair: £2,180

Cost per mile: 51.66p

Range: 317 miles

CO2 (BIK %): 0g/km (2%)

BIK 20/40% a month: £15/£31

Luggage capacity: 452 litres

Battery size/power: 71.4kWh/204hp