Toyota BZ4X beats Model Y — review

A new Australian review says Toyota’s updated bZ4X now makes a stronger buy than Tesla’s Model Y, mainly on price and day-to-day driving. (drive.com.au) Drive published the review on April 13, 2026, after Toyota’s December 10, 2025 update brought a $10,000 price cut, more standard equipment and a longer official range. The front-wheel-drive bZ4X now starts at $55,990 before on-road costs in Australia. (drive.com.au) (toyota.com.au) Tesla’s Australian configurator lists the Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive at a $64,179 drive-away price, while independent pricing guides put the entry Model Y at about $58,900 before on-road costs. That leaves Toyota’s base bZ4X cheaper than the comparable Tesla on the local list-price measure used in most Australian car coverage. (tesla.com) (carsguide.com.au) Toyota says the bZ4X 2WD now has up to 591 kilometers of Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure range, up from the earlier version, with a 74.7 kilowatt-hour battery. Drive’s review said the bigger change was not a spec-sheet win, but a calmer ride and better value for the money. (toyota.com.au 1) (toyota.com.au 2) (drive.com.au) That comparison lands in a market where Tesla has long dominated battery-electric sport utility vehicle sales in Australia. Earlier reporting from Drive said the pre-update bZ4X had been outsold roughly 25-to-one by the Model Y before Toyota cut the price and lifted range. (drive.com.au) Australia’s electric-vehicle market is still growing unevenly. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said battery-electric vehicles made up 7.5 percent of new-vehicle sales in 2024, and its March 2026 report said overall demand was being shaped by fuel-price pressure and slower total market volumes. (fcai.com.au 1) (fcai.com.au 2) Toyota says the facelifted bZ4X has been “received very, very well,” and Drive reported on April 8 that demand had risen by almost three times after the price cut and range increase. That is a sales response, not proof that the bZ4X has overtaken the Model Y overall. (drive.com.au) Tesla still leads on other measures. Its Australian Model Y page advertises up to 600 kilometers of Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure range for the Long Range All-Wheel Drive version, and Tesla says the redesigned Model Y has a more comfortable ride and 5 percent more range than the earlier model. (tesla.com 1) (tesla.com 2) So the Australian review is really a value judgment, not a declaration that Toyota now wins every category. In this slice of the market, a lower starting price and a more settled ride were enough for one reviewer to put the bZ4X ahead of the Model Y. (drive.com.au)