Lexus RZ450E vs Toyota BZ4X

What's the difference?

Far from just another mid-size SUV offering, the Lexus RZ bares the burden of much of the Japanese premium brand’s future.

While Lexus has been a trailblazer in the past, offering a wide range of hybrid luxury vehicles before every other brand, it’s a little late to the party with this car; it’s first ground-up electric vehicle.

The question is, has all this extra time given Lexus the luxury of perspective, or is it too little too late for the RZ to make a meaningful impact on the mid-size luxury SUV space? Stick with us as we find out.

Toyota finds itself in a very unusual position - playing catch-up.

Usually the Japanese brand dominates any market segment it is in - or at least has one of the more popular offerings. But when it comes to mid-size electric SUVs, Toyota finds its bZ4X trailing well behind several rivals including the BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5, Kia EV5, Tesla Model Y and Zeekr 7X. 

There’s a very clear reason for this, too. Toyota was late to the party. The brand has taken a very slow approach to the electric vehicle (EV) market, launching its first battery-powered model, the bZ4X SUV, in early 2024.

Up until the start of 2026 and a price drop that coincided with surging petrol prices and a spike in EV demand, the bZ4X was something of a bit-player in the EV market. But with sales up more than 300 per cent in 2026 the time seems perfect to expand, with the bZ4X Touring reaching dealerships.

So is this the right SUV at the right time? Or is it too little too late?