It took Toyota quite some time to get its first electric vehicle (EV), the confusingly named bZ4X, to market here, which perhaps makes it surprising that the follow-up from the Japanese giant is so hot on the first car’s heels.
But the new Toyota C-HR+ small SUV looks like a highly promising package. Physically, it’s not much smaller inside or out than the bZ4X mid-size SUV, yet because it ostensibly competes in the class below – the C-segment – it should be cheaper to buy. That’s despite the fact the C-HR+ has a bigger battery pack and longer range than its sibling.
To find out if Toyota has improved its EV offerings considerably with the C-HR+, we went over to Paris to drive a couple of prototype versions of the car in the countryside surrounding the French capital – and, as Toyota Australia has not yet confirmed the C-HR+’s arrival here, to ascertain whether we should be pushing for its inclusion in our price lists sooner rather than later.
How much does the Toyota C-HR+ cost?
We don’t have a clear picture regarding this point yet, as the exact timing for the C-HR+ Australian arrival is unknown.
Toyota has intimated it will be definitely make it to our shores, though, so the best steer we can give is that it will likely fit in between the existing C-HR hybrid range ($42,990 to $54,990 before on-roads) and the pricing of the bZ4X ($66,000 to $74,900) – so something like $50,000 to $65,000 wouldn’t be out of the question.
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What is the Toyota C-HR+ like on the inside?
High-quality materials and a pervading sense of solidity are the hallmarks of the Toyota C-HR+’s cabin, although with a black-on-black-on-black ambience (or, at least, various hues of quite dark charcoal grey) it can seem a little dour inside.
Like other models in the company’s portfolio, the C-HR+ has a tiered dashboard. This leads to a low scuttle, and the feeling that both the 14-inch main infotainment touchscreen and the 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster look a little bit ‘plonked’ into place as an afterthought.
Also, unless you lower the front seats right down, you get the impression you’re perched atop the C-HR+, rather than nicely hunkered down in it.
That said, everything works well and there’s a good degree of conventionality to much of the Toyota’s switchgear, which renders the C-HR+’s cabin an unintimidating place to be. The high central tunnel with various storage and stowage features is a helpful touch, too.
Visibility out of the car is very good, certainly in the front of the vehicle, while the vista seen through the rear-view mirror is maybe a touch pinched, but not savagely compromised.
Perhaps our main issue with the C-HR+ is the gloominess of the rear-passenger accommodation.
Like the original C-HR of 2017, the whims of the exterior designer’s penmanship results in a swoopy lower window line on the back doors of the EV, as they run into the C-pillar. This limits light filtering into the back of the cabin, which – coupled with the thematically black interior – means we’d prefer being a passenger in the front seat of the C-HR+ rather than having to sit in its second row for any great length of time.
However, due to the fact its wheelbase is 110mm longer than the C-HR’s platform, and just 100mm shorter than that found on the bZ4X, room in the back of the new C-HR+ is good. Ultimate headroom is limited for taller people, but legroom is above average and it’s not a hardship to sit back there if you’re of average height… and provided you’re not afraid of the dark.
Similarly, the boot capacity of the C-HR+ is at least 416 litres in all models – not far off the bZ4X’s 452L. Which starts to beg the question: has Toyota pitched the C-HR+ a bit too close, in terms of size, to its bigger stablemate?
| Dimensions | Toyota C-HR+ |
|---|---|
| Length | 4520mm |
| Width | 1870mm |
| Height | 1595mm |
| Wheelbase | 2750mm |
| Cargo capacity | 416L (behind rear seats) |
What’s under the bonnet?
Toyota has three configurations of powertrain for the C-HR+ family.
| Specifications | C-HR+ FWD | C-HR FWD 77kWh | C-HR+ AWD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric | Single-motor electric | Dual-motor electric |
| Battery | 57.7kWh lithium-ion | 77kWh lithium-ion | 77kWh lithium-ion |
| Power | 123kW | 165kW | 252kW |
| Torque | 269Nm | 269Nm | 269kW (front) + 170Nm (rear) |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1810-1845kg | 1885-1985kg | 2010-2080kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 8.4 seconds | 7.3 seconds | 5.2 seconds |
| Claimed range | 456km | 609km | 546km |
| Max AC charge rate | 11kW | 11kW | 11kW (standard) 22kW (optional) |
| Max DC charge rate | 150kW | 150kW | 150kW |
Two of them are single-motor, front-wheel drive affairs, the first with a modest output of 123kW of power and a 54kWh (usable) battery pack. The claimed 0-100km/h time is 8.4 seconds, and it comes with a theoretical maximum range of 456km on the 18-inch alloy wheels.
Next up is the range champion of the family. It’s the second FWD model but the battery is enlarged to 77kWh overall, with roughly 72kWh usable. The electric motor is boosted to 165kW, helping cope with the fact it can be carrying anything between 75 and 140kg (depending on trim) more than its relation with the smaller battery, and the 0-100km/h time improves to 7.3 seconds.
However, the eye-catching number relating this model is the 609km range on 18-inch wheels. That’s the first Toyota EV to go beyond the 600km barrier, although watch out for specifying the optional 20s on the long-range C-HR+, as they drop its capability to 563km.
Finally, there’s a dual-motor, all-wheel drive C-HR+ variant topping the tree, using the same 77kWh battery pack as mentioned above. This has a robust 252kW peak output and an additional 170Nm of torque over the FWD models, thanks entirely to its extra rear motor, so it can run from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.2 seconds.
The pay-off, of course, is reduced range – the AWD C-HR+ maxes out at an official 546km with a single charge of its battery (if on 18-inch wheels), a figure denuded to 505km on the 20s which are more commonplace to its spec.
Toyota says that with the inclusion of battery pre-conditioning and a standard-fit heat pump, the C-HR+ has overcome some of the range, charging speed and electrical efficiency issues that plagued the bZ4X immediately after it first launched in Japan and Europe.
The C-HR+’s maximum charging rate is 150kW on DC power, and at such speeds a 10-80 per cent battery top-up will now take around 30 minutes even in unfavourable climatic conditions, says Toyota. On AC connections, the standard peak charging rate is 11kW, although the AWD can be optioned up to 22kW if needed.
Efficiency is definitely better with this newcomer than the bZ4X, though. We couldn’t get near the official 12kWh/100km energy consumption figure when at the wheel of the front-wheel-drive 77kWh model, but an on-test return of 15.1kWh/100km was mighty impressive for a near-two-tonne EV nonetheless.
How does the Toyota C-HR+ drive?
Averagely, if you’re coming at it from the perspective of the ‘e-TNGA’ chassis underpinnings and also the fact the several of the key Toyota people at its launch told us it had been tuned to engage the enthusiastic driver in an EV age; nevertheless, for an electric SUV, the way it conducts itself overall is about bang on target.
We drove both the AWD and the long-range FWD, and we preferred the latter. The dual-motor C-HR+ is undeniably quick, needlessly so, in terms of its straight-line punch, and there seems to be more weight and heft to its steering. But it’s not really entertaining to hustle, as its two-tonne-plus mass quickly comes to the fore on challenging roads.
The slightly lighter FWD model, though, has less involving steering, yet it felt no less capable through the bends – suffering from no appreciable additional body roll, nor being notably traction-limited. It just felt that touch more agile and light-on-its-feet.
Neither C-HR+, however, gave us a memorable handling experience. But that’s not the point of the car. Instead, it aces its main brief because it’s supremely quiet and comfortable, at all times and road speeds.
A slippery body shape, complete with a co-efficient of drag measuring just 0.26, helps the Toyota cut through the air effortlessly, while suppression of road noise is largely excellent.
It’s not perfect on this score, though, as tyre roar can sometimes cavitate around the back of the passenger compartment on poorer tarmac surfaces.
Speaking to one of the chief engineers of the car at the event, where every vehicle was still classified as a prototype and thus not quite the finished article, it was hinted that noise suppression was still something that could be tweaked to make the production versions even quieter.
So, the C-HR+ might be a forgettable thing to drive in many ways, but as it’s completely fuss-free and dignified for the vast majority of the time it is rolling along the road, it should satisfy EV customers no end.
What do you get?
Australian specifications for the Toyota C-HR+ are not yet confirmed, although in other markets the car is sold as the Mid (FWD, smallest battery), Mid+ (FWD but with the big power pack) and High (AWD dual-motor with the larger battery) specifications, with more equipment loaded in as you walk up these powertrain levels.
The list below is by no means exhaustive, but we’d expect the basic car to come with all the items mentioned, plus more besides.
Options and/or standard kit on the higher-grade cars include 20-inch wheels, dual wireless smartphone charging pads in the front, and a nine-speaker, 800-Watt JBL Premium Audio setup with a 9.0-inch subwoofer included.
2026 Toyota C-HR+ equipment highlights:
- 14-inch infotainment screen
- 7-inch driver’s digital cluster
- 64-colour ambient interior lighting
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity
- Voice control
- Six-speaker audio system
- Dual-zone climate control
- Heated front seats and steering wheel
- Heat pump
- Eco-friendly interior materials
- Safe exit assist
- Blind spot monitor
- Adaptive high-beam system
- Parking support brake
- Autonomous emergency braking
Is the Toyota C-HR+ safe?
The Toyota C-HR+, replete with plenty of advanced driver assistance systems and sitting on the structurally tough e-TNGA platform, ought to be capable of picking up a full five-star ANCAP or Euro NCAP rating, although it has been tested by neither body at the time of writing.
Both the C-HR and the bZ4X have five-star ratings, although the smaller Urban Cruiser EV – also not confirmed for Australia yet – only has a four-star rating from Euro NCAP.
How much does the Toyota C-HR+ cost to run?
Judging by the aftersales support the company offers for the bZ4X, the C-HR+ ought to be covered by the standard five-year, unlimited-distance warranty, which can be extended to seven years for the powertrain, as long as the vehicle is serviced annually within the Toyota network.
Furthermore, Toyota offers the industry-standard eight-year performance guarantee on the battery pack itself, asserting that it will still have at least 70 per cent of its initial capacity after that period. There’s a warranty on the battery for five years, which can be extended to 10 years provided the car has its annual battery check.
Toyota’s service interval for EVs is normally every 12 months or 15,000km, so we’d expect the C-HR+ to fall into these parameters when it is eventually confirmed for sale here.
CarExpert’s Take on the Toyota C-HR+
If we’ve got any concerns about the new Toyota C-HR+, they revolve around the fact that, physically speaking, it’s about on a par with the larger bZ4X.
Yet that reflects badly on the older Toyota EV, and not this newcomer – after all, if you walked into a Toyota dealership and were offered two ostensibly similar electric SUVs, but one of them was cheaper and yet could go further on a single charge, which one would you go for?
That’s why we’re expecting the C-HR+ to be a big hit here. It doesn’t do anything dramatic, because that’s not the point of a small electric SUV in the first place.
Instead, it promises to slot seamlessly and quietly into your life, and then just function admirably as an A-to-B form of transport from thereon in.
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