Is The Toyota bZ4X A Reliable EV? This Is What Owners Say

Toyota is a Japanese automaker with a reach that stretches across the entire globe. One of the reasons for the brand's huge success is the wide and varied selection of models they currently offer, with everything ranging from economical hybrid city cars to immensely capable Toyota pickup trucks and SUVs. However, as it currently stands, Toyota only offers one EV for sale in the U.S., the Toyota bZ4X.

In the past, Toyota has been quite vocal about their skepticism of how popular EVs will be, however the bZ4X represents a key step in them working towards achieving their carbon neutrality goal — dubbed 'Beyond Zero'.

While buyers of diesel, gas, and hybrid-powered Toyotas will be familiar with the bulletproof reliability usually on offer from the automaker, the bZ4X is the first battery-electric vehicle from the brand. As the first of its kind, it's only natural that questions would arise as to whether the EV can be just as reliable as other more traditionally motivated models in the range. In order to find out whether the bZ4X does deliver on a dependability front, we've set out to find what owners have to say about owning, running, and maintaining Toyota's striking EV.

Multiple owners of the all-electric Toyota bZ4X have taken to Reddit to document their ownership experiences, and, while many have small gripes with regards to the range and Toyota app, there really is very little said negatively about the reliability of this model. Although, it's worth noting that the oldest of bZ4X models are only from 2023, so it's not possible to address long-term reliability yet.

One Redditor took to documenting their thoughts and feelings after 12 months of ownership, stating that driving the bZ4X provides them with a "comfort feeling," which is something they don't get from their other cars, which instead make them feel "anxious because it could break down." This speaks volumes as to how dependable and reliable they feel the bZ4X is. Additionally, one owner who commented on the same Reddit post, summed up the ownership experience perfectly by stating, "as far as maintenance goes it seems like it's just rotating the tires every 5,000 miles,"

Elsewhere, on the CarComplaints site, only one owner-submitted complaint is showing across all bZ4X model years. In comparison, rivals such as the Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4 sport more complaints — eight and seven respectively — which suggests the bZ4X is holding up better in terms of reliability and customer satisfaction. The same pattern can be seen with complaints logged with the NHTSA, with the bZ4X sporting far fewer than those same key competitors.

Although bZ4X owners are seemingly all singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to the model's impressive reliability, there are a few issues that could crop up and seriously dampen the ownership experience. For example, the 2023 Toyota bZ4X currently has two outstanding recalls, and, while one is of no real concern, the other comes with an "Urgent: Do Not Drive" warning.

The recall in question is NHTSA Campaign Number 22V444000, and details how the hub bolts on the wheel could come loose, causing the wheel to come off while driving. While not a typical reliability concern, it certainly would stop the owner from being able to use the bZ4X, and poses some serious safety concerns too.

Some isolated complaints are visible on the NHTSA site too, such as one owner who claims to be experiencing issues with the EV battery power, and another who reports the power continually draining from the bZ4X, despite being stored and charged appropriately. As of now, these are just one-off complaints, but as the bZ4X ages, it will be interesting to see if more owners experience similar reliability issues with the all-electric Toyota.