Lexus Spices Up Its Only EV With More Range, More Power And Faster Charging

The Lexus RZ, Toyota’s luxury division’s only electric vehicle (EV), is already getting a thorough update after being on the market for only two years. Like the Toyota bZ4X, with which it shares most of its hardware, the Lexus RZ has been criticized for delivering lukewarm range, charging and efficient performance in a world of rapidly changing EVs. For the 2026 model year, Lexus will try to mitigate these problems through a series of improvements. Here’s the full rundown.

2026 Lexus RZ: A Larger Battery And 20-Percent More Range, The Carmaker Says

One of the new Lexus RZ’s key upgrades will be an all-new lithium-ion battery, providing an increased capacity of 77-kWh versus the outgoing 63.4-kWh unit. With it, Lexus promises significant improvements in overall range. The automaker states that the new RZ will drive 20-percent further than the model it replaces in front-wheel-drive mode, with an estimated 575 km (357 mile) rating, according to Europe’s WLTP evaluations. Realistically, we could expect something around the 250-mile figure once the EPA gets its hands on it. Lexus says the all-wheel-drive model’s range will increase 14-percent, with an estimated figure of 500 km (311 miles), still under WLTP evaluations.

Lexus also claims a new onboard charger, for level 2 home charging, will improve charging times by 30 minutes, but the automaker didn’t specify any technical details about the rate at which the new RZ will charge, both on level 2 and DC fast-charging units. The 2026 RZ is also still running on the CCS2 protocol by default, and not Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS). Lexus also made no mention of NACS in the 2026 RZ’s press release. For reference, the current Lexus RZ is equipped with a 6.6-kW onboard charger, and can fast-charge at the rate of 150 kW, underwhelming numbers in the world of luxury EVs.

More Power And A New, 550e F Sport Model

The upgraded battery has also extracted more power from the entire RZ lineup, including new nomenclatures and a first-ever, high-performance RZ550e. Starting next year, the new lineup will go as follows: RZ350e (FWD), RZ500e (AWD), and RS550e F Sport (AWD with more power). Below are the detailed technical specifications for each version.

2026 Lexus RZ Technical Specifications

Inside the RZ, Lexus also introduces its first-ever steer-by-wire system through its yoke steering wheel layout. Although it is still unclear if this will make it to our market, Lexus says the system – which works very similarly to the Tesla Cybertruck’s – will help add maneuverability to the vehicle, while enhancing its driving feel in the corners. Finally, Lexus also introduces what it calls Manual Drive, a feature the carmaker says can simulate the characteristics of a manual transmission in order to deliver, what it calls, a unique EV driving experience. This technology is similar to what Hyundai currently offers in the IONIQ 5 N, and I’m personally looking forward to giving it a try.

But we’ll need to wait a while still until the new Lexus RZ hits our roads. Lexus is still trying to get rid of some 2024 units as the unchanged 2025 models arrive in showrooms. As I write this, both Lexus USA and Lexus Canada didn’t yet have details to share about our two respective markets, but my guess is the vehicle will arrive here towards the end of this year.