Toyota’s electric SUV clears 17,500 sales, outpacing the Land Cruiser and key EV rivals
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- Toyota's 2026 bZ sold 17,553 units in H1 2026, up 90% from the prior year, after its redesign delivered 25% more range (up to 314 miles), a standard NACS port for Tesla Superchargers, and a $35,000 starting price.
- The bZ outsold Toyota's own Land Cruiser (16,412) and Sequoia (13,939), and beat the Chevy Equinox EV, whose H1 2026 sales dropped 41% to 16,249.
- Hyundai's IONIQ 5 still leads the segment, moving 20,000+ units in H1 2026, up 9% year-over-year.
- Toyota's other electric SUVs also gained traction: 3,748 C-HR and 554 bZ Woodland units sold through June, with Lexus adding 7,814 RZs — more than the Cadillac Lyriq (7,578) or Optiq (7,083).
- Globally, Toyota sold 155,074 pure-electric vehicles in its most recent reporting period, up 138% year-over-year amid higher gas prices.
- Later this year, Toyota and Lexus will launch their first three-row electric SUVs: the 2027 Highlander BEV and the Lexus TZ.
Why it matters: Toyota's bZ outselling legacy nameplates like the Land Cruiser at a $35,000 price point and 314-mile range is a real signal that Toyota's EV pivot is converting to volume, not just press releases. The 90% U.S. jump and 138% global EV surge suggest Toyota's multi-powertrain approach is working in the short term, though Electrek flags Rivian R2, Lucid's midsize crossover, and Ford's upcoming UEV-based models as the next competitive test.
