Toyota has a second RAV4-sized electric SUV in its global line-up, but in its first right-hand drive appearance, the bargain Chinese price has been hiked up.
Electric Cars
The Toyota bZ3X electric mid-size SUV made its Chinese debut in December 2024 and made headlines for its bargain sub-$24,000 price.
The only sticking point at that time was availability. The bZ3X was designed as a China-specific model as part of a joint venture between Toyota and Chinese automaker GAC.
While it technically hasn’t left Chinese borders yet, the first right-hand drive version has entered production, for sale in the Chinese special administrative region of Macau.
While not an outright confirmation of wider availability, the move opens the door for the bZ3X to enter other right-hand drive markets like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Southeast Asia.
Unlike mainland China, where the bZ3X wears an entry-level price tag of 109,800 yuan ($AU23,330), the bZ3X has seen its price raised in Macau.
Pricing for the right-hand drive bZ3X starts from 259,000 Hong Kong dollars, which translates to $AU50,330 at current exchange rates – a staggering 116 per cent price rise.
The bZ3X is also set to go on sale in Hong Kong, although pricing between Macau and Hong Kong may differ slightly.
Compared to Toyota’s bZ4X range, currently on sale in Australia, the bZ3x measures 1600mm long, 1850mm wide, 1645mm tall and rides on a 2765mm wheelbase, making it 90mm shorter, 10mm narrower, 5mm lower with an 85mm shorter wheelbase than the bZ4X.
The Macau version of the bZ3X is equipped with a 70-kilowatt-hour battery and rated with 565km of NEDC range, but charging rates are on the slow side with a maximum 6.6kW AC charge capability or 90kW DC fast charging.
That battery is one of the main reasons for the price difference, with the mainland China bZ3X using a smaller-capacity 50kWh battery in its cheapest version. A choice of larger 58.4kWh and 67.9kWh batteries is also available in China.
The Australian-spec bZ4X, meanwhile, starts from $66,000 before on-road costs currently and comes with a 71.4kWh battery enabling a 535km NEDC driving range.
From the fourth quarter of 2025 an updated model is set to arrive with a bigger 73.1kWh battery and efficiency improvement set to boost the range by as much as 30 per cent.
The bZ3X is powered by a 150kW/210Nm front motor, compared to the 150kW/266Nm single (front) motor or 160kW/337Nm combined dual-motor all-wheel drive version.
Along with the larger battery, the right-hand drive bZ3X also picks up a higher level of standard equipment, more closely aligning with China’s mid-spec bZ3X, with standard features like a panoramic roof and 11-speaker Yamaha audio system not found on the base model in mainland China.
Electric Cars Guide
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
