2026 Toyota C-HR First Test: Entertaining yet Unexceptional

There’s fun to be had in this all-electric grocery getter, but Toyota has room to improve.

Pros

• Rapid acceleration
• Quiet and composed
• Great 360-degree camera views

Cons

• No one-pedal mode
• Cramped second row and cargo area
• Mediocre road-trip range

Toyota’s reputation for producing reliable, practical, and durable vehicles is backed up by decades of conservative engineering and consistent quality control. As the automaker develops its lineup of all-electric vehicles, it’s challenged by adapting new technologies while maintaining these core tenets held dear by its faithful buyers.

At first, Toyota played it safe with its first mass-market EV. The bZ electric SUV, originally called the bZ4X, arrived with solid build quality, inoffensive styling, and composed driving dynamics. Although it’s been improved over the years, its range and charging speeds hold it back from segment leadership.

Here’s where the 2026 Toyota C-HR comes in. You may remember the C-HR as a style-forward gas-only subcompact SUV, but Toyota has recycled that name for this swoopy new compact EV. Slightly edgier than the bZ, the C-HR seeks to refine Toyota’s electric SUV formula while adding sporty personality. In our first drive review, the C-HR surprised us with entertaining handling and quick acceleration. Now, it’s time to see how it stacks up at the track, on the open road, and at the charger.

Hotter Than You’d Expect

Simply on feel, we’re impressed with the C-HR’s spritely handling, poised body control, and quick acceleration. After a day at our test track in this top-spec C-HR XSE, those feelings are backed up by our instrumented data.

Quick acceleration is central to the C-HR’s character. Equipped with dual-motor all-wheel drive as standard equipment, Toyota’s fastback develops a combined output of 338 hp. Around town, the small SUV feels rapid, and that sensation is supported by a 0–60-mph time of just 4.5 seconds. At the track, we disabled traction control and vehicle stability control and still didn’t hear a chirp from the tires at launch. Around town with safety systems enabled, getting off the line is similarly drama free, inspiring total confidence in the C-HR’s ability to move away from a stoplight ahead of the pack.

The C-HR is unusually quick for a smaller SUV. The rival Chevrolet Equinox EV RS AWD, which develops 288 hp combined from its dual-motor powertrain, needs 5.7 seconds to get to 60 mph. The Volkswagen ID4AWD Pro S makes 335 hp combined and needs 4.3 seconds.

In the event you need to make a panic stop, the Toyota C-HR performs adequately. Stabbing the brake pedal, which has short travel and firm feel, grinds the EV from 60 mph to a halt in 124 feet. That’s better than the Equinox EV’s 136-foot stopping distance and the ID4’s 125-foot stop. Although the C-HR exhibits minimal dive and good body control as it slows down, the Yokohama Geolander X-CV tires don’t have a lot of bite. We detected audible ABS noise and chatter during testing.

Thankfully, this issue only surfaces during the most extreme stops. Around town, regenerative braking handles most of the stopping. We say most and not all stopping because the C-HR doesn’t have a full one-pedal driving mode. Instead, you can use the paddles on the steering wheel to modulate the degree of e-braking, from minimal to moderate. The highest regenerative braking setting isn’t very strong, and you have to put your foot on the brake pedal to finish the job. This is an area where Toyota needs to improve to better contend with its rivals.

Otherwise, the 2026 Toyota C-HR XSE is a cheerful and enjoyable car to drive. Responsive if artificially light steering and a well-controlled, compliant suspension make for agile handling. It feels nimble in tight spots and eager to sling through sweeping corners. With an array of camera views providing a 360-degree composite of the C-HR’s surroundings, the Toyota gives additional confidence to maneuver into tight parking spots or parallel park.

Around our figure-eight test track, the 2026 Toyota C-HR XSE is fun and balanced as it laps the bite-sized circuit. Remaining mostly neutral through the skidpad, the CH-R is even willing to get a little tail happy if you enter a corner with aggression. Toyota’s target demographic is unlikely to drive their EVs like this, but we’re happy to see that the automaker has continued to bake driving enjoyment into more models across its lineup. Even if you aren’t driving hard, capable handling in any vehicle translates to confidence in avoiding accidents and hazards.

Despite prevalent ABS intervention into the braking zones, the C-HR manages to get around our figure eight in 26.7 seconds at an average of 0.71 g. That’s far better than the Equinox EV RS AWD, which needs 28.1 seconds at a far less grippy average of 0.62 g. Toyota manages to beat VW, too. The ID4 requires 26.2 seconds to get around the track at a medium-sticky 0.72 g.

Even being sporty, the C-HR doesn’t sacrifice comfort or quiet. It doesn’t get unsettled over rough pavement, and its sound deadening keeps the din of tires rolling across gritty surfaces out of the cabin. From a daily driving standpoint, the C-HR is well-suited for the city and the highway.

Real-World Range and Charging

On paper, the 2026 Toyota C-HR has plenty of range for a road trip. Its EPA rating of 273 miles should be enough for several hours of driving between stops at public chargers. The reality is less than ideal. In our 70-mph Road-Trip Range test, the 2026 Toyota C-HR only squeezed 206 miles out of its 74.7-kWh battery pack. That’s enough to go days without charging around town, but it’s limiting when you want to drive across the state, to say nothing of the country.

Rivals perform better in this area. The Equinox EV RS AWD is rated at 285 miles of range and can drive 241 miles per charge at 70 mph. The Volkswagen ID4’s advantage is only marginal, however. The EPA rates the AWD Pro S model at 263 miles of range, which converts to 208 miles in our 70-mph Road-Trip Range test.

The C-HR indexes slightly higher in terms of charging speeds for the segment. It has an 11-kW onboard charger for daily use at home, but DC fast-charging peaks at a claimed 150 kW. Thankfully, the C-HR has a standard NACS fast-charging port, so it’s compatible with the Tesla Supercharger network by default. During our charging test, the C-HR beat its manufacturer-stated peak with an observed peak of 169 kW. During the charge, the Toyota picked up 102 miles of range in 15 minutes and 167 miles of range in 30 minutes. Charging from 5 to 80 percent took 29 minutes.

The Toyota outperforms the Equinox EV by a wide margin. The Chevy peaks at 153 kW and charges from 5 to 80 percent in 48 minutes. It adds 81 miles in 15 minutes and 127 miles in 30 minutes. As for the Volkswagen ID4, the results are more of a mixed bag. The VW charges at a maximum of 189 kW, considerably more than the Toyota. The ID4 replenishes 103 miles in 15 minutes and 160 miles in 30 minutes, almost exactly matching the CH-R.

The Price Is Right

Toyota nailed the pricing on the 2026 C-HR XSE. With its starting price of $40,450, you pay a premium for style and standard AWD over the bigger Toyota bZ’s entry-level MSRP of $36,350. As equipped, our test car stickers for $43,475. That undercuts all trims of the 2026 Volkswagen ID4, which begins at $46,570 and climbs to $59,130 for the top-level AWD Pro S Plus. The 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV begins at $36,795 for the entry-level LT FWD model and climbs to $47,395 for the range-topping RS AWD trim. Toyota seems to have found the sweet spot among small electric SUVs.

What do you get for that money? Our fully loaded test car had a 14.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual wireless chargers, and 64-color ambient lighting. The minimalistic interior has a smattering of physical controls so you’re not forced to use the touchscreen all the time, but some will find the layout to be odd compared to Toyota’s more traditional vehicles. It misses out on ventilated seats, as well, though the cloth seats breathe well on a hot day. Toyota’s standard suite of active safety features performs well on the freeway and is easily configurable to the level of support wanted by the driver.

Our biggest criticism with the C-HR’s interior is that it carries over the small 7.0-inch driver’s display found in the bZ and Prius, which we’d love to see Toyota replace with a larger unit positioned closer and lower to aid visibility for drivers of different heights. In fact, the interior is nearly indistinguishable from the bZ’s, which is a shame because it would ideally take on some of the exterior’s more style-forward design cues for better differentiation. If you frequently move people or things, a tighter second row and a small cargo area are further downsides to the C-HR’s otherwise compelling package.

Toyota took a greater risk with the 2026 C-HR than it did with the bZ, and for the most part it paid off. The automaker’s fastback electric SUV is fun to drive for a daily runabout and is well-designed for urban and suburban life. It comes at a price that’s easy to justify and mitigates concerns that this SUV’s EV tech only meets or slightly improves on that of competitors that have been on the market for years. The 2026 Toyota C-HR is a bolder step forward for the Japanese automaker, but future products need to bring more battery and charging innovations to the table to challenge the segment leadership.

OPEN GALLERY