Until now, the Lexus RZ has been kind of like a golf cart: often found in fancy California gated communities, and seldom driven far, because it can't drive that far anyway. This didn't exactly endear it to critics or even many Lexus fans, especially as the luxury brand's competitors started packing serious heat in the electric space.
But now, just like its platform-mate the Toyota bZ, Lexus' sole electric offering (for now) just got a lot more interesting. Powerful, too. And able to go much further than before.
The 2026 Lexus RZ gets a big raft of upgrades, including a redesigned battery and motor system, faster charging, and perhaps most interestingly of all, something called M Mode—a fancy Lexus name for simulated eight-speed gear shifts.
It's an interesting choice of car to debut a technology that Toyota has been working on for years. But on the 550e F Sport AWD trim level, you also get 402 horsepower to play with. That should be interesting indeed. Even better, it now comes with a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug for easy fast-charging.
We first saw the updated RZ at Toyota's Kenshiki Forum event in Brussels this spring, but now its U.S.-market specs have landed as well. Here, it will come in three trim levels: the RZ 350e, the RZ 450e AWD and the aforementioned RZ 550e F Sport AWD.
The RZ 350e is the range king of the bunch. It's set to deliver 300 miles of EPA-estimated range when using its smaller 18-inch wheels. It gets a 74.69 kilowatt-hour battery that delivers 221 horsepower to a single electric motor powering the front wheels. Still, that's a nice upgrade from the old RZ 300e's 266 miles of range.
Move up to the RZ 450e AWD and you get the same battery with a still-respectable 260 miles of range, but power bumps to 308 hp. Finally, the RZ 550e gets the largest battery of all at 76.96 kWh, but with 402 hp on tap, it will do zero to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. Range drops to 225 miles, but that's on par with many performance-focused EVs.
Lexus isn't listing any charging speeds, but if it's similar to the bZ, we're expecting a max speed of 150 kilowatts—just with a better charging curve than before. Lexus is DC fast-charging from 10% to 80% in around 30 minutes.
I especially want to know more about M Mode, but Lexus is being cagey. "This innovation helps to deliver a sportier, more responsive driving feel," the automaker said in a news release. "M Mode is a system that allows drivers to control power output with paddle shifters, as if using a manual transmission."
Last but not least: the U.S.-spec car won't get the long-promised yoke steering wheel or drive-by-wire steering. That's a bummer, as every evolution of that system I have tested has been better than the last, but I doubt we have seen the last of it.
Gallery: 2026 Lexus RZ (U.S. Spec)
Pricing and other details will be released at a later date, Lexus said. For now, the new RZ seems to be another sign that Toyota is taking electric power seriously—and I'm eager to get behind the wheel as soon as I can. And I definitely couldn't say that about the last RZ.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
