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The Lexus RZ isn’t exactly a volume-seller. With the luxury marque only moving 9,697 units in 2024, the RZ is one of the least favored models in the automaker’s lineup. There are several factors to blame for this, including its measly range – but that’s about to change with the introduction of the heavily updated Lexus RZ. With the bevy of updates revealed, the not-so-popular nameplate suddenly becomes a better and more exciting car overnight.

First introduced for the European market, the new Lexus RZ may look familiar, but it comes with a lot of updates underneath the skin, including more powerful electric motors, a bigger battery, an upgraded onboard charger, and the addition of the F Sport trim. The latter comes with what makes the RZ a more exciting EV than before.

Simulated Gear Shifts And Yoke Tiller Unlocked

The biggest headline for the new Lexus RZ is the addition of the F Sport trim, which adds Toyota’s simulated gear shifts into the equation, stopping short of adding a third pedal for a stick-shift EV, though other Toyota products may someday get just that. Called the Interactive Manual Drive, the system works like in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N – an 8-speed “gearbox” that can be toggled through paddles, complete with a rev-limiter and special sounds to complete the experience. The RZ also exclusively adds a yoke-shaped tiller in the F Sport with the delayed steer-by-wire system, not unlike the one you’ll find in the Tesla Cybertruck.

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Even better, the new Lexus RZ is more powerful than the model it replaces. The top-spec 550e F Sport offers up to 402 horsepower, up by almost 100 hp compared to the current US-spec RZ 450e. That figure is good for a 0-62 mph sprint in 4.4 seconds. Even the base RZ 350e (at least in Europe) gets a power bump, now producing 221 hp or 20 hp more than the 201-hp RZ 300e you can buy in America.

Now, For The Update That Matters

But for most buyers, what will matter most will be the new RZ’s bigger 76.96 kWh battery that’s standard across Lexus’ European offering. It should be good for up to 357 miles in the more forgiving WLTP standards, which means it could offer around 300 miles when it arrives in America. That’s way better than the current 266-mile offering, which is the most that you can get from a Lexus BEV in the US. Moreover, a new 22-kW onboard AC charger has been added for quicker Level 2 charging.

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The new Lexus RZ will roll out in Europe later this year in the fall, with three trims available: RZ 550e F Sport, RZ 500e, and RZ 350e. While its arrival in the US has not been explicitly mentioned, Lexus’ American arm has shared the updated model’s press release, marking it as MY2026. That said, we expect the new RZ to arrive in the latter part of the year; no wonder Lexus has slashed a huge amount of its asking price for 2025.