Compare the2026 Kia EV6VS 2026 Toyota bZ

Both the EV6 and bZ have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EV6 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The bZ’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the EV6 and the bZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia EV6 is safer than the Toyota bZ:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia EV6 is safer than the Toyota bZ:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the EV6, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 3.4% less likely to roll over than the bZ, which received a four-star rating.

The EV6 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The bZ’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV6 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the bZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the bZ ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The EV6 has more powerful engines than the bZ:

The EV6 can travel longer on a full charge than the bZ on a full charge:

The EV6 has a standard locking charge port which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The bZ doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

The EV6 stops shorter than the bZ:

For better traction, the EV6 GT-Line e-AWD’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the bZ (255/45R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The EV6’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the bZ XLE’s standard 60 series tires. The EV6 GT-Line e-AWD’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the bZ Limited’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EV6 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the bZ XLE.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV6’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the bZ (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the EV6 is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the bZ.

The EV6 Wind e-AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the bZ Limited AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The EV6 Wind e-AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the bZ Limited (26.1 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the EV6’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the bZ’s (38.2 feet vs. 40 feet).

The front grille of the EV6 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The bZ doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The EV6 has 8.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the bZ (103 vs. 94.4).

The EV6 has .4 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear legroom and 8.4 inches more rear hip room than the bZ.

The front step up height for the EV6 is 1.7 inches lower than the bZ (16.6” vs. 18.3”). The EV6’s rear step up height is 1.2 inches lower than the bZ’s (16.8” vs. 18”).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the EV6’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The bZ doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The EV6 offers up to a 2300 lbs. towing capacity. The bZ has no towing capacity.

The EV6 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The bZ uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The EV6 GT-Line has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The bZ doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The EV6’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The bZ’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The EV6’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the bZ’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The EV6 offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the rear seat, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The bZ doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The EV6 GT-Line’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The bZ Limited’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its August 2025 issue and they ranked the Kia EV6 Wind e-AWD four places higher than the Toyota bZ Limited AWD.

The EV6 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023. The bZ has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV6 as the 2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The bZ has never been chosen.