Compare the2026 BMW i5VS 2026 Toyota bZ

The i5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The bZ doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the i5 and the bZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 BMW i5 weighs 463 to 1190 pounds more than the Toyota bZ. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The i5 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The bZ’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The i5’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the bZ’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the i5 for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the bZ (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the i5’s reliability 21 points higher than the bZ.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Toyota.

The i5 has more powerful engines than the bZ:

As tested in Motor Trend the i5 M60 electric motors is faster than the Toyota bZ electric motors:

The i5 can travel longer on a full charge than the bZ on a full charge:

The i5 has a standard locking charge port with a power remote release convenient to the driver. The bZ doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

The i5’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The bZ doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the i5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the bZ:

The i5 stops much shorter than the bZ:

For better traction, the i5 has larger standard tires than the bZ (245/45R19 vs. 235/60R18). The i5’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the bZ (F:255/35R21 & R:285/30R21 vs. 235/60R18).

The i5’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the bZ XLE’s standard 60 series tires. The i5’s optional 255/35R21 front and 285/30R21 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the bZ Limited’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the i5 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the bZ XLE. The i5’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the bZ Limited.

The i5 M60 offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The bZ doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The i5 M60 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Toyota doesn’t offer an active suspension on the bZ.

The i5 offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The bZ’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the i5’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the bZ (117.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the i5 is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the bZ.

The i5’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the bZ’s (56% to 44%). This gives the i5 more stable handling and braking.

The i5 M60 xDrive handles at .96 G’s, while the bZ XLE AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the i5 eDrive40’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the bZ’s (38.4 feet vs. 40 feet). The i5 M60 xDrive’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the bZ’s (39 feet vs. 40 feet).

The i5 has 3.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the bZ (98 vs. 94.4).

The i5 has .2 inches more front headroom, 6.1 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, 14.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the bZ.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the i5 offers cargo security. The bZ’s sport utility bodystyle defeats cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the i5. The bZ doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The i5 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.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the bZ Limited, the i5 has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The i5 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and driver assistance information 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 i5’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 i5’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the bZ’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the i5 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The bZ doesn’t offer cornering lights. The i5 also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are optional in the i5 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The bZ doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

The i5’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The bZ has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The i5 offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the bZ.

The i5’s Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote Control Parking 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends the BMW i5, based on reliability, safety and performance.