Toyota has officially overtaken Nissan as Japan's top-selling domestic electric vehicle brand for the first time, according to Electrek.
According to new data from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), domestic electric vehicle sales rose 1.6% in 2025, reaching 60,677 units. While that growth may sound modest, what's notable is who drove it.
In the final quarter of the year, Toyota jumped to the top of the leaderboard after launching a significantly upgraded version of its bZ4X electric SUV, ending Nissan's roughly 15-year run as Japan's dominant domestic EV brand.
Toyota sold 3,448 bZ4X models in Japan in the fourth quarter alone, a surge of more than 2,100% compared with the same period the year before. Much of that momentum appeared to be tied to practical upgrades aimed at everyday drivers.
The refreshed bZ4X offers a 25% increase in driving range (up to 746 kilometers, or about 463 miles), faster charging speeds, a redesigned interior, and a lower starting price than the previous version.
Those changes mattered because they addressed some of the biggest historical barriers to EV adoption: range anxiety, charging time, and upfront cost.
Still, adoption in Japan remains relatively low. One commenter noted that electric vehicles accounted for just 2–3% of new car sales in 2025, well below the global average.
That made Toyota's strategy especially interesting: instead of chasing early adopters, the company appeared to target everyday consumers seeking reliability and fewer surprises.
That long-term thinking extended beyond current models. Toyota also outlined plans to roll out solid-state batteries as early as 2027, a technology often described as a "holy grail" for EVs. The company said the batteries could last up to 40 years, potentially outliving the vehicle itself.
If that timeline holds, it could ease concerns about costly battery replacements, improve resilience during extreme weather or power disruptions, and make electric vehicles an even more practical, low-maintenance option for decades to come.
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As Toyota pushes further into electric mobility, both at home and abroad, its latest win suggests the next wave of EV growth could hinge on making daily life simpler and more reliable.
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