Toyota C-HR returns to America with a 338-horsepower electric car with Prius-inspired design

Toyota is bringing the C-HR name back to the US market - but now not with a petrol engine, but as an all-electric crossover. The new model combines a design in the same style as the Prius and the updated Camry sedan, a powerful powertrain and decent autonomy - everything that Toyota's previous EVs lacked.

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Instead of the previous 2.0-litre petrol engine, the new C-HR EV gets two electric motors, all-wheel drive and a 74.7 kWh battery. The combined output is 338bhp, with acceleration to 60mph (96km/h) in 5.0 seconds.

The claimed range is 290 miles (467 kilometres). That's slightly less than the 2026 model year Toyota bZ4X (up to 314 miles / 505 km), but still a marked improvement over Toyota's early EVs. DC fast charging can replenish the charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes. And thanks to the move to the NACS standard, the C-HR will be able to charge at Tesla Supercharger network stations.

The new model retains the coupe-like body shape that was the highlight of the first-generation C-HR. The model is built on the e-TNGA platform. The car is 177.9 inches (4,519 mm) long and 63.8 inches (1,621 mm) tall - slightly more compact than the RAV4.

Visually, the model continues Toyota's new corporate identity with boomerang-shaped headlights, a slim upper grille, and a full-width LED rear stripe. The base SE version comes with 18-inch wheels, while the XSE gets 20-inch discs.

The cabin gets a 14-inch touchscreen multimedia system (Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and 4G Wi-Fi support) and a digital instrument cluster. All trims get Toyota's Safety Sense 3.0 suite by default, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping and automatic emergency braking.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but the base version is expected to cost around $30,000, which is quite competitive for a compact electric crossover with such features. For comparison, the petrol C-HR previously started at $25,000.

Recall that the world premiere of the new Toyota C-HR took place in March in Brussels, Belgium. The European version of the electric model received the designation C-HR+ and two batteries to choose from: 57.7 kWh (front-wheel drive) and 77 kWh (all-wheel drive).

Source: Toyota