Toyota C-HR electric confirmed for Australia, due mid-2027 with 74.7kWh battery and 165kW motor

The announcement: a second EV for Toyota Australia

Toyota Australia has confirmed a fully electric version of its C-HR small SUV will arrive in local showrooms in mid-2027. CarExpert, which broke the news after speaking with the company, reports the electric C-HR will be the second EV in Toyota Australia's line-up after the bZ4X launched in 2024, with the bZ4X Touring also due in the first half of 2026. Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley told CarExpert the car was a natural progression: "It's a natural progression from its hybrid engine and was part of the production plan – we had an opportunity to get it, so we're going to take it." ³

Dealer communications corroborate the timing and positioning. Downtown Toyota's own EV page lists the all-new C-HR BEV under a "Coming Mid-2027" banner, describing it as sitting alongside the bZ4X and bZ4X Touring, while New Town Toyota's announcement adds the battery-electric HiLux — expected locally in Q3 2026 — to the same emerging BEV line-up. ²⁵

The confirmation forms part of a broader electrification push. Hanley, in remarks carried by both CarExpert and dealer channels, framed the car as "another step in Toyota's multi-pathway approach to electrification", with the all-new RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid also landing ahead of it in 2026. ³¹⁵

Confirmed hardware for the Australian version

Toyota Australia has confirmed the locally bound electric C-HR will feature a 74.7kWh lithium-ion battery and a front-mounted electric motor producing 165kW and 269Nm. CarExpert reports these figures as among the few confirmed details so far, and dealer announcements from Sunshine Toyota and New Town Toyota repeat the same battery and motor specifications, identifying the motor as a permanent magnet synchronous unit driving the front wheels. ³¹⁵

On the cabin side, Toyota Australia has confirmed a 14.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility, plus Toyota Connected Services. Sunshine Toyota and New Town Toyota additionally list natural voice recognition and the latest Toyota Safety Sense active safety suite across the range, and note 416 litres of cargo capacity. ³¹⁵

Toyota is targeting more than 500km of driving range and a 10–80% DC fast-charge time of around 30 minutes for the Australian version, according to Sunshine Toyota's announcement, which credits battery pre-conditioning technology with maintaining charging performance in Australian weather extremes. These are stated as targets rather than confirmed figures. ¹⁵

What remains unconfirmed: pricing, grades and range details

Australian pricing and equipment levels for the electric C-HR have not been announced. CarExpert reports Toyota Australia has confirmed two model grades, with pricing expected to undercut the bZ4X's base price of $66,000 before on-road costs — making it the brand's cheapest EV to date. CarExpert's own analysis places a likely price window between the top hybrid C-HR's $57,390 and the bZ4X's $66,000, both before on-road costs. These are expectations, not confirmed prices. ³

Sunshine Toyota and New Town Toyota both state that pricing, detailed specifications and grade-by-grade features will be revealed closer to the mid-2027 launch. Neither offers any indicative pricing. ¹⁵

There is also some variance in how charging capability is described. Sunshine Toyota and New Town Toyota say the Australian version will offer up to 22kW AC charging for home charging. CarExpert's UK-market reporting describes 11kW AC as standard with 22kW optional on the all-wheel-drive model, and 150kW DC charging across all UK grades — so AC charging capability for the Australian two-grade line-up should be treated as not yet pinned down against the confirmed local specification. ¹⁵³

How it compares with the UK C-HR EV line-up

CarExpert's reporting on the UK line-up shows Australia will receive a different configuration. In the UK, where order books open in early 2026 per CarExpert, three grades are offered with two battery sizes and claimed range of up to 609km. Australia will skip the entry-level front-wheel-drive version with its 57.7kWh battery (456km claimed WLTP range, 123kW/269Nm, 0–100km/h in 8.4 seconds) and the 252kW AWD variant (0–100km/h in 5.2 seconds, 546km range). CarExpert identifies the UK mid-spec as the apparent match for the Australian car: 165kW, 269Nm and a larger battery CarExpert cites as 77kWh, with 609km of range and a 7.3-second 0–100km/h time. ³

Note that CarExpert's UK reporting lists that battery as 77kWh, while the confirmed Australian specification is a 74.7kWh pack — the figures are close but not identical, and Toyota Australia has confirmed only the 74.7kWh figure for cars headed here. As a result, the UK mid-spec's 609km claimed range and 7.3-second sprint cannot be treated as confirmed for Australia; Toyota's own stated target for local cars remains more than 500km. ³¹

Where it fits in the current C-HR range

The electric C-HR will join, rather than replace, the existing hybrid line-up. CarExpert's vehicle data shows the current second-generation C-HR is sold in Australia exclusively as a non-plug-in hybrid, in three grades — GXL, Koba and GR Sport — priced from $51,209 to $63,952 drive-away (Sydney basis). In pre-on-roads figures cited by CarExpert, the hybrid range runs from $45,440 for the GXL to $57,390 for the GR Sport. ⁴³

The two versions differ substantially underneath. CarExpert reports the electric C-HR uses the e-TNGA platform shared with the bZ4X, Lexus RZ and Subaru Solterra, while the hybrid rides the TNGA-C platform and measures 160mm shorter than its electric counterpart. Current C-HR data compiled by CarExpert puts the hybrid at 4362mm long with a 2640mm wheelbase. Both are built in Turkey, with the electric version to come from the same factory that supplies the C-HR EV to Europe and the UK — a switch from Japanese sourcing made when the second generation arrived in 2024. ³⁴

Hanley also highlighted the nameplate's buyer appeal when speaking to CarExpert: "it's got great appeal… it's got a young following which I really like, and the styling does stand out from the crowd". CarExpert notes the electric version retains the evolved "Hammerhead" design theme with slimmer LED headlights and aerodynamic work that Sunshine Toyota says yields a 0.26 drag coefficient. ³¹

Driving character and in-cabin detail

Sunshine Toyota and New Town Toyota describe engineering detail beyond the headline specs: unique suspension and electric power steering tuning for the EV, four selectable levels of regenerative braking operated via steering-wheel paddle shifters, and additional sound insulation for a quieter cabin. The car is described as having been developed from the ground up as a dedicated battery-electric vehicle on the e-TNGA platform rather than a conversion of the hybrid. ¹⁵