2026 Toyota Urban Cruiser EV Review | Small, Expensive and Hard to Love

Today on Buckle Up, we’re putting the 2026 Toyota Urban Cruiser EV under the microscope — Toyota’s compact electric SUV that should be a slam dunk… but somehow misses more targets than it hits. On paper, the Urban Cruiser EV promises affordable electric motoring, urban-friendly size and Toyota reliability. In reality? Things get complicated very quickly. In this review we take the Urban Cruiser EV out on real roads to see how it actually behaves day to day, covering ride comfort, handling, real-world range, interior space and overall value for money. And let’s just say the suspension has opinions about potholes, the range figure needs ideal conditions and a tailwind, and the pricing feels optimistic for something this small. The biggest issue is balance. The Urban Cruiser EV isn’t especially comfortable, isn’t particularly engaging to drive, and doesn’t deliver the kind of range buyers now expect — all while asking for money that puts it uncomfortably close to much more capable electric SUVs. We also look at how it stacks up against rivals like the Volvo EX30, Peugeot e-2008, Jeep Avenger EV, Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona Electric, and whether Toyota’s badge alone is enough to make this one worth considering. Is the 2026 Toyota Urban Cruiser EV just a cautious first step that came too late — or a missed opportunity in one of the most competitive EV segments going? Watch to find out. ----------------------------------- BUY OUR MERCH: https://shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/buckle-up-merch/all ----------------------------------- Join Channel Memberships: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQnCvi6zRZolQsxlIf6ePtQ/join ----------------------------------- Follow us on Social Media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buckle.Up.Official.Productions/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@buckleup_show X: https://x.com/BuckleUp_Show Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/buckleupshow.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buckleup_show/ Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/buckleup_show TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRy9erBk/ --------------------------------- Visit Our Website: https://buckleup-show.com/ --------------------------------- Follow the lads on Instagram Rob - https://www.instagram.com/the_rob_wilson_/ Harry - https://www.instagram.com/mccrazyfish/ Jasper - https://www.instagram.com/jbrucewright/ --------------------------------- 🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co Headturner by Max Brodie, https://t.lickd.co/l/9kW2q9p2jLr --------------------------------- #BuckleUp #toyota #automotive --------------------------------- Buckle Up is a channel that is only interested in one thing – cars! We upload a myriad of different content including car review videos, car challenge videos, car news videos and much, much more! Our videos are made in a similar style to that of Top Gear, Fifth Gear, Car Throttle, Doug DeMuro, carwow, Carfection, The Grand Tour, MotorTrend and many more. We would all thoroughly recommend their channels, so why not go and check them out.