The Toyota C+pod is our new ultra-compact battery electric vehicle (BEV), a two-seat mobility solution designed primarily for short-distance journeys in urban environments.
Launched at the end of 2020, the C+pod is initially being trialled by corporate users and local governments in Japan, with full-scale production and widespread availability for individual customers scheduled by 2022.
The Toyota C+pod is being produced at Motomachi, the high-tech plant that also produces the new GR Yaris hot hatch and hydrogen fuel cell Mirai.
What is the Toyota C+pod?
The C+pod is now the most city-friendly and manoeuvrable car in Toyota’s global line-up, measuring just 2,490mm long, 1,290mm wide and 1,550mm tall, with a turning radius of 3.9 metres. As a reference, the current Toyota Aygo is 3,455mm, 1,615mm and 1,460mm respectively, and has a turning radius of 5.1 metres.
Powered by a 9.06kWh lithium-ion battery located under the floor, the rigid yet lightweight body offers a flat, easily accessible interior without a sill to climb over. A rear-mounted permanent magnet electric motor powers the rear wheels, its rated output of 2.6kW (9.2kW max) delivering brisk yet stable driving performance with a cruising range of up to 150km and a maximum speed of 60km/h.
Charging convenience
The C+pod is designed for convenient home-charging through a standard wall plug. A full charge can be administered in as little as five hours through a single phase 200V/16A power supply. But the vehicle can also be used as its own power source (see below), supplying up to 1,500W to support electrical devices during power cuts or natural disasters.
Toyota C+pod: design
Modern, friendly and simple in design, the C+pod is unmistakably a BEV yet is styled to retain many of the familiar cues of a city car. The exterior panels are made of plastic to help reduce weight (C+pod is approximately half the weight of an Aygo) and can be specified in a number of contrasting colour schemes, while the interior is predominantly black with a white accent panel around the instrument cluster.
The interior measures 1,100mm across and provides simple accommodation for two adults sat side-by-side. Although this represents 200mm less wiggle room than that available in an Aygo, the uncluttered layout and flat, transmission-free floor creates a feeling of space that belies the car’s physical dimensions. All switches and drive controls are consolidated into the dashboard’s centre console.
Safety equipment
Though small in size, the C+pod offers exceptional passenger safety – equivalent to that of a modern city car. Its body structure efficiently absorbs and disperses impact energy from all sides, while its outer body panels are designed to minimise pedestrian injury.
A full range of equipment is installed to support safe driving. This includes a standard pre-collision safety system that can identify vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, plus intelligent clearance sonars linked to the brakes to help mitigate collisions with stationary objects during low-speed manoeuvers.
Learn more: Toyota reveals ultra-compact BEV range
I live in Guernsey when mant ‘K’ cars are legal imported and registered. What is the chance of asking FREELANCE GBG (Toyota dealer) to import one of this for me ?
Hi John, thanks for your comment.
Please read our guidelines on importing vehicles, here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/owners/vehicle-information/importing-exporting.
Thanks.
Are these now available in the Uk
Hi, thanks for your question.
This vehicle is not currently available in the UK.
Thanks.
Thanks for your reply . Will it be available in the Uk if so what time scale as I am looking for an electric vehicle and this looks ideal . I would be disappointed to buy another car only to find out I could have waited a little longer to get one of these
Hi, thanks for your question.
Unfortunately, we have no information on this coming to the UK. Please keep an eye on our mag and social media channels for the latest product updates.
Thanks.
Come on Toyota UK, we need this. As an owner of an iQ (so appropriately named) the C+Pod would be the perfect replacement, so much better than a citroen ami, better/safer spec and a realistic speed for commuting. Who do we have we have to beg to & bribe? :o)
As a fellow owner of an IQ I heartily endorse this message. I live in Northern Ireland. Aiming this as a first car for teens, a second car for homemakers and a last car for the likes of us elderly types across the UK and Europe’s overcrowded urban streetscapes would be an economical & ecological game changer.
Cannot happen soon enough.
we need the car it is a good competitor for the AMI
My late wife and I have had small Toyotas for the last 20 years or so. Why, when they finally decide to make an ideal one like the C+ Pod – a small electric car that could sell like hot cakes – why do they fail to market it in UK – a country where the average vehicle journey is 8 to 9 miles? Seems they should wake up some of those marketing strategists in the head offfice.
i like this car butt i couldn’t fine. can anybody help?
Hi Sohail, thanks for your question.
Currently, this vehicle is not available in the UK.
Thanks.
As & Wen are you thinking of shipping to the uk ???????????
Hi John, thanks for your question.
Currently, we have no information on this.
Please keep an eye on our mag and social media channels for the latest product updates.
Thanks.
Hi Toyota UK, any updates on availability or pricing for this vehicle please?
Hi Moby, thanks for your query.
Your Toyota Centre is best placed to advise on availability and pricing.
To locate your nearest centre, please see here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/find-a-dealer
Thanks.
It is now 2024. This micro EV is ideal for me and I’d like to stay with Toyota as I have an IQ and it has given me great service for the past 9 years. Time to update. Give me a date for this car being released in 2024 and I will order and wait. If not let me know as there are other manufacturers I will choose. Thanks you
can someone give an honest answer to when Cpod+ will be available in UK or if not is there an alternative
Hi there, thanks for your comment.
We have no information on this model featuring in our UK line up at the moment. All of the latest model updates are posted here on our Magazine and across our social media channels.
Thanks,
Toyota UK