Solid solutions of BaTiO3-Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3 were investigated for high-temperature capacitor applications. Compositions close to 0.8BaTiO3-0.2Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3 revealed pseudo-cubic symmetry and showed a linear dielectric response. The existence of a nearly flat temperature dependence of the relative permittivity over the temperature range of 100 to 350°C was also obtained. In this study, the effects of cation non-stoichiometry and doping were investigated in an attempt to optimize the insulation resistance for high-temperature applications. The dielectric response of (Ba0.8-xBi0.2)(Zn0.1Ti0.9) O3 ceramics where 0 ⩽ X ⩽0.08, as well as ZrO2- and Mn2O3- doped ceramics were studied. The optimum compositions exhibited a relative permittivity in excess of 1150 with a low loss tangent (tan δ < 0.05) that persisted up to a temperature of 460δC. The temperature dependence of resistivity also revealed the improved insulation resistance of Ba-deficient compositions. Additionally, we suggest that an ionic conduction mechanism is responsible for the degradation of resistivity at high temperatures. The temperature coefficient of permittivity (TK) and the RC time constant were also investigated.