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Lexus ES variants
Total price
Monthly payment

Finance representative example (PCP)

Total cash price £27,499. Borrowing £24,749 with a £2,750 deposit at a representative APR of 10.9%.

48 monthly payments
£419.58
Fixed interest rate
10.9%
Total amount payable
£35,595.78
Cost of credit
£8,096.78
Optional final payment
£12,706.00
Purchase fee
£10.00
Annual mileage limit
6000 miles

Lexus ES buying guide

What Lexus ES trim levels are there?

Entry-level ES models are simply known as ES without a specific trim level name. Equipment is generous, however, with 17-inch alloy wheels, faux-leather upholstery, automatic lights, power adjustable heated front seats, all-round parking sensors, and an eight-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Above that is the Premium Edition, which adds larger alloys, automatic wipers and an upgraded 12.3-inch screen for the infotainment system. Confusingly, there's also the Premium Pack, which adds Premium Edition features as well as full leather upholstery, cooled front seats, powered rear sunshades and a 360º parking camera.

F Sport is Lexus' answer to rivals' sporty trim levels. You get F Sport-specific alloy wheels and a meaner looking body kit. There are also adaptive dampers, a new Sport+ driving mode and F Sport front seats.

Elsewhere, you may spot cars with the Tech and Safety Pack – these models get automatic high beams and a heated steering wheel. Takumi Pack is a luxury-focused add on, which brings an upgraded 17-speaker Mark Levinson stereo, a head-up display and a powered boot lid.

Lexus ES interior and technology

Competing cars from Audi and Mercedes have leaned hard on their screen technology, often replacing many physical controls with on-screen options instead. Lexus hasn't adopted that approach with the ES. You'll still find proper buttons and knobs for important functions, which makes it easy to adjust the control you're looking for with barely a glance away from the road.

Infotainment is handled by a large touchscreen with plenty of real estate for on-screen controls and buttons. This makes the screen relatively easy to use despite its occasionally clunky graphics. Of course, most buyers will simply use the built-in smartphone mirroring, which comes as standard across the range. There's also a laptop-style trackpad for the screen between the two front seats which uses haptic feedback to guide your finger to the associated on-screen control – this isn't quite as straightforward as BMW's rotary controller but is still a nice option allowing drivers to minimise the time spent looking away from the road.

Quality is top-notch. There are absolutely no creaks or rattles from cabin trim pieces as you drive over bumps – something that can't be said for the latest generation of slightly plasticky Mercedes models, for example. We do wish it was a bit brighter in the ES's cabin, however, with a little more black and dark-coloured panelling than we'd like to see.

The ES is a long car at a hair under five metres from bumper to bumper. That means lots of legroom in both the first and second rows, although very tall rear passengers might find their heads come close to brushing the roof if they don't slouch a little. Cargo space is respectable 454 litres – enough for a couple of big suitcases – but you can't drop the rear seats to expand the space so buyers in need of lots of storage might want to look at an Audi A6 Avant estate instead.

Lexus ES engine range explained

Lexus ES 300h 2.5 hybrid

In the UK, there's just one engine to choose from – a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with a pair of electric motors for a respectable 218hp. The standard CVT automatic gearbox and lack of turbos means the 0-62mph run is timed at a fairly mediocre 8.9 seconds but, thanks to the rapid responses of the hybrid system, the car rarely feels underpowered when just cruising about. Fuel economy is excellent, with nearly 50mpg possible if you drive carefully and its low CO2 emissions mean favourable company car tax rates – especially for a non-PHEV or EV model that you don't have to plug in to recharge.

Lexus ES FAQs

The ES is quite a large car, especially in length – it's almost five metres long. That puts it in a similar ballpark as other executive cars like the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes E-Class. Consequently, you expect plenty of passenger space and, for the most part, the ES delivers in spades – there's loads of legroom in the first and second rows. The only downside is that very tall rear passengers will find their heads close to the ceiling thanks to the ES's dramatic curved roofline.

Its abundant length does mean the ES isn't the easiest car to thread into a tight parking spot. However, all models come with a reversing camera and all-round parking sensors to make the task a little less hassle. You'll also find a 360º parking camera if you venture further up the ES range.

All ES models share the same 454-litre cargo area. That's a respectable figure and should be enough for a big weekly shop or a couple of big suitcases. It does lag a few litres behind its key rivals, however, and the saloon bodyshape mean boot height and boot access are both a little on the tight side.

Annoyingly, you can't fold the rear seats, either. That means larger loads like bikes, flatpack furniture or your four-legged friend, will have to find another means of transport.

The answer's easy here because there's just one engine offered in the UK. ES 300h models use a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with a couple of electric motors, a hybrid battery pack and an automatic gearbox.

This is an exclusively 'self-charging' hybrid that only recaptures energy when you slow down or brake, and has no external plug for recharging, unlike PHEVs or full EVs. As a result, it can only travel short distances on electric power alone, but that still makes it impressively efficient when trundling through urban traffic with barely a whisper from the engine.

Its 8.9-second 0-62mph time is nothing to write home about and is a little slower than almost all its key rivals. However, rapid responses from the ES's hybrid motors means low-speed acceleration is reasonably nippy and there's enough overall grunt to whisk you to motorway speeds without complaint.

The hybrid engine setup also means the ES is one of the cleanest cars you can buy in this segment without swapping to a plug-in hybrid or full EV. Low CO2 emissions means low company car tax rates and average fuel economy can reach as high as 50mpg if you're careful with your right foot.

They're not exactly the same car, but the Lexus ES and Toyota Camry share the same platform and engine options, and fulfil a similar role in their lineups as large saloon-style family cars.

Like many other cars in the Lexus lineup, the ES borrows proven mechanical hardware from slightly more affordable Toyota models, but adds a wealth of premium features and upmarket materials, plus unique styling to mark it out. That means you can enjoy the mile-munching reliability of a Toyota-backed product, while also relishing the extra plush touches you'll only find in Lexus models.