Luxury cars are typically niche and low-volume sellers, with margins decreasing with each year that passes. Cars that operate in this segment always make for poor investments, with some of the worst depreciation rates in the market. A major reason leading to this is their substandard long-term reliability. You may find yourself spending large sums to keep them on the road after the warranty has expired, ultimately making them undesirable products.
- Base Trim Engine
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2.5L I4 ICE
- Base Trim Transmission
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8-speed automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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All-Wheel Drive
- Base Trim Horsepower
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203 HP @6600 RPM
- Base Trim Torque
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184 lb.-ft. @ 4000 RPM
- Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
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24/33/28 MPG
- Base Trim Battery Type
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Lead acid battery
- Make
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Lexus
- Model
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ES
The current-generation Lexus ES, due to be replaced by an all-new generation model in the coming months, has continually proven itself to be the safest choice to consider if you prioritize reliability, compromising on overall luxury and quality. The brand achieves this by combining its bespoke exterior design with the Toyota Group’s tried and tested drivetrain and chassis technologies, meaning you won’t be forking out thousands of dollars on maintenance.
The Lexus ES’ Sweet-Spot Pricing
While it’s still available before the new-generation model arrives this spring, Lexus starts pricing for the base ES 250 all-wheel drive or 350 at $43,435. It comes equipped with all the comfort and convenience features you’ll need, including dual-zone climate control, electrically adjustable front seats with heating, and perforated NuLuxe interior upholstery. You also get the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system connected to the brand’s in-house-developed 10-speaker premium audio system. This system features wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
The $48,605 Luxury includes additional adjustments for the driver’s seat, quilted and perforated semi-aniline leather upholstery, front seat heating and ventilation, wood trimmings, ambient lighting, an electronically adjustable rear sunshade, a wireless smartphone charger, and a heated multifunction steering wheel with wood and leather trimmings.
Abundant Features In Flagship Trims
The Ultra Luxury is the most expensive model in the range, with a $52,325 starting price, but this includes every available feature as standard, such as rear door sun shades, a 10.2-inch heads-up display, and the larger 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The F-Sport Design costs $49,220 and mimics the Luxury trim, apart from a couple of bespoke visual exterior and interior cues. You can get the F Sport Handling package for $49,895, which removes some of the premium additions from the Luxury but adds performance dampers, adaptive variable suspension with bespoke F Sport tuning, and additional driving modes.
For the 350 only, Lexus offers an exclusive $53,860 Black Line Special Edition based on the F Sport model, but including black exterior trimmings and unique interior fitments. If you want to upgrade to the 300h gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain, available in all the aforementioned trims, you’ll have to increase your budget by $1,400. There’s the $1,630 technology package, which includes a larger infotainment system and head-up display. Lexus’s $2,790 Premium package is available for the base and luxury trims, and adds the following options:
- Heated and ventilated front seats with Lexus Memory System
- Rain-sensing windshield wipers
- Heated leather-trimmed steering wheel
- Fast-response interior heater
- Power-folding outside mirrors
- Wood trim
2026 Lexus ES Updates: Everything You Need To Know
The 2026 Lexus ES has just entered a new era, upgrading its technology, luxury, and comfort. Oh, and it’s available as an EV now.
Impressive Review Standards
The 2025 Lexus ES is currently the highest rated sedan on J.D. Power for quality and reliability, with an 89/100 score. Joining this is 73/100 for the driving experience, and 74/100 for resale, alongside an 87/100 rating for the dealership experience, bringing its overall consumer-verified score up to 83/100. iSeeCars backs this with an 8.7/10 overall score for the hybrid, which includes 8.6/10 for reliability, 7.6/10 for retained value, and 10/10 for safety. The ICE model earns an 8.4/10 overall score, including 7.9/10 for reliability, 8.3/10 for retained value, and 9.0/10 for safety.
Its reliability assessment indicates that it benefits from an average lifespan of 15.9 years and should cover 174,223 miles without any major mechanical faults. Its probability of reaching 200,000 miles is 32.7 percent if you typically drive 10,362 miles every year. The ICE boasts an average lifespan of 12.9 years or 148,424 miles, with a 20.4 percent probability of reaching 200,000 miles.
Economy Car-Like Running Costs
According to the Edmunds True Cost To Own calculator, you can expect a base-level Lexus ES 350 to cost you $6,007 on maintenance, $1,087 on repairs, and $14,684 on fuel. The HEV ES costs about $500 less to maintain over the same period. You can also expect to lose $15,176 of the ES’s initial purchase price after three years and $21,107 after five years and 60,000 miles. $8,894 of this loss occurs after the first year of ownership.
According to CarEdge, you can expect to spend $1,975 on the Lexus ES’s maintenance and repairs over five years and 60,000 miles. You can expect the very same model to lose 44 percent of its value over three years while covering 12,000 miles a year, resulting in a $24,769 sale price. By 10 years, it’ll be worth about $13,770, reflecting a 30.86-percent residual value. iSeeCars indicates that you can expect the hybrid model to lose 30.3 percent or $13,151 of its value over three years, resulting in a $30,289 residual value figure. Expect the ICE to lose $17,684 or 42.1 percent of its value after the same period.
The 2026 Lexus ES Arrives With Hybrid and Electric Power
Lexus’s best-selling car received some serious upgrades.
A True Fuel-Saving Wonder
On the efficiency front, the base 250 model consumes 24/33/28 MPG on the city/highway/combined cycle while returning 445 miles of range on a single tank of gas. Opting for the larger V-6 means that you have to deal with a 22/32/25 MPG consumption estimate and a 398-mile range figure. While you sacrifice power when driving a Lexus ES 300h, you do get to benefit from some of the most impressive fuel returns that you can enjoy from the segment.
According to the EPA’s estimates, you can expect this model to return a 43/44/44 MPG consumption on the city/highway/combined cycle and cover 581 miles on a single 13.2-gallon tank of gas, with some help from a 1.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Based on these same estimates, you can expect to save $3,250 in fuel costs over the course of five years. A year’s worth of gas will cost you $1,050, while you’ll find yourself spending $1.79 to drive 25 miles. You’ll also be spending about $42 to fill up the tank.
A Broad Range Of Drivetrain Options
Before the brand adopts a hybrid-only drivetrain for the next-generation ES, you can still have today’s model with four different drivetrain configurations. The entry-level 250 features a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels via a CVT.
This is only going to get you from zero to 60 MPH in 8.6 seconds, with a 131 MPH top speed. The 2025 Lexus ES 300h features an identical powertrain, but with a pair of permanent-magnet synchronous motors. You can only have the ES 300h with the front-wheel-drive system, producing a combined 215 horsepower.
Don’t expect sporty performance from the hybrid. Lexus claims that the 2025 ES 300h will sprint from zero to 60 MPH in 8.1 seconds before hitting a 112 MPH limited top speed. As is the case with all naturally aspirated Toyota hybrids, the ES 300h features a direct-drive eCVT system as opposed to a conventional automatic transmission, making it the perfect fit if you find yourself traversing slow-moving urban and extra-urban environments.
It is possible to use this model in full EV mode, but this is only under very strict conditions at slow-moving speeds, which is a common consideration for almost all hybrids in this segment. The ES is one of the last Toyota Group products to feature the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 producing 302 horsepower and 267 pound-feet, driving the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Most Fuel-Efficient Luxury Car Currently
This Japanese brand is the clear cut leader in high quality, high efficiency vehicles.
Lexus Has You Covered With A Comprehensive Warranty
Lexus issues all of its vehicles with a standardized warranty package as standard, which includes a 48-month or 50,000-mile basic warranty, a 72-month or 70,000-mile powertrain warranty, and 60-month coverage for corrosion with unlimited miles. The brand covers all hybrid components for 96 months or 100,000 miles, while the battery features a class-leading coverage of 120 months or 150,000 miles. You have the option of extending the basic warranty package up to 10 years or 125,000 miles via Lexus.
The brand covers the hybrid battery for defects and manufacturing issues, ensuring repair or replacement at no cost within the warranty period. Additionally, the hybrid component warranty covers the electric motor and power control unit. Routine maintenance and wear-and-tear items, such as the 12-volt battery, fall outside this coverage. As we’ve mentioned, Lexus’s hybrid systems are typically very reliable and trustworthy, but the brand has had its fair share of recalls in this department over the years.
Sources: J.D. Power, Edmunds, iSeeCars, and the EPA