Ah, the Lexus ES. It’s been in our collective consciousness since 1989, going against the likes of the BMW 5 Series and the Genesis G80. Over the years it has been offered with four or six cylinders and even in a hybrid variant, but this eighth generation ES joins the modern times with a full battery-electric version.

That means that for 2026 the Lexus ES is only offered as an electrified car: either hybrid or BEV. The EV version comes in the front-wheel drive 350e or all-wheel drive 500e guise in Premium and Luxury trims. Meanwhile the hybrid is offered as the 350h, with a choice of both drivetrains in Premium or Premium+ trims.

The ES 350h distinguishes itself with a different front fascia, but beyond that you’ll find it to look the same as the BEV version. Overall the ES has gotten longer and wider than the previous generation and I love the new front and rear lighting signatures. At the front, dual L-shaped LED light bars function as the daytime running lights and turn signals while the LED headlights are positioned just below. The shape of Lexus’ trademark spindle grille is still here, but it’s been toned down a bit and is much more subtle. Design is subjective but I think this is a good move from the Lexus team.

The rear LED lights span the full width of the car and include light-up Lexus branding. You can only get 19-inch wheels on the hybrid but the EV comes with 19-inchers standard and the ability to upgrade to 21-inch platters. The trunk is bigger than last year, with 17.4 cubic feet of space for the hybrid, or 18.3 cubes in the BEV thanks to packaging differences. Don’t look for a frunk in the BEV, though. Lexus doesn’t roll with front storage.

While the interior has gotten a nice makeover with some cool checkered metal and available bamboo trim, ambient lighting and a new toggle-style gearshift, the real story here is in overall comfort. Standard across the board are heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control and wireless charging. You can get a front radiant heater for your lower limbs on the hybrid and the BEV and, as someone who is always cold, this is one of the best features I’ve encountered. I had that thing cranked up so high while my driving partner basked in his frigid 62-degree cocoon. Lovely.

For those who prefer to be driven rather than drive, you can get the Executive package on the 350e. This includes reclining rear seats that are heated, ventilated, and massaging. The passenger side also has an ottoman for full relaxation, although if you’re over five feet, seven inches tall you won’t really be able to stretch out. I’m a few inches taller than that and, even with the front passenger seat moved all the way forward, I had to keep my knees bent. Shorter folks take the win with this feature.

Out on the road the ES is an enjoyable, if bumpy experience. Whether hybrid or pure EV, the 2026 ES handles fine, tackling corners with ease. However, the ride quality doesn’t have that luxury feel. Regardless of drive mode, every bump and pot hole shudder makes its way into the cabin.

Acceleration and power is another disappointment across the board. The pure-electric ES models both get a 74.7 kWh battery, and the 350e can utilize those electrons to produce just 221 horsepower and a zero to sixty miles per hour time of 7.4 seconds. The dual-motor 500e does better with 338 horsepower, and it can scoot to sixty miles per hour in 5.1 seconds. The hybrid model electrifies a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine for 244 horsepower on both front- and all-wheel drive models, with a zero to sixty miles per hour time of 7.3 seconds and 7.1 seconds respectively.

While the 500e is vaguely respectable, the rest of those numbers aren’t great. The gas Genesis G80 makes more power and can do the run in under six seconds, as does every variant of the BMW 5 Series, both gas-only and electrified powertrains.

You will get a bit of range, however. The 350e can go for 307 miles on a single charge with the 19-inch wheels, but you’ll drop to 292 miles if you opt for the larger wheels. The front-wheel drive BMW i5 EV gets 300 miles of range, dropping to 278 with the larger wheels. The 500e gets 276 miles with the smaller wheels, 272 with the larger. That latter number beats the all-wheel drive i5 Bimmer.

The 350h gets an EPA-rated fuel economy of 46 miles per gallon combined in front-wheel drive and 44 mpg combined in all-wheel drive. There aren’t any other hybrids in the class save for the Toyota Crown, which returns 41 mpg combined.

The BEV ES comes with a power charging door, which seems like an answer to a problem nobody had. I wish Lexus had spent that design energy working on charging speed, as the ES can only charge at 150 kW. Expect to spend nearly a half hour charging from 10 to 80%. Charging at home is done by an 11-kW AC charging for a fill up in about seven hours. The ES comes with a NACS port so you can top up at Tesla stations, but you’ll also get a CCS adapter for more options.

You can search for charging along a route in the native GPS on the new 14-inch touchscreen, but a road trip from California to Ohio took a long time to populate and the system scheduled a stop at a Level 2 charger. I’d just as soon use an app like A Better Routeplanner. When searching for a local charger in Lexus’ system you can at least filter by charging speed, and the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster gives drivers the current state of charge as well as battery health.

The touchscreen features a new home button and many of the climate controls are permanently displayed on the bottom of the screen. However, the drive modes are buried in the system instead of being a physical button, and the temperature controls are touch-sensitive and hidden under the leather of the dash, not physical, clickable buttons. I like the built-in dash cam but the digital door latches inside are a pain. I never seemed to figure out the best way to make them work easily.

Every ES gets blind-spot monitoring and the full suite of the latest Lexus Safety System+ which the company says is more natural and human-like than before. I didn’t really get a chance to test anything but you’ll get forward collision warning, emergency steering, full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and lane departure alert with evasive steering, road sign assist and auto high beams. 

Also included is Pro Active Driving Assist which I hate. This technology intervenes to slow down for curves or when it thinks you’re too close to the car in front of you. It’s like having a back seat driver actually take a hold of the controls. No thanks.

You can also option in the hands-free/eyes up traffic jam assist to help out at slow speeds and lane change assist that automatically checks for traffic and moves to the adjacent lane upon signaling.

If you’ve always loved the Lexus brand but wanted an electrified model, this new ES might just be your jam at a price much lower than the competition. Granted, there aren’t too many mid-size luxury EVs and hybrids out there, but the Lexus still offers a compelling value. The 350h starts at $51,095 including $1,395 for destination. Sure, the Toyota Crown is also a hybrid and it costs less, but it’s only Toyota-fancy– not Lexus-fancy. The Mercedes E Class starts in the low $60,000 and it only features mild-hybrid technology. Otherwise you’re looking at offerings from Honda and Hyundai and, while they are fine cars, they aren’t playing in this luxury space.

The all-electric 350e starts at $48,795 including $1,295 for destination while the all-wheel drive 500e ups the price to $51,795 including destination. There is a bit more competition here with the BMW i5, Audi A6 e-tron, which both start in the mid-$60,000 and new Mercedes-Benz CLA. Mercedes announced a starting price of $48,500 back in 2025, but its website currently says pricing is not yet available. Regardless, the CLA with its cushier ride and more range should be a strong competitor for the ES.