Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury 2026 Review

Lexus used to offer a wide range of sedans. The IS was axed due to safety regulations, the GS was set free due to slow sales and the limo-esque LS in its current form is on a stay of execution. Therefore, the ES is now left to cover all the brand’s sedan bases amid a showroom full of SUVs.

The 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury is proof of how much money, time and effort has gone into revitalising the model. The Toyota/Lexus GA-K platform has been extensively revised and accommodates the dual-motor, all-wheel drive set-up of this top-spec variant.

However, its dimensions have increased so much they shame a teenage growth spurt. The ES is now 170mm longer, 55mm wider and 115mm taller, and sits on a wheelbase stretched by 80mm to a substantial 2950mm. Proof of the expansion is in the fact the ES is now only 90mm shorter than the flagship LS.

Yet, the ES 500e Sports Luxury isn’t a $200K-plus proposition. Bear with us for a moment, but for $84,000 plus on-road costs (ORCs), the latest range-topping ES appears to be good value for a large, luxurious dual-motor EV sedan.

Two other variants complete the lineup, with an extra pair of powertrain options. The mid-spec ES 350e Sports Luxury is also an EV with a single-motor, front-wheel drive arrangement ($77,000 plus ORCs), while the entry-grade ES 300h Luxury continues with the petrol-electric hybrid the company is known for. The ES 300h Luxury can also be optioned with a $7000 Enhancement Package.

While the ES is classified as a mid-size sedan and priced closer to a BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class, its dimensions place it more naturally against the 5 Series (or i5) and E-Class respectively. For some out-of-the-box thinking, the MG IM5 is an interesting alternative – as are the Tesla Model 3 and Volvo ES90.

It’s an overused phrase, but the 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury is a concept-car design for the road. To some, it isn’t immediately attractive, but once you take in its angular lines, flat surfaces and futuristic accents, it does work.

According to Lexus, it’s ‘Provocative Simplicity’.

Even in our test car’s White Nova hue with black wheels, the oversized ES isn’t going to get lost in the showroom noise like the heavily Camry-based seventh generation. Only one of the seven colours, Graphic Black, is a no-cost option, while the remaining metallic paints are $1750.

Spec levels are high despite the contextually low cost of entry. The ES 500e Sports Luxury rides on 21-inch alloys and gains adaptive HD LED headlights with LED daytime running lights. The rear LED light bar also illuminates the ‘LEXUS’ lettering on the boot.

The four-door sedan features the brand’s e-Latch electronic door releases with soft-close functionality, as well as a powered boot lid, auto-folding wing mirrors, shark-fin antenna, digital rear-view mirror and a panoramic sunroof with blackout shade.

Inside, the ES is cloaked from top to bottom in premium semi-aniline leather. The powered front seats are 10-way adjustable for the driver and eight-way for the passenger, including four-way lumbar support, with heating and ventilation.

Other kit includes electric adjustment for the steering column with steering-wheel heating, ambient lighting and dual-zone climate control with Nanoe-X ionisation. The ES also gets front radiant heating, which uses infrared tech to warm the front footwells.

The ES is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, while the battery falls under an eight-year/160,000km plan. Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km, with the first five garage visits being on the expensive side at $3125. Countering that is the brand’s impressive Encore program.

The 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury is yet to be crash-tested and doesn’t currently hold an ANCAP safety rating. However, this is no doubt the safest ES, with a host of active tech and nine airbags.

All the typical systems feature, including front and rear autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, front and rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with stop/go, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning with lane keeping, driver monitoring and road-sign recognition.

Aiding parking are front and rear parking sensors, auto park assist, a reversing camera with guidelines and a 360-degree view monitor.

A few new items are included, too. The Emergency Driving Stop feature will, as the name suggests, bring the ES to a stop and notify emergency services if the driver is inattentive and doesn’t respond to audible or visual warnings while using active cruise control.

The other is an Embedded Drive Recorder, which uses the ES’s external cameras to capture and save footage in a continuous loop, manually or in the event of an accident, to be exported later. Yes, it’ll come in handy if you’re in a bingle. However, if you accelerate swiftly or brake heavily, it automatically kicks into action.

Switching it off, which is thankfully a permanent action, can be done via the central touchscreen.

Overall, the systems are decently calibrated, but the driver attention monitoring is far too intrusive and automatically defaults to the highest sensitivity.

The 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury shirks physical controls and embraces sizeable screens. Even the operating system has been upgraded to the latest Arene platform, which affords over-the-air updates and improved processing power.

Ahead of the driver is a sleek 12.3-inch instrument cluster, which offers more sophisticated graphics than the infotainment display. There are also six different themes/layouts, with one being a full-screen map view, including Google Maps. There’s also a detailed head-up display.

Arene supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the dual wireless charge pads are cooled. Native sat-nav with range predictions and charging locations, Bluetooth, DAB+ digital radio and five USB-C ports are standard. The ES comes with five years of complimentary connected services, switching to $9.95 per annum thereafter.

One annoyance within the Arene OS is the voice assistant. It’s always listening. So much so that if you dare say “Lexus”, it’ll chime in but, oddly, it can also randomly pick up certain language while you’re listening to a podcast.

Which is why you might want to listen to music instead, given the ES 500e Sports Luxury has 17-speaker Mark Levinson premium audio with active noise cancellation. Not only do the door-mounted speakers ooze cool with ambient lighting, but the sound quality mimics an opera house on wheels.

The 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury is the fastest ES to date, with a 0-100km/h time of 5.5 seconds.

Yet, that’s not the talking point here. After all, it’s unlikely an owner of this type of car will be bragging about straight-line performance figures at the pub. Instead, the all-electric powertrain affords the 500e the type of effortless nature a lavish sedan should have.

With dual electric motors, the big ES has a combined 252kW. The e-motor up front deploys 167kW and 269Nm, while 88kW and 170Nm are sent to the rear axle. Together, they create all-wheel drive – or DIRECT4 in Lexus-speak.

Unlike some Lexus, Toyota and Subaru products utilising this arrangement, it doesn’t feel overtly front-biased despite more grunt being sent forwards. The dual e-motors can also create a variable torque split, ranging anywhere from 100:0 to 0:100 – and everything in between.

Complementing its extra firepower, the flagship 500e Sports Luxury nabs Lexus’ ‘Interactive Manual Drive’ system, which replicates an automatic transmission and engine sounds. It’s something that works better in a brochure than in practice.

Unfortunately, the 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury is more acceptable than outstanding.

In a world where the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and BMW iX3 are quoting 750km and 805km ranges respectively, it makes the ES’s WLTP-rated marker of 465km look rather meek. Its claimed energy consumption of 17.9kWh/100km is also rather ‘thirsty’, too.

The ES 500e Sports Luxury draws power from a 74.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack, of which 71kWh is usable, and throughout a week of city, urban, highway and road testing, we recorded an average of 17.45kWh/100km.

Breaking it down further, a predominantly city-centric loop returned 15.9kWh/100km, while a more open-road drive had the number rising to 19.0kWh/100km. The ES also uses a multi-stage regenerative braking system that essentially delivers one-pedal driving.

Charging speeds are also more average than outstanding, with a 150kW DC rate returning a 10–80 per cent replenishment in 28 minutes. A full-fat 22kW AC connection sees a zero–100 per cent charge completed in 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Much like the effortless, reassuring surge of acceleration, the 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury’s dynamics are all about cosseting comfort. Which is exactly the brief it should be nailing.

Housing the battery pack low within the monocoque further strengthens the already bolstered GA-K platform, while rearranging the sound-deadening has reduced noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels. Combined with the muted EV powertrain and double-glazed windows, the ES is an extremely hushed place to be.

While it might run 21-inch wheels with low-profile 235/45R21 Michelin Primacy 5 tyres, the ride quality is supple in most situations – only sharp, slow-speed potholes cause slight fuss. Aiding this is the fact the 500e Sports Luxury is fitted with adaptive dampers.

However, the ES also receives new suspension bushings, links and overall geometry. Plus, there’s a revised MacPherson strut set-up at the front, while at the rear, an entirely new five-link suspension arrangement has been adopted, replacing the trailing-arm type.

Essentially, the ES 500e Sports Luxury is built for cruising, with its soft dynamics tailored more for crushing ‘kays’ on the highway than anything else. It isn’t the most engaging experience, but at more than two tonnes, it isn’t meant to be. The steering is now more linear, too, but it isn’t the last word in feedback.

There are five driving modes to choose from – Normal, Eco, Sport, Range and Individual – but there’s little point using Sport unless you want a smidge more body control. Eco can dull everything off too much, so Normal is a happy medium.

While the seventh generation’s interior aesthetic was busy and cluttered, the 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury is impressively clean and minimalist. And with the ornamental bamboo layering, ambient lighting and Hazel leather of our test car, it has theatre to match the upmarket vibes.

It’s all part of ‘Takumi craftsmanship’, a philosophy the Japanese marque champions. Although, swapping out the traditional ‘L’ on the steering wheel for bold ‘LEXUS’ lettering doesn’t sit well with everyone. Luckily, the new front seats are comfy and supportive, and the shift-by-wire toggle shift lever is far more resolved than the old gated version.

Responsive hidden switches on the dashboard and steering wheel are, according to the brand, a world first. They’re invisible when dormant to create a clutter-free effect, but hover over or touch them and they illuminate. Importantly, they give tactile feedback instead of being a touchscreen.

Speaking of, it’s a shame that the HVAC has been moved within the 14.0-inch central display. Yes, its icons are constantly docked to the bottom of the touchscreen, but it’s still a faff.

Another rare oversight for Lexus is that the drive-mode description hasn’t been updated for EV applications. For example, Sport mode reads, “Throttle and steering are more responsive, and transmission shifts at higher RPM”, while Eco apparently “Lowers fuel consumption”…

A sign that the ES isn’t built on bespoke EV architecture is the raised floor level to accommodate the battery pack. Therefore, the driving position is unnaturally high for tall drivers – it’s almost SUV-like.

Jump in the back and this matters less. Legroom is truly palatial. So much so that a lack of toe room under the front seats isn’t an issue, given they’re so far away. Headroom is also accommodating despite the sunroof and tapered roofline.

It’s a shame not to see seat heating and ventilation in the back, or a third climate-control zone – although, there are air vents. Electric, instead of manual, sunblinds would be preferred, too. However, the fact the cabin quality and Hazel leather extend to all occupants is appreciated.

Unlike an SUV, the rear pews don’t fold forward. So, if you’ve got lengthy items in the boot, you’ll need to poke them through the ski port. Cargo capacity is generous at 517 litres, but there’s no spare wheel or luggage area under the bonnet.

The 2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury’s best quality is how innocuous it is. That might sound like a negative, but for those after a big, opulent and tech-forward four-door sedan, it’s mighty appealing.

Yes, it doesn’t have the longest range or fastest DC charging speeds, but it’s a lot of metal for your money. And it’s exceptionally easy to live with, a sensation that only grows the longer you spend with it. Hopefully, it isn’t too futuristic for the ES’s traditional fanbase.

It’s odd to think of $84K as being a bargain, but for what the ES 500e Sports Luxury represents, it’s hard to deny. Lexus’ ES now deserves much more than a life of retirement homes or as a Silver Top Taxi.

2026 Lexus ES 500e Sports Luxury at a glance:
Price:?$84,000 plus on-road costs
Available:?Now
Powertrain:?Two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors
Output:?167kW/269Nm front; 88kW/170Nm rear
Combined output:?252kW
Transmission:?Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 74.7kWh lithium-ion
Claimed range: 465km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 17.9kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating:?Not tested

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