2025 Lexus ES

The 2025 Lexus ES is a four-door, midsize luxury car that seats five people, available with gas-only and hybrid powertrains. The ES is for drivers seeking a luxury car with an opulent cabin and comfortable ride.

Three powertrains are on the roster. The base 2.5-liter 4-cylinder lives in the ES 250, where it provides 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque; the ES 350 gets a 3.5-liter V6 with 302 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, while an available hybrid powertrain that generates 215 horsepower motivates the ES 300h. The ES 250 is all-wheel drive (AWD), while the 350 and 300h are front-wheel drive (FWD).

The ES will be a great match if you’re looking for a car with a luxurious cabin; its interior showcases premium styling and plush materials. In addition, this sedan has the gentle ride buyers expect from a vehicle bearing the Lexus brand, with a suspension that keeps harshness out of the cabin. The ES is an excellent choice for pleasant, easygoing commutes.

There are also a couple of weaknesses to know about. The ES has fixed rear seats that do not fold, which makes storing longer items tricky. Also, this car’s base engine is lackluster; rivals’ standard powertrains are more energetic.

What’s New in the 2025 Lexus ES?

• Black Line Special Edition package joins the lineup.

2025 Lexus ES vs. the Competition

Midsize luxury cars get you there in premium style. The ES competes with these rivals:

• Audi A6: Smooth performance and a chic cabin.

• Cadillac CT5: Affordable pricing and strong engines.

• Genesis G80: A comfortable ride and a handsome interior.

Where the ES Sits in the 2025 Lexus Lineup

The Lexus product range includes plush cars and SUVs. The car lineup also includes the IS, LC, RC, and LS. The ES is the brand’s midsize car.

What’s the Best 2025 Lexus ES Trim for You?

Which Trim Is the Best Value?

The base trim offers solid value. It has AWD, the 203-horsepower engine, 17-inch wheels, synthetic leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, a sunroof, keyless entry, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Find a Used Lexus ES 250 Near You | Find a New Lexus ES Near You

Best Trim for Fuel Economy

The hybrid ES 300h is best for fuel economy, earning an EPA-estimated 44 mpg combined city/highway.

Find a Used Lexus ES 300h Near You | Find a New Lexus ES Near You

Best Trim for Trunk Space

All ES sedans have 13.9 cubic feet of trunk space.

Find a Used Lexus ES Near You | Find a New Lexus ES Near You

Top-of-the-Line Trim

The top trim is the ES 300h Ultra Luxury. It has the 215-horsepower hybrid powertrain, a hands-free trunk lid, and a surround-view camera.

Find a Used Lexus ES Near You | Find a New Lexus ES Near You

Should I Buy an Older Lexus ES Instead?

The 2025 ES is part of this car’s seventh generation, which was introduced with the 2019 model. Any older seventh-generation model (2019-2024) will be broadly similar to the 2025 ES, and you can save money by purchasing one of these used cars.

You can find a used Lexus ES with Carfax used car listings. Each used car comes with a free Carfax vehicle history report.

Research the ES from other model years

Lexus ES Hands-On Test Drive

Driven by Carter MacLeod

• Trim Tested: ES 250 AWD F Sport

• Price as Tested: $52,680 (including destination charge)

The Lexus ES is spacious and comfortable. However, competitors like the Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series are more athletic and luxurious.

I recommend skipping the ES 250 and getting the 350 instead. It costs the same but is much more powerful. Also, skip the F Sport package. It doesn’t make the ES much sportier, and it’s expensive. This car is a good deal at $40,000 new, but a fully loaded model like the one we had costs over $50,000, and it can’t compete in that price range. I drove the ES 250 for a week, and these are my impressions.

How It Drives & Handles

The ES has two powertrain options: a 4-cylinder with all-wheel drive (AWD) in the ES 250 and a V6 with front-wheel drive (FWD) in the ES 350. Both cost the same, so you’re left with a choice: AWD with less power or FWD with more power.

I recommend the V6. With no turbocharger and a big, heavy luxury sedan to haul around, the 4-cylinder feels underpowered and noisy. While having AWD is nice, FWD does fine in the snow (if it’s treacherous where you live, an SUV is probably better anyway).

As for handling, the Lexus ES is a highway cruiser, not a sporty car. That means it has a smooth ride (even with the F Sport package) and pretty clumsy handling – it feels heavy when driving around corners.

Comfort, Quality & Usability

The Lexus ES has a ton of space for the money. The front seat of the ES is one of the few I have sat in that lets me slide the seat way back for my long legs and still reach the steering wheel.

The rear seats have a ton of legroom. Headroom is less impressive – it’s fine for a 6-footer, but people much taller than that will be brushing their heads against the ceiling.

The interior is comfortable overall. I really love Lexus’ soft leather upholstery, which covered most of the surfaces I touched. The cabin is also nicely quiet, apart from the engine noise in the 4-cylinder model. However, when I started to look at the cabin closely, the ES betrayed bits of cheap plastic trim. European sedans in this price range are more luxurious.

Like most Lexus products, the ES has a laptop-esque touchpad to control the screen on the dash. I don’t mind it, but I know many people who are frustrated with it. A touchscreen would be easier for drivers to control.

I do like how large the screen in the center of the dashboard is and how Android Auto fills it. I could see the detail on Google Maps.

The motorized gauges in front of the driver are also cool – the tachometer slid to the side and changed colors when I selected Sport Mode. Other controls are straightforward, with a knob for the audio volume and toggle switches for climate controls.

Editor’s Note: Review is based on test driving the 2021 model.

Carfax vehicle overviews let shoppers compare a vehicle’s specs against its competitors. However, some aspects of a vehicle – performance, comfort, usability – can only be evaluated through actual driving. That’s why we evaluate as many vehicles as we can, so you’ll know what to expect.

© 2021 CARFAX. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished without written permission. To reprint or license this article, submit requests here.