The Lexus ES isn’t something most people think about, and it’s because that’s exactly what Lexus wants the ES to be. It’s meant to be background noise, or, a background whisper. Something that just disappears into your everyday life without a thought. This is why the newly-electrified 2026 Lexus ES500e Luxury+ makes so much sense. I can’t think of another car that is more deserving of electrification.

Lexus’ parent company Toyota has been all-in on electrification since the early days, but only partially so. The Prius was a worldwide game changer, bringing hybrid tech to the masses. Conversely, Toyota has also been dragging their feet when it comes to full electrification, betting on hybrid tech being the real future. They haven’t been wrong, and the short-to-medium term probably solidifies their opinion, with the popularity of pure EVs waning somewhat, at least in North America. With that being said, if you want to survive as an automotive company you have to have some of your portfolio go full electric, so here we are.

To be clear, the ES is still available as a hybrid, but the top dawg of the lineup is now this all electric ES500e. It’s also holding down the luxury sedan space for Lexus as well, with the LS taken to farm upstate, and the IS just kind of hanging around as a relic from the mid 2000s. Everything else in Lexus’ lineup is a crossover or SUV.

Styling

But boy do they still make proper luxury cars. The new ES looks the sportiest it ever has, with sharper and more daring lines throughout, something the ES has been slowly inching towards since the bulbous design of the early 2000s. The front end is defined by the almost-lightning-bolt headlight design, which is actually a split design that's cleverly integrated into the black front bumper trim, unlike the uggo new 7 series (I don’t care editor, I still don’t like it). 

The rear end sees a complete redesign, featuring a light bar with an integrated Lexus typeface logo. It looks sharp, although I don’t get the infatuation with removing actual logos for lettering, and it does look like the ES is missing something here, to my eye. The most daring and perhaps controversial design element is the black hockey-stick-looking piece running down the side of the ES. In photos I was a little ‘meh’ on it, in fact I was pretty ‘meh’ on the entire ES, but seeing it in person is a very different story. There’s a distinct presence to the car and I think it looks really well done, overall.

Cabin accommodation

The interior is a great modern interpretation of a Lexus interior, primarily on account of the gorgeous layered bamboo wood trim, which doubles as lovely ambient lighting at night, something that Lexus has historically been gun shy with, but not here. The cabin materials throughout are top notch, with knurled toggle switches and rotary dials that feel premium and even leather-like texture on things like the steering wheel buttons. 

The 14-inch center infotainment screen is crisp, vivid, and responsive, and thankfully there are enough physical buttons sitting below it to make everything easy to navigate. And in the case where there isn’t, the UI is cleverly designed to be able to easily get to what you’re looking for.

I love the design of the 12.3” gauge cluster, which is cut out in a squared off semi circle that gives perfect visibility through the steering wheel. It also sits just ahead of an alcantara/suede like material, with a backlight style ambient glow that matches the rest of the cabin and gives off a bit of a 3D-ish vibe. A lot of thought went into the interior, and it's obvious. The only miscue to me, and it’s wholly personal, is the typeface logo on the steering wheel. Just give me the damn Lexus L, it’s a nice logo. 

Rear seat space is vast, like an adult can stretch their legs out vast. The fact that the new ES is over half a foot longer than the previous generation has a lot to do with it. It’s also two inches wider, and more than four inches taller, hence the cavernous interior; it’s practically LS-sized. Despite the increase in size, trunk space has actually shrunk from 394 L to 377L due to the rear electric motor and batteries stealing some vertical space. Sadly, there’s no frunk to make up for it.

Tech features

As you’d suspect, tech is a highlight in the top trim Lexus ES. You get Lexus’ Safety Sense 4.0, which includes radar cruise control and proactive drive assist, along your the usual suspect standard on all Lexus and Toyota vehicles.

Some of the more interesting highlights include radiant knee heaters for the front passengers, a rear armrest control panel, soft close doors, and a motorized charge port door. There’s also a drive recorder onboard which is far too sensitive, alerting you to recording a "driving incident” at the whiff of some strong acceleration or hard braking. Thankfully, it can be disabled entirely or made to be less sensitive.

Oh, and that ambient lighting I mentioned earlier? It extends into the tweeters of the excellent 17-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, which produces crystal clear audio, only slightly lacking for hardcore bass aficionados. 

On the road

If you’re a previous ES owner, you will be pleased with the way the ES behaves on road. It’s whisper-quiet in essentially every way, and the ride quality still falls within the luxury realm, although it's obvious the heavier weight of the EV necessitated stiffer springs to keep things in check. Steering weighting is bang on in my opinion, although like any other EV, don’t expect any sort of feedback from it. 

Power is wholly appropriate, with 338 horsepower and 323 lb-ft of instant EV torque on tap. The ES isn’t trying to win an arms race, and instead prioritizes smooth but strong acceleration while preserving range. Speaking of range, there’s up to 444 km available in the best of conditions, and I found that it “sipped” electrons with the best of em, averaging a commendable 16.8 kWh/100 km during my stint with it, which included at least some hooliganism. Plus, it comes with a NACS charge port, so Tesla Superchargers are your friend.

Pricing

Pricing for the electric-only Lexus ES 500e starts at $65,525, and our loaded Luxury+ tester with its soft-close doors, cornering LED lights, 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, Digital + Card key, semi-anilline leather and this gorgeous layered Bamboo trim brings the total up to $77,785. Not bad for an exceptionally roomy luxury sedan with style and performance than ever before.

Wrap it up

The new 2026 Lexus ES500e is a damn near perfect Lexus, which is to say it does luxury car things well. It isn’t meant for the sports car minded folk, but has enough grunt and gusto to feel velvety smooth on the highway. It does everything you want to do in a luxury car, and it does it without shouting about any of it, even if the exterior is the most characterful it’s ever been.