New Lexus ES Arrives As The Brand’s First EV Saloon

We’ll forgive you if you’re in the UK and erased the Lexus ES from your mind. Although it’s been available around the world pretty much since the inception of Toyota’s luxury brand, it wasn’t until 2018 when it made its way to our shores.

The seventh-generation of the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class rival wasn’t what you’d call a big seller, either – a figure around 7,000 is believed to have found owners in the time since its market introduction.

A new version has been revealed though – and it’ll be the first saloon from Lexus to go electric.

Based on an evolution of the GA-K platform, which underpinned the old ES, the new one is promised to bring a step-up in ‘performance, refinement, comfort and luxury’.

Two battery-powered options will be available in the UK. Topping the range is the 338bhp, all-wheel drive 500e, with the 221bhp front-driven ES 350e below that. No word yet on the battery capacity of either car, nor a target range figure.

For those who don’t want to go EV, though, a hybrid ES will still be offered. The 300h will use a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor, producing a total of 199bhp. It’ll be available with front- or all-wheel drive, though nothing has been revealed on the performance front yet.

Under the skin, the ES becomes the first of its kind to feature multi-link suspension on the rear axle. It’s also 165mm longer than the outgoing version, and has wider tracks too – 64mm at the front and 82mm at the rear.

Inside, the dashboard is dominated by a 14-inch infotainment system and with the option of an equally sized passenger screen. It’ll also use a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

There have been some notable changes to its safety tech, too. A driver monitoring system has been introduced, and its adaptive cruise control can now slow the car down when approaching junctions and roundabouts.

It’ll be a little while yet before you see a new Lexus ES on the road. It’s set to arrive in Europe and the UK in Spring 2026, and we should get more exact specs as well as pricing around that time, too.