2026 Lexus ES500e First Test: Not Built for Speed, Which Is Why We Love It

Pros

• Sensational ride quality
• Comfy and cushy
• Good value

Cons

• Slow charging
• Unattractive exterior styling
• Nonsensical EV details

If you’re considering a Lexus ES, you likely know exactly what you want out of a car, and it isn’t speed. Instead, you want cushy comfort with a splash of technology, an easygoing companion for the daily grind-a car that rides like it’s floating on Novocaine and applesauce. The latest ES is that car, so take the plunge unafraid. Except … it looks like portions of it were styled using a dull steak knife. Is there enough goodness for a buyer to overlook its rather unfortunate appearance?

The Positives

The Lexus ES is all-new this year, and rather than the traditional gasoline-only powerplant, it offers the choice of hybrid or full-electric power. The ES500e reviewed here is the top dog, a ne plus ultra commuting conveyance that’s among the comfiest cars we’ve ever tested-at any price. Things that ride this well typically have Rover, Royce, or Benz in their names and cost at least twice as much. (For a similar experience at an even lower price, we’ve also tested the ES350e and ES350h.)

The interior of the new ES500e is characterized by its lovely and stylish blend of modern technology and plush materials. The leather is supple, and there are interesting details everywhere you look, including the flocked material surrounding the digital gauge cluster, the banks of flush controls that operate with a quality feel, and the knurled volume roller.

The showpiece in our test car, however, was the wood trim on the door panels. It’s constructed from thin strips of bamboo laid in a visually interesting pattern, which is cool enough. But while they look completely opaque in the daytime, at night ambient light shines through the wood, which delighted us and our passengers every time the feature kicked on. It’s a beautiful touch.

The ES500e is a sensational place to spend time. The front seats are extremely comfortable, the forward view is great, road and external noise is almost completely hushed, and the Mark Levinson audio system is phenomenally clear. If you’re a fan of the velvety action of typical Lexus switchgear, that’s here, too. It’s the sort of cabin vibe and cruising experience that has you thinking private jet, not midsize sedan, as you glide over miles of roadway.

The Negatives

Not too many miles, though. The ES500e is rated for 272 miles by the EPA, and we achieved 242 miles on our Road-Trip Range test, which measures how far a car can go on a charge from full to 5 percent at a typical commuting speed of 70 mph. With EV range regularly topping 300 miles now, we’d hoped for more from this luxury sedan. Yet this is only one issue with the ES500e’s EV-ness.

Charging, for example. You must turn the car fully off for the charging port door to open. This makes no sense when many people fast-charge on the go while waiting in their vehicles. Instead of simply hopping back in once you’ve plugged in, you must then press the start button twice to turn the car back on to gain access to the radio, HVAC, etc. You also can’t start the battery preconditioning program while you’re on the move; you must be parked. The next time you stop on a road trip, you’re probably at the charger. At which time, there’s no point in preconditioning the battery unless you want to spend even more time not driving.

That’s unlikely, because you’ll already be there for a little while. Once you start charging, the car’s 400-volt electrical architecture limits maximum speeds to 150 kW, which was fine five years ago but mediocre for a new-to-the-market EV today. We were able to add 127 miles in 15 minutes of charging and 204 in 30 minutes during our testing.

There are four levels of regenerative braking, but you must select your favorite every time you get into the car, and none of the said four levels is a one-pedal mode that will bring the car to a complete stop, which we think is a bummer. At least the brake pedal action feels good.

There are smaller telltales that show Lexus’ relative inexperience with EVs. For example, there is no frunk, just an expanse of black plastic. And when you select Sport mode, the screen provides a summary of what is affected within the car, including a more responsive throttle and the transmission shifting at higher rpm. There is no traditional transmission. There are no shifts. There is no throttle. Eco mode also says it “lowers fuel consumption,” which, sure, OK, electrons are its fuel. But c’mon. (Update: Lexus tells us the goofy language has been corrected in later-build 2026 and all 2027 ESs. Whew.)

The Other Stuff

The ES500e’s dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup is rated for 338 horsepower and can shoot the car to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. That’s plenty quick for this type of vehicle. It doesn’t rocket from a stop like the typical EV, however; instead, the car sort of shuffles away before building a head of steam. It’s clear that Lexus tuned this car for creamy comfort, which it delivers in spades.

The MotorTrend test team also captured the car’s handling numbers, but who cares? Couches don’t need to handle, just stay where you put them. (Sorry, test team.) And the ES is every bit the steady partner a sofa is, with an unwavering devotion to keeping you cozy while smoothly wafting toward the destination of your choosing. Maybe a furniture store, even.

The car’s exterior shape isn’t particularly unconventional, but its detailing is bananas. The garish side slashes, the huge, pointless black panels on the front end, the hood’s convoluted mess of scoops and swoops and creases and crests-they’re all too much. It’s possible the car looks better in black or another darker color, but the silver of our test car isn’t it.

If this will be your first electric car, you don’t know any different than to be frustrated by some of this car’s EV foibles. And if you want a serene cruiser/commuter at a price that isn’t outrageous, then the ES500e is a great choice. And anyone looking for a comfy car-even EV veterans-who can charge overnight at home and have access to a better vehicle for road trips might consider the ES, too.

As for us, we’ll try to get properly upset about its EV shortcomings right after we do another soothing 100-mile round-trip commute.