Lexus has arrived at the electric executive saloon party, and Electrifying's verdict is that it should have set off a couple of years earlier. The new ES 350e is the eighth generation of the car and the first sold in the UK as an EV only, with the hybrid dropped from the local range entirely. The channel reports a 72 kWh usable battery, 224 horsepower, front-wheel drive and a 0 to 62 mph time of eight seconds. Quoted range is 361 miles on the 19 inch wheels and around 352 miles on the 21s, with the presenter seeing roughly 4.5 miles per kWh on test. The boot measures 517 litres, which she calls the largest in the class, and there is no front storage compartment. The problem is not really the car. It is what the rest of the class now does.
The headline weakness in the review is DC charging. Electrifying reports a 150 kW maximum and roughly 28 minutes from 10 to 80 percent, which the presenter considers hard to justify against rivals named in the video including the BMW i5, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A6 e-tron. She is blunter still about the MG IM5 and IM6, which she says charge at double or potentially triple the speed for substantially less money. Worth adding is the flip side the review moves past quickly. The ES carries 22 kW AC charging as standard, good for a full charge in about four hours, and many EVs sold in the UK top out well below that on alternating current. If your charging happens at a workplace bay, a hotel or a destination post rather than a motorway rapid, that one specification quietly shapes your week more than a peak DC number you might use a handful of times a year. It is a real strength, and it gets buried under the rapid-charging complaint.
Beyond charging, the review is mostly about wheels and money. The presenter drove the 21 inch car and describes it as crashy over potholes, while a colleague who tried both said the 19s ride better and return more range. The catch is that the top Takumi trim comes on 21s with no smaller option. On price, Electrifying lists the entry Premium at £59,345, the Premium Plus tested here at £68,245, and the Takumi at £72,545, with the middle trim adding a 17 speaker Mark Levinson system, head-up display and cornering lamps. Interior quality gets consistent praise, particularly new bamboo trim on the doors and physical buttons rather than haptic panels. The complaints are practical: a charge port door that took repeated presses and will not open with the car switched on, a panoramic roof that slides back less far than expected, a very small glove box, and a transmission tunnel in the rear floor left over from the platform's hybrid duties. She also highlights an unusually long battery warranty, quoting a ten year term and a mileage cap she calls ridiculous. Visibility earns praise thanks to a low bonnet line, and rear seat space is generous, with the top Takumi trim adding reclining rear seats that are heated, ventilated and massaging.
Bottom line: This is a well built car aimed at a buyer who does not read charging curves, and there is nothing wrong with that. But at these prices the buyer probably should. If the ES appeals, order the Premium or Premium Plus on the 19 inch wheels, take the range and the ride quality, and accept that rapid stops will be slower than the badge on the bonnet suggests. Skip the Takumi. Paying the most to be locked onto the wheels that ride worst and go least far is the wrong end of this range.
Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.