The ES 300e is the first all-electric Lexus ES
As far as electric vehicles (EVs) are concerned, it almost seems as though the hardest thing in the world is to make them feel natural and more importantly, comfortable, especially as a passenger.
With the arms race to constantly increase output (for even EVs used primarily for transport), most A-to-B EVs have become too powerful.
A fast EV isn’t that hard to tune because there’s no engine and the accompanying multitude of moving parts involved. However, as we’ve said many times, the novelty that comes with the abrupt immediacy of standing start take-offs can get tiring quickly, especially for one’s passengers.
And this is exactly why we feel that making an EV drive progressively and naturally is more difficult than it seems. You’ll understand what I’m talking about if you’ve ever been a passenger in an EV driven by a throttle-happy driver, because the on-off surge is not a comfortable experience at all.
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Don’t get us wrong, we like sports cars, but they have to be fun-to-drive as well, and it is hard to reconcile EVs that are fast for the sake of one-upmanship, or merely checking a box, especially if for the most part, they are an appliance to fulfil fuss-free, city-commuting duties.
At present, this writer feels that battery electric vehicles form part of the mobility solution (in addition to mild- and plug-in hybrids), but are hardly the be-all-end-all solution, especially for the readers who are still able to indulge in having several cars to fulfil fun, functional or flash needs.
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Like many legacy car brands, Lexus (and by extension, Toyota) offers a range of powertrain alternatives, so regardless of whether you’re looking for ICE, hybrid or EV, there’s a car to suit your sensibilities.
The single-motor ES 300e we’re driving is the first all-electric ES, which will also see a dual-motor ES 500e and an ES Hybrid in its line-up. If you’re wondering, the ES is Lexus’ 5 Series / E-Class / A6 rival, an executive sedan that sits between the smaller IS and larger LS.
The brand’s familiar “spindle” look has been integrated into the ES 300e’s visage, and is further echoed in a stylised fashion by the contours of the bonnet.
The “L” shaped daytime running lights and dual-LED main lights further highlight its identity as a Lexus. Love it or not, with its bold lines and prominent haunches, the ES 300e exudes a stately presence as it cleaves through the streets in silence.
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It is certainly larger than it looks, and measures in at over five-metres in overall length, with a 2950mm wheelbase translating to generous accommodation for the rear occupants. We like that Lexus didn’t just engineer technology excess into the ES 300e for the sake of it, but has incorporated a lot of human-centric elements into its daily usability.
For starters, ingress and egress is an easy step-in/step-out affair, meaning that the seat-points of the front and rear seats are just-right and doesn’t require one to “drop-into” them (as is the case for low-slung cars), or require clambering up / down (in the case of higher-riding vehicles).
The cabin may seem clean and minimalist, but incorporates several intelligent user interface elements that ensure it remains intuitive to use.
The ES 300e adopts “Hidden Tech” switchgear for some controls (including camera, climate control and memory seats), which light-up when one reaches for them, but otherwise remain hidden along a leather strip that runs across the dashboard – the controls on the multi-function steering wheel are similarly executed. Bonus points for Lexus: These are physical buttons that let you click-click-click them, not soulless touch points, so it is the perfect fusion of digital and analogue.
A car may literally be the biggest mobile device of all, but we don’t need it to double as a smart device, and we’re happy as long as there’s CarPlay / Android Auto for GPS and music. The other social and video apps are nice-to-have, but let’s face it, do we really want to chain ourselves to the car any more than necessary?
The 2026 Lexus ES’ multi-pathway TNGA-K 400V platform is an evolution of its predecessor’s, and engineered to accommodate either ICE or BEV powertrains, with both the dual-motor ES 500e and this single-motor ES 300e utilising a 74.7kWh electric motor. The ES 300e delivers 221hp and 268Nm, which may not be chest-thumping by any stretch of the imagination, but prove eminently suitable for city and highway cruising.
A few core tenets are associated with the Lexus brand: silent, comfort and the Japanese art of selfless hospitality, omotenashi. To that end, you’re never lost in the Lexus Interface infotainment system, which comprises a 12.3-inch driver Multi-Information Display and a 14.0-inch touchscreen.
It may not boast the latest tech bells-and-whistles that its Chinese contemporaries feature, but what it offers is enough and easy to use, so one never worries about floundering amidst complex sub-menus, and if that’s not being hospitable, we don’t know what is.
The adjustable damping, hushed ambience and rear space impressed many, as did the well-tempered power delivery. It isn’t overly on-off, but has a progressive aspect to it that makes for cossetting and comfortable progress.
The ES 300e isn’t the sort of EV that will appeal to those in search of big power, as well as the latest and most advanced tech. We’ve already established that one needs to understand, appreciate and embrace the Lexus way of doing things to really gel with its cars, and with its Goldilocks’ “just-right” qualities, the ES 300e proves to be no exception.
Lexus ES 300e Luxury
Battery 74.7kWh, 400V, FWD
Power 221hp
Torque 268Nm
0-100km/h 8secs
Top Speed est. 160km/h
Range 510km (manufacturer’s claim)
