Lexus UX300h (2024 – ) review

There are various levels of hybridisation in the market, most in the Lexus range considered ‘full’ hybrids, sometimes confusingly referred to as ‘self-charging’ to distinguish them from plug-in alternatives that can travel further on electric power alone and charge remotely. How does this influence running costs? Well, if you consider ‘full’ hybrids as a replacement to the diesels once dominant in this sector you’ll get a sense of the typical fuel consumption gains over a regular petrol, refinement also better. Company drivers meanwhile need to consider plug-in hybrids – or PHEVs – for their much-reduced CO2, and with that cheaper tax. The UX can’t offer that but the improved hybrid system in this UX300h is more powerful than earlier ones, and can go a little further without firing up the petrol engine. As such it’s better suited to private owners than fleet ones.

The hybrid system used by Toyota and Lexus is well-proven, and considered dependable. As a premium brand Lexus also looks after its customers, and anecdotally it seems owners are very happy with the service from dealers. Like Toyota the standard three-year warranty can be extended to as much as 10 years/100,000 miles if you commit to main annual main dealer servicing.

The UX started out with an already impressive array of driver aids and safety systems under the Lexus Safety System+ banner, the sensors and cameras controlling it now featuring increased bandwidth and operating range. For example, automatic emergency braking that deploys if you don’t respond to a hazard in your path can now detect pedestrians or vehicles turning across you at junctions and intervene accordingly. This is on top of improved automatic lane ‘tracing’ as part of the automatic cruise control and more besides. A shame really useful features like blind spot warnings and alerts for traffic crossing behind you are reserved for higher trim levels, though on the plus side if you go for the base Urban grade you escape the face scanning driver attention warnings. Which is a blessing.

Along with the confidence-inspiring height off the ground SUVs and crossovers are often chosen for their practicality and interior space. In the case of the UX we’ll say one out of two isn’t bad, and while you get the stance and raised seating position it’s not the most family-friendly of its type, given the relatively cramped rear accommodation. This isn’t helped by the shape of the bodywork, which may look stylish but means the rear windows are high and rather small, meaning kids in the back won’t be able to see out and may feel a bit claustrophobic. A sense not helped by the gloomy black trim on our test car. Given Lexus’s typically older customer demographic this may not be such an issue, given many will be empty nesters rather than family drivers. And there are plenty more practical options out there. On the road, meanwhile, we were a little disappointed with the amount of intrusive tyre noise given Lexus usually goes the extra mile on refinement. Ride quality was also a little mixed, somehow managing to be both soft and harsh at the same time. The F Sport trim level does get fancier variable suspension that adjusts itself to the driving conditions but we haven’t tried that yet.

The last time we drove the UX it still had the woeful laptop-style trackpad on the centre console, which made interactions with the screen-based infotainment near impossible on the move. This has thankfully been binned for a more logical touch- and voice-operated system, with physical buttons for controlling basics like ventilation and volume. Hurrah! It’s a stylish and distinctive interior as well, though central screen on the two lower trim levels looks absolutely tiny by modern standards and you need to go to at least Premium Plus for the snazzier 12.3-inch one. You can run your phone through it via CarPlay and Android Auto and this is integrated to a level that you still get nav info on the dash even if you’re going via your apps, which isn’t a given on rival systems. The car’s own interface is a little fiddly and basic compared with the much flasher graphics and menus found in premium rivals like BMW, Mercedes and Audi, though. Premium Plus also gets you leather for the seats along with power adjustment, blind spot monitoring and more – it obviously adds to the cost but if you want your UX to live up to Lexus’s premium image it’s probably the minimum.

In the Lexus way improvements to the original UX250h have been introduced quietly but prove more significant than the numbers suggest, reflected in the fact it’s now called the UX300h. This includes the latest generation of Lexus’s proven hybrid system with a bigger battery and more powerful electric motor, what’s known as the combined system output of this and the petrol engine also increased. On a gentle throttle it’s very refined and smooth, switching seamlessly between petrol, electric or a combination of the two. Ask more of it and things get a little noisier, the petrol engine screaming as it tries to keep pace with your demands. Play to its strengths, enjoy the cruising ability and keep it chilled would be our advice. There’s also the option of an ‘E-Four’ system with an additional motor on the rear axle, which doesn’t claim any additional overall power but is a fraction quicker to accelerate and has, effectively, all-wheel drive for extra confidence in slippery conditions. It does cost you in terms of purchase price, fuel consumption and emissions, though. Click here for our standalone review of the all-electric UX300e version.