Tested: The Lexus ES350e EV Is a Commuting All-Star

The Story

The 2026 Lexus ES350e is like no ES luxury sedan we’ve ever driven: It’s electric. But is that a good thing? We test it to find out.

Despite one serious limitation, the 2026 ES350e proves more than the sum of its parts. ProsQuietSpaciousLight-up bamboo door trimConsSlow at fast chargingLots of stylingNo one-pedal drivingSay hello to the automotive version of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The lineup for the first-ever electric Lexus ES luxury sedan begins with this ES350e model, which glides forward…

After living with the 2026 Lexus ES350e, the car’s balance of luxury and value impressed us precisely because we avoided doing one thing. Keep this electric Lexus in its lane, and it’s definitely the better option over the ES350h hybrid. The EV’s 0–60-mph time was something of a surprise, too.

No gas-only model is left in the ES lineup. Now your choice starts at around $50,000 for a gas-electric hybrid or full-electric power. There’s a 244-hp ES350h hybrid with FWD or AWD, a 221-hp ES350e FWD EV, and a 338-hp ES500e AWD EV.

After testing the ES350h hybrid and ES350e EV, it’s clear the new 2026 Lexus ES acts like an ES whether there are cylinders or electrons under the hood. Comfort, value, and room to stretch out remain hallmarks of this long-running nameplate, while sportiness is not.

When we test cars, we experiment with different methods to get the best 0–60-mph time. Some cars might respond quicker in a sport mode or with a different traction control setting. In the 2026 ES350e, simply mash the throttle and go. Despite weighing hundreds of pounds more than the ES350h AWD hybrid we recently tested, the ES350e EV manages a 0–60 time of 7.1 seconds.

Why It Matters

Despite one serious limitation, the 2026 ES350e proves more than the sum of its parts.

CarMotion Daily’s Take

If Lexus delivers, this is the kind of EV move competitors will have to answer.