Lexus ES review - Reliability and safety

While Lexus doesn’t promote the safety of its products as heavily as some manufacturers, the reality is that the ES has performed well under official testing and comes with a broad range of safety equipment both as standard and optionally. 

The ES received a full five-star rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2018, scoring 91% for adult occupant protection, 90% for vulnerable road user protection and 77% for its safety assist systems. As standard, all ES models come with the Lexus Safety System+ package, which includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, while there is also radar-guided cruise control and lane assist that provides Level 2 automated driver support. The Takumi model also adds a blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert as standard. 

The ES didn't appear in our 2021 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, but the Lexus brand as a whole has consistently been a strong performer over the years. It the best brand in the 2020 survey, although slipped to tenth place in 2021. 

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Warranty

The Lexus ES warranty covers a period of three years or 60,000 miles, which is broadly in line with its competitors in terms of the time period. However, some rivals offer unlimited mileage over the same period, although with its reputation for reliability this may be much less of an issue. Interestingly, parent firm Toyota offers a five-year warranty on its models.

Servicing

Lexus offers fixed-rate servicing for cars up to 10 years old or 100,000 miles on the clock. The costs change depending on whether it is classed as an “intermediate” or “full” service. The former are at 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90 thousand miles and cost £280. The remaining full services vary in price from £520 to £655. In total, ten years of servicing will cost around £4,400. 

This is broadly in line with key rivals, but the bonus is that Lexus dealerships have scored very highly for customer satisfaction over the years in the Driver Power survey, so you’re unlikely to be disappointed with the level of service you experience.