Lexus RZ - Range, charging and running costs

Electric range, battery life and charge time

Both versions of the RZ come with a 71.4kWh battery, which is a bit smaller than what’s offered by some rivals. The introduction of the more efficient front-wheel-drive RZ 300e has boosted the available range, with the official figures claiming that up to 297 miles is possible from a full charge. That’s 25 miles more than the RZ 450e can achieve, although the larger 20-inch alloys that are available on both models have a negative effect on the overall range.

Charging speeds are reasonable rather than outstanding, with a maximum rate of 150kW available when plugged into a DC source. That will get the battery from 10-80 per cent capacity in half an hour, but on a range of rapid chargers, we rarely saw anywhere near that charging speed, and above 80 per cent, the charging speed tailed off far more dramatically than we’ve seen in rival electric cars. 

The RZ is capable of accepting a three-phase, 11kW AC feed (which will recharge the battery from zero to 100 per cent in around seven hours), but most homes in the UK will only be able to support a 7.4kWh wallbox home charger, which will take around 11.5 hours to fully recharge an RZ. All versions of the RZ feature a heat pump that takes a load off the battery to warm the car in cold weather.

During our time with the RZ 300e, we returned an economy rating of 3.6 miles per kWh, which is comparable with rivals, but isn’t the most efficient in the class. At that rate, the car’s maximum range is around 40 miles short of the official figures, although our car had the larger 20-inch wheels, which negatively impact range. We also noticed that turning the climate control on knocked around 15 miles off the car’s overall range.

Tax

The Lexus RZ is currently exempt from road tax, even when you factor in that the range starts in excess of £40,000, because the luxury vehicle tax doesn’t apply to zero tailpipe emission vehicles like EVs. 

For business users, the two per cent Benefit-in-Kind tax rate applies for 2024/25, so annual costs are minimal, with the entry-level RZ 300e costing £200 a year for lower-rate taxpayers.

Insurance groups

The RZ range starts at Group 38 for insurance ratings, and that’s the same for Urban and Premium trims. The high-spec Takumi version is in Group 40, while upgrading from 300e to 450e powertrains sees the rating rise to Group 43 for Urban trim, 44 for Premium and 45 for Takumi.

Depreciation

Heavy discounts off the RZ’s list price are having an impact on resale values. The range falls into the 48-50 per cent bracket, which is behind rivals such as the Tesla Model Y and Renault Scenic, but ahead of the likes of the Volvo EX40, Audi Q4 e-tron and the platform-sharing Toyota bZ4X.

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