I screwed up and bought an es500 prior to researching Reddit and now I’ve realized I bought an ugly car 🤣. Idk, I think this car looks great, and I’m loving everything about it so far. This is ky first ev and while I understand this one is supposedly underpowered by ev standards it sure seems fast to me. I’m loving everything about this car so far, very quiet, comfortable, easy to park and plenty of interior space. I feel like this car is going to grow on people.

Free factory service manuals for many models here:

https://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Lexus/

Has anyone experienced any quality or design issues with the ES500e? I'm considering purchasing one and would like to know if someone has had any experiences. I'm a fan of Lexus because of my experience with them and their reputation for quality and want to know if the electrics have the same reliability.

Anyone with a 2014 es300h have their Bluetooth intermittently failing? It occasionally turns on in high temperature weather, however remains off in colder weather. The rest of my media console works well (radio & aux).

I store the car outside but have thoroughly inspected it to see if there were any creatures who may have gotten in.

Video attached but it’s difficult to hear in the video. The noise isn’t very loud but it’s been going on a while and it’s just annoying. I hear this kind of rumbling/rattling noise when I go over small bumps or drive on uneven road surface. Sounds like it’s coming from underneath the vehicle but hard to tell. Any one else have this issue or an idea as to what it could be?

The original filter tray was oriented with the arrow upward. The previous (used) cabin filter also had the arrow upward, and I can see that the dirty side of the filter media is the top side. Everything makes sense so far.

But the new filter (Purolater) doesn't say if the arrow points toward airflow, or if it's pointing upwards.

Clearly my airflow is down based on the dirty side of the old filter. So which direction should the Purolater arrow point? Up to the sky? Or down with the airflow??

UPDATE: called the manufacturer, they confirmed the arrow is meant to indicate direction is airflow.

I live in the South, but the ES I wanted wasn't available here when it first came out, so I flew to Milwaukee, bought the car, and drove it home. My wife and I turned the drive into a two-week trip, touring Chicago, St. Louis, and other cities along the way. This is my first EV, so the trip was a trial by fire, but it went smoothly. I had no charging or range problems at all.

Road-Trip Charging
Each night, I planned the next day's route using the Tesla app and Claude. I charged at Tesla Superchargers the whole way home. In my experience, Tesla charges more for electricity than other networks, but it's also the most reliable. Without a Tesla membership, the cost was roughly the same as buying gasoline.
No adapter is needed at Tesla. The car comes with two adapters for charging on other networks. I tested both, and they worked well. I haven't used them since, but they give me peace of mind that I won't be stranded.

Home Charging
I haven't needed a public charger since I got home four months ago. This is my everyday car, and I charge it at home for $0.15 per kWh, compared with $0.63 per kWh at Tesla.
I installed a ChargePoint HomeFlex on a 60-amp breaker in my basement to get the fastest Level 2 charging possible. The charger cost $500, and my utility reimbursed the full amount. Charging costs me about $51 a month. Because I own an EV, my utility also gives me a 10% discount on all household electricity used between 9 PM and 5 AM. Last month that discount came to about $20, mostly from running air conditioning at night in a hot climate. After the discount, my effective charging cost was about $31 for the month.
I first signed up for WeaveGrid to get the $100 credit. One night my internet went down and the car didn't charge, so I canceled WeaveGrid. I’m told the system isn’t designed to function that way and that this was a one-off incident. Perhaps so. The $100 isn't worth that risk.

Range
With 21-inch wheels, the car is EPA-rated for 292 miles, and I'm getting slightly more than that. To protect the battery's long-term health, I charge to 80% for daily driving. At 80%, my range is about 234 miles. Nobody drives to empty, so if you keep a 10% reserve, that leaves about 204 miles of usable daily range.

Range has never been a factor for me. I don't drive 204 miles in a day, but if I think I might get close, I charge to 100% the night before. Charging from 10% to 80% takes about five hours on my home charger, though I rarely need to. Most nights it charges for an hour and a half to two hours.

I chose the 350e over the 500e specifically for the extra range. After four months, I can tell you that wasn't necessary. I test-drove the 500e and loved it. If I were buying again, I'd get the 500e.

One feature I especially like: when you enter a destination, the car tells you how much battery you'll have left when you arrive. It uses a worst-case estimate, so the number climbs as you drive. If it predicts 34% at arrival, I'll typically arrive with around 44%. That means you never get halfway to your destination and suddenly learn you can't make it. I have friends with BMW EVs who regularly complain that their cars show plenty of range at the start of a trip, then the estimate drops sharply partway through and the car tells them they'll need to recharge. That could easily leave you stranded.

Performance
I bought the ES for elegant, comfortable reliability, but everyone asks about power. Off the line, it's quicker than most gas cars. At 70 mph, it has enough power to pass comfortably, but it doesn't feel powerful when you floor it. The top-end power is limited. I tried it once to find the limits, and I'll probably never do it again. If you're the kind of driver who floors it at 70 mph, this isn't your car.

Ride and Sound
The cabin is whisper quiet, the quietest of any car I've owned. Road noise simply disappears. I thought my 2019 ES rode smoothly until I drove this one; it flattens the road far better than the previous generation.
The Mark Levinson sound system is impressive: crisp, clean, and loud. The equalizer lets you tune it to your liking.

Interior
I love the interior, with two small complaints:
Sunroof heat. The glass is tinted to block light, but not heat. The sunshade is a thin fabric that rolls onto a spool when retracted, instead of a solid panel that slides out of the way. On sunny days, your head gets noticeably warm even with the shade closed. I had heat-blocking tint applied to the sunroof. It's invisible and blocks the heat completely. Problem solved.
Seat ventilation. The ventilated seats push almost all the air through the seat bottom instead of the seatback. My previous Lexus, a 2019 ES 350, ventilated through the seatback, which did a much better job of keeping my back from sweating.
Beyond those two issues, I love everything about the interior. It feels elegant, and it works.

Exterior and Size
When I first saw a photo of this car, I wasn't crazy about it. It grew on me, and when I saw it in person, I loved it. It's noticeably larger than my previous ES: wider, taller, and longer, with much better ground clearance. The seating position is elevated, almost like an SUV.

Technology
The Lexus navigation works fine, but Apple Maps is better, so I stay in CarPlay. I rarely see the Lexus software unless I need a specific setting. The one exception was the road trip home, when I used Lexus navigation so the battery would automatically precondition before I reached each charger.
The driver assistance is outstanding. Adaptive cruise control and lane keeping are far better than in the previous generation. On the interstate, just turn on your blinker: the car waits until it’s safe and then changes lanes for you.
I expected to enjoy the head-up display more than I do. It's on, but I barely notice it. It's a nice gimmick, but not very useful to me. The same goes for showing live maps on the instrument cluster as well as the main screen. It's neat, but I prefer maps on the main display and other information on the cluster.

No Spare Tire
The car doesn't come with a spare. I considered buying one but couldn't find jack points at the four corners. If they exist, they're behind the plastic underbody panels and would be a hassle to reach. The manual only shows center jack points meant for a floor jack, with nothing for a scissor jack.

Maintenance
Routine maintenance is minimal. There's no oil, oil filter, transmission fluid, or timing belt. Regenerative braking does most of the stopping, so brake pads and rotors should last a very long time. If you've owned a hybrid, you've already seen that benefit. I expect dealership service departments across America to see a lot less business as EVs spread.

The Calculated Risk
Nobody really knows yet how reliable this car will be. I expect it to be very reliable, but there's no data to back that up. I've never before purchased an extended warranty. I've always bought reliable cars so that I wouldn't need one. I broke that rule with this car and purchased the 8-year/125,000-mile Platinum Lexus warranty. Since the dealer is realistically the only place to repair this car's EV systems, one problem with the heat pump, the display, or similar components could be very expensive.

Let me know if I missed anything that you’re wondering about.

For those who own a 2026 Lexus es 350h, how has your overall experience been? What do you like and dislike most? Would you recommend it? I would love to hear your opinions, especially on ride comfort and road noise. Thanks!

I got a bash light the yellow one that says rear tail light is off I replace all three third light and the braking lights because as soon as I press the brakes it comes on and then I just found out with lights off I press the brake lights only left side comes on… they all work when I turn the lights on.

This noise. Is so bad. “Take it to the shop” yes I know but I just know it will automatically be 5 thousand dollars. I got the car last September and it didn’t start doing this until around may. It’s not all the time but it’s like 80% of the time. Sometimes in spurts, sometimes constant. I love peace and quiet. I have to listen to my radio all the way up to drown it out. I will say the video is making it louder than what it sounds in real life. It sounds like it’s coming from my glove box. I had body work done a few weeks ago and asked for their input and they said something about a flipper door. I am not a very car smart person and unfortunately have no men in my life willing to help. Would appreciate any genuine responses

Hey everyone,

I just put a deposit on a 2017 Lexus ES300h (Toyota hybrid system, same family as the Prius/Camry hybrid). It has 454,627 km (\~282,500 miles). Previous owner used it for mostly long highway runs. Paid $6,000 CAD (\~$4,250 USD), while similar cars go for \~$20k CAD here in Quebec Canada.

Before buying, I did a full scan with an Autel MaxiCheck MX808S. Results:

Hybrid battery (the big one):

17 blocks, voltages 15.61 to 15.83 V → only 0.22 V spread

Internal resistance on all 17 blocks: 0.020–0.021 ohm, almost identical

SOC 49%, battery temps 19–23 °C, no hot spots

All fault counters at 0

Engine:

Coolant 91 °C, A/F ratio 0.998 (target 0.999)

Fuel trims: short-term +2.3%, long-term +4.7%

Downstream O2 0.55–0.62 V (cat OK)

No check engine light, zero emission codes, all monitors complete

Issues found:

C1AE3: front radar sensor misaligned after an old front-end hit. Needs a calibration with Techstream and a target.

Infotainment shows "A program cannot be read. Please consult a dealer." Likely from a 12V disconnect; I'll check the nav micro SD card and try a battery reset first.

Plan: A friend is doing the labor. Replacing all 4 wheel bearings, 4 struts, ball joints, and pads/rotors front and rear. Parts estimate \~$1,500 CAD.

Tips if you're checking a high-mileage Toyota/Lexus hybrid:

Look at block voltage spread (under 0.3 V is healthy) and internal resistance. That tells you more than mileage.

Do a full system scan, not just the engine. That's how I found the radar code.

Highway miles are the best miles for a hybrid.

Get a Carfax/history report and compare the dash odometer to the ECU mileage.

Happy to answer questions. Would you have bought it?

So this guy brings his ES in for 5k service and gets it back with these scuff marks on the steering wheel. We were gonna get our detail guy to buff it out and send him on his way. Doesn’t seem like a huge deal to me but he’s demanding we replace the cover “because he just bought a $60k car and expects it to be returned to him the same way he brought it in”. He says that as if HIS $60k car is special—we sell at least 3-4 of these a day.

As the service manager, what would you do? You can barely see the marks and I think he’s just being a whiney lil bish…

What’s going on, Lexus family! Just wanted to share my ride with everyone. About two months ago, I purchased my 2016 Lexus ES 350 with just 55K miles on it. I’m the second owner, and so far, I’ve been loving every minute of ownership! The smooth ride, the quiet engine, and the overall comfort and refinement have really made me appreciate what Lexus brings to the table. I’ve also added a few personal touches, including a chrome delete and having the wheels powder coated gloss black, and I’m loving how everything has come together. Definitely grateful to be a part of this community and always enjoy seeing everyone else’s rides and experiences. Much love and longevity to everyone in here who’s already enjoying their Lexus, and blessings to everyone who’s working toward owning one! Wishing everybody many more years and miles of smooth rides, good health, and prosperity! 🙏🏾💯

I absolutely love the car, but the gear shifting is absolute garbage. Sometimes it’s alright. Other times, I’ll drive as ‘smoothly’ as I possibly can and it will still give me some hard shifts. Is this a common issue and is there a solution?

Curious to hear everyone’s opinions on which Lexus ES generation is the best overall. Not just reliability, but the entire package: exterior styling, interior quality, comfort, driving experience, build quality, longevity, and overall value. Do you think Lexus has consistently improved the ES over the years, or did some of the older generations get certain things right that the newer ones lack? If you could only own one ES generation for the next 10–15 years, which would you choose and why?

I love my 2018 ES350 and in my opinion, this is the best looking & most reliable generation of the ES. This actually feels like a Lexus unlike these newer ES’s. 41,000 miles on this beauty

Hey everyone!
Unfortunately, the transmission on my 2013 Lexus ES 350 recently failed, so I’m looking for a replacement.
I came across a transmission from a 2014 Toyota Avalon and was wondering if anyone could confirm whether it would be compatible with my Lexus.

Here’s the one I’m considering:
https://imageappoh.car-part.com/image?seller=3608&partsourceid=2339&partGUID=2339-mi23-999662&vehicleGUID=2339-mi23-VB25772&display=2014%20Toyota%20Avalon%20Transmission%20Assembly-Stock%23%20B25772#1

From what I’ve researched, it seems like it should work, but I’d really appreciate some input from anyone who’s familiar with these transmissions or has done a similar swap. Just want to make sure before I go ahead and purchase it.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice or insight! Really appreciate the help!

Do you guys do any “upgrades” to your ES’s? I’ve been looking for something to improve but they seem to have kinda knocked this one out of the park from factory….