Lexus Reveals Stunning All-New 2026 ES In Two Electrified Flavors

Toyota’s luxury brand adapts its luxury sedan for the EV era.

Since its introduction in 1989, with the brand’s inception, the Lexus ES has played second fiddle as a smaller, lower-priced option to the flagship LS sedan. But while enthusiasts and historians revered its bigger brother as a true disruptor that forced elitist luxury car giants like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Cadillac to go back to the drawing board, the early iterations of the ES did not initially receive such praise, largely owing to its Camry roots.

However, as time progressed and the Lexus brand evolved to include more models positioned above and below the ES’s price point, like the GS and IS sedans, the ES has stood the test of time as a true best-seller. Lexus sells mostly SUVs and crossovers these days, but according to Toyota Motor North America U.S. sales data, the humble ES sedan was Lexus’s best-selling non-SUV in 2024 and 2023, selling more than double the amount of the IS sold last year.

However, the current ES has been on the market for more than six years, and its upgrade is poised to take on the all-electric theater.

The 2026 Lexus ES loses the grille and gains an edgy, new face.

On April 23, Lexus unveiled the new 2026 ES sedan at Auto Shanghai, which features a bolder, edgier design than the model currently on display in Lexus showrooms. Drawing inspiration from the LF-ZL concept that was shown off back in October 2023, the new ES rewrites and abandons some of the signature styling cues that buyers have come to know Lexus by.

Gone is the oversized “vacuum-looking” grille up on the front bumper, and in its place is a nose that looks very similar to the front of Toyota’s fully-electric bZ4x SUV. The rest of the exterior is visually stunning, as Lexus designers gave the ES a very modern refresh that incorporates much of the brand’s current design language, including an RZ-style rear light bar with spelled-out “LEXUS” lettering.

Numbers-wise, it is physically bigger than the 2025 ES, growing 6.5 inches longer to a total length of 202.3 inches, much of which is due to its extended wheelbase of 116.1 inches, 3.1 inches longer than the outgoing model. It is also 2.1 inches wider at 75.6 inches across, and 4.3 inches taller at 61.2 inches tall.

The new ES has a sculpted profile that appears edgier and more modern than the outgoing model. One of the most prominent design cues on the 2026 ES is the use of a gloss-black bodyside trim piece that extends across the doors to mimic the appearance of a duct or vent. This little cue helps carve out a much sportier appearance to an otherwise “soft” sedan.

The 2026 Lexus ES gets a screen-centric, minimalist interior.

Polarizing, modernist changes are also present in the interior, and unfortunately, that means that Lexus has also jumped onto the Tesla-esque, touch-screen-centric, minimalist bandwagon. From the pictures, it seems that Lexus has ditched traditional buttons for a simplified layout featuring important shortcuts.

Screens are the most prominent items on the dashboard. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is positioned behind the steering wheel in front of the driver, while a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen occupies the real estate smack dab in the middle of the two passengers. In the photos provided by Lexus’s global site, we see the existence of a second, similarly sized passenger-side screen, which may be offered as an optional feature akin to that of Mercedes-Benz’s superscreen.

But like the exterior, the rest of the interior is given a modern refresh with some potentially polarizing design choices sprinkled in. The steering wheel, for instance, is oddly devoid of traditional Lexus branding, as it now features embossed “LEXUS” lettering spelled out in the same place where a Lexus badge would be. Additionally, the traditional gear lever on the current ES has been replaced with a smaller “nub” akin to Toyota’s hybrid models.

However, the ES does gain some cool features, including a panoramic glass roof that can dim to control the amount of sun in the cabin. Lexus says the new ES will introduce the Executive Package for the first time in North America, which offers some comfort and bliss for backseat lurkers. This package includes reclining rear seats with a passenger-side ottoman as well as massaging, heating, and ventilation functions.

Lexus offers buyers the choice of either Hybrid or Electric ESes

Although EVs and electrification are the status quo for today’s emissions-sensitive auto industry, Lexus is not leaving gasoline loyalists in the dust with its new ES. Lexus says that the new ES is built on a new, redesigned platform that is “developed specifically to accommodate both HEV and BEV powertrains,” while being able to reduce body vibrations and “enable sharp, intuitive steering, along with smooth acceleration and deceleration.”

For the United States market, Lexus will exclusively offer petrol-drinkers the ES 350h with a choice between a front-wheel or all-wheel-drive drivetrain, and a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine powering the hybrid system. It features what Lexus calls an “integrated eAxle,” combining the power control unit and transaxle for maximum battery output and an overall lighter and smaller powerplant footprint.

However, the biggest distinction of the new ES is the offering of two EV models: the front-drive ES 350e and the all-wheel-drive ES 500h. Both models are powered by a large-capacity battery beneath the floor, which the manufacturer says lowers the center of gravity and enhances driving stability.

Lexus also reports that the 350e model’s single motor produces 221 horsepower, which is good for an 8.9-second 0-60 mph time, and a maximum range of 300 miles when equipped with 19-inch wheels. The 500e model’s dual motors, however, provide 338 horsepower and a 5.9-second 0-60 mph time. Lexus has not released any pricing information, but Lexus says that “the 2026 ES will go on sale next year.”

Final thoughts

If there is one thing that I am a bit embarrassed to admit, it’s that I do have a bit of a soft spot for the Lexus ES, specifically the 1992 to 1996 iteration and the version sold from 1997 to 2001. A close friend’s parents used to own a 1996 model in white, and I used to think it was distinctly modern despite being a car from the 1990s that was initially designed in the late 1980s.

Lexus isn’t entirely unique in offering the ES in both gas-powered and electric variants; Mercedes ruffled some feathers by offering the new CLA in the same way. However, it is interesting that Lexus decided to make the brave decision not to introduce an electric sedan as a wholly separate model, as it did with the RZ when it was introduced back in 2023. It’s a different world now, and the attitude towards EVs has evolved over time.

Even though Lexus will also offer the ES as an EV, I would personally keep things simple and stick with the gas-hybrid ES 350h. Toyota’s hybrid system is one of the most robust in the business, and the simplicity of filling up with gas would make it a smoother experience if I ever lend it to my friends or family.

I am personally a fan of the new “Sonic Copper” color they developed for this car, but as a self-admitted boring guy, I’d keep the outside in black and have the interior in the cool, green-looking “Aotake.” Depending on how much the Executive Package would cost, I’d opt for that too.