• The all-new Lexus ES is available with pure electric power for the first time.
• You can still get a combustion engine in the ES, but only a four-cylinder in hybrid form.
• It is bigger overall than the previous generation, and it incorporates some interesting design features.

Lexus has unveiled the all-new eighth-generation ES sedan in China at Auto Shanghai, which is now either a hybrid or a full-on EV. It’s not what we expected in terms of design, as it seems to break with the tradition of understated styling in favor of a much bolder look with some unusual details.

The ES has grown 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) compared to the outgoing model. It’s now 202.4 inches (5.14 meters) long and it sits on a stretched 116.1-inch (2.95-meter) wheelbase. Both the electric and hybrid variants look the same except for an extra cooling slat that visually connects the headlights.

It draws inspiration from the LF-ZC concept, albeit toned down and molded into more of a sedan shape. It’s not a bad-looking car, but on first impression it doesn’t look as low-slung, sleek and elegant as the car it replaces.

Its front design is in line with the rest of the Lexus lineup, featuring a two-tier layout with daytime running light swooshes sitting above hidden headlights placed lower down. From the side, it looks taller than its predecessor (which it is, by 4.3 inches or 11 cm) and Lexus designers have tried to break up the height by adding a gloss black trim piece that runs through both doors.

This design element is unusual to say the least, and it doesn’t look much better in person. Lexus has also embraced a fastback-style backside, which makes the decklid quite small and unusual-looking for a sedan.

Photo by: Lexus

The interior looks quite posh, if very minimalistic. The Lexus badge is gone, replaced by a LEXUS script designed to make it feel more premium. The driver gets a 12.3-inch digital display, and the infotainment is displayed on a 14.0-inch central screen. You can get a second 14.0-inch display for the front passenger, too.

Two electric variants are offered: the ES 350e and 500e. The former has a single 221-horsepower motor driving the front wheels, enough to accelerate from zero to 62 miles per hour (100 km/h) in 8.9 seconds. The dual-motor 500e packs a much healthier 338 hp, which lowers the time to 5.9 seconds.

The front-wheel-drive ES EV has a claimed CLTC range of 379 miles (610 km), which should translate to around 300 miles (483 km) in the EPA cycle when it reaches the United States next year.

If you want an ES that doesn’t need to be plugged in, two hybrid options are offered. Only one—the more powerful ES 350h—is coming to America. It pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor for a combined power output of 244 hp and can reach 62 mph in 7.8 seconds. All-wheel drive is an option. The other hybrid variant features a 2.0-liter four-pot with a total system output of 194 hp and a 9.4-second run to 62 mph.

The new ES is built on a development of the TNGA GA-K platform, which Lexus says has been significantly stiffened compared to before, resulting in a more responsive and agile-feeling car. It remains to be seen just how agile it is given the ES 500e’s weight of 4,861 pounds (2,200 kilograms), which might dull its sportiness. Expect to see the new ES debut in the U.S. and Europe in mid-2026.