Lexus ES History
Lexus's best-selling front-drive sedan — from a Toyota Camry-based ES 250 in 1990 to a refined ES 350 and ES 300h hybrid today.
Photo: “File:LEXUS ES 350 (XV40) China.jpg” by Dinkun Chen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
The ES launched alongside the LS 400 as Lexus's entry-level sedan, badged ES 250, and was closely related to the Toyota Camry Prominent. Critics noted the family connection, but buyers embraced the combination of luxury features and accessible pricing; the ES outsold the LS from the very beginning.
Through seven further generations the ES grew in size, refinement, and independence from its Toyota platform-sharing roots, adding the ES 300h hybrid for 2013 and shifting to the Toyota New Global Architecture platform for the radically restyled 2019 model — the first ES built in the US at Toyota's Kentucky plant.
The ES has consistently ranked among the most reliable vehicles in its class in J.D. Power surveys and Consumer Reports, cementing it as the quiet core of the Lexus lineup. An eighth-generation ES with standard hybrid powertrains was announced for 2026.
Generations
First generation (VZV21) · VZV21 — ES 250
Two-year run of the Camry Prominent-derived ES 250, the entry point when Lexus launched in the US.
Second generation (XV10) · XV10 — ES 300
Renamed ES 300 with a 3.0L V6; broader Camry-based platform; a five-year run that built the nameplate's volume.
Third generation (XV20) · XV20 — ES 300
More upscale styling and interior quality; continued ES 300 badge.
Fourth generation (XV30) · XV30 — ES 300/330
XV30 generation introduced for 2002; became the ES 330 in 2004 with a 3.3L V6.
Fifth generation (XV40) · XV40 — ES 350
Photo: “File:LEXUS ES 350 (XV40) China.jpg” by Dinkun Chen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Renamed ES 350 with a 3.5L V6 making 272 hp; grew into a near-mid-size footprint.
Sixth generation (XV60) · XV60 — ES 350/300h
Photo: “File:LEXUS ES 200 (XV60) China.jpg” by Dinkun Chen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Spindle grille arrival; added the ES 300h hybrid for the first time.
Seventh generation (AXZH10) · AXZH10 — ES 350/300h
Photo: “File:LEXUS ES 250(ES 260) (XZ10) China (1).jpg” by Dinkun Chen / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
TNGA platform; built in Kentucky; available as ES 350 or ES 300h hybrid; dramatically bolder styling.
Body styles
- Sedan
Notable special editions & performance variants
ES 300h
Full parallel-hybrid version of the ES (2.5L four-cylinder + electric motor); added for 2013 and continuously offered since.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Lexus ES
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