Lexus ES History

Mid-size luxury car · 1990–present

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 (1990–1991)

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 (1992–1996)

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 (1997–2001)

More upscale styling and interior quality; continued ES 300 badge.
Fourth generation (XV30) · XV30 — ES 300/330 (2002–2006)

XV30 generation introduced for 2002; became the ES 330 in 2004 with a 3.3L V6.
Fifth generation (XV40) · XV40 — ES 350 (2007–2012)

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 (2013–2018)

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 (2019–present)

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.