What SUV Shoppers Need to Know
- The 2026 Lexus RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid and 500h hybrid sit at the top of the RX lineup, and there are some significant differences between them.
- The 450h+ is a serene and luxurious two-row SUV with a useful 38-mile electric driving range on a full charge — enough for some daily commutes.
- The 500h is the most powerful RX available and a sporty-looking take on the SUV, with 366 horsepower.
Simultaneously testing both a 2026 Lexus RX 450h+ Luxury and a 2026 RX 500h F Sport Performance let us experience the two different flavors at the top of Lexus’ RX lineup. The plug-in hybrid 450h+ Luxury takes a distinctly luxurious approach — as its name suggests — with a comfortable interior and a quiet but responsive powertrain that allows for silent, all-electric operation for up to 38 miles. The hybrid 500h F Sport, meanwhile, is a sportier take on the RX, with an aggressive exterior appearance package, an adaptive suspension, sport front seats and the most power of any RX model: 366 hp.
Related: The 2026 Lexus NX 350h Is Efficient and Stylish, But With a Number of Trade-Offs: Review
What We Tested
Our test vehicle: 2026 Lexus RX 450h+ Luxury
Starting price (all prices include destination fee): $73,410
As-tested price: $77,595
Powertrain: Gas-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain with a combined 304 hp, all-wheel drive, continuously variable automatic transmission
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 85 mpg-equivalent (all-electric operation)/35 mpg (gas-electric) combined
Expert Rating: 6.8/10
- Powertrain: 8/10
- Ride quality: 8/10
- Driver comfort: 9/10
- Passenger comfort: 8/10
- Interior quality: 8/10
- User interface: 4/10
- Cargo space: 6/10
- Value: 4/10
- Overall appeal: 6/10
- Fuel economy: 7/10
Our test vehicle: 2026 Lexus RX 500h F Sport Performance
Starting price: $68,450
As-tested price: $78,970
Powertrain: Gas-electric hybrid powertrain with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 366 hp total, AWD, six-speed automatic transmission
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 27/28/27 mpg city/highway/combined
Expert Rating: 5.4/10
- Powertrain: 8/10
- Ride quality: 6/10
- Driver comfort: 4/10
- Passenger comfort: 6/10
- Interior quality: 7/10
- User interface: 4/10
- Cargo space: 6/10
- Value: 3/10
- Overall appeal: 6/10
- Fuel economy: 4/10
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After driving both of these Lexus RX SUVs back-to-back in and around Chicago, I came away with a clear favorite: The 450h+ is the pick for me. Comfortable, quiet and plush — with no pretensions of being something it isn’t — the 450h+ is an excellent luxury SUV. The 500h, meanwhile, doesn’t deliver enough sportiness to make up for its uncomfortable front seats and middling fuel efficiency. And those drawbacks actually leave me with another favorite from this lineup: The more affordable RX 350h hybrid, which delivers most of what shoppers are looking for, but for less money and with less complexity.
Read on to learn what I like and dislike about both of the Lexus RX lineup’s high-end SUVs.
What’s Good About the 2026 Lexus RX 450h+ and 500h?
Smooth transitions from electric to hybrid operation: Regardless of powertrain choice, both SUVs do an excellent job transitioning between power sources. The plug-in 450h+ seamlessly transitions from electric to gas operation at the push of a button (if you’d like to save electric driving range for later or help recharge the battery on the go). In hybrid mode, there’s none of the herky-jerky switching between gas and electric power that plagues other PHEVs. The story is the same in the 500h hybrid: It works flawlessly.
Comfortable, quiet ride (450h+): The 450h+ also has a comfortable and quiet ride, and this time the 500h can’t match it. Road, wind and powertrain noise are all minimal in the PHEV; driving in silent, all-electric mode is downright serene. The 500h, meanwhile, isn’t bad, but it has a firmer adaptive sport suspension that lets a few more jolts and bumps intrude into the cabin, and the augmented engine noise can be aggravating.
Responsive powertrains: What’s really nice about both of these Lexus SUVs is how responsive they are to presses of the accelerator pedal. Neither is a sports car, but there’s no delay in acceleration and that soothed my mind (and kept me from getting honked at while driving in the city).
Interior materials quality: Lexus still makes some of the best-looking and best-feeling interiors on the market, and both of these SUVs are no exception. The 450h+ I drove lived up to its “Luxury” trim name, with plush materials and comfortable front and rear seats. The 500h, meanwhile, nailed the sporty aesthetic, with Rioja red leather upholstery and bolstered front sport seats.
Backseat room: If you’re in the market for a luxury family SUV but don’t need a third row of seats, these two RXes both offer a roomy backseat that’s comfortable for adults. Even the 500h’s aggressive sport seats don’t eat into backseat room.
What’s Bad About the 2026 Lexus RX 450h+ and 500h?
Electric door handles: Stupid door-handle designs are quickly becoming a soapbox issue for me, and the RX is one of the worst offenders yet. Push-button exterior door handles and an electric interior release (there is at least a physical lever as backup) add no measure of luxury or high-tech feeling to the RX; they seem to be little more than a potential safety or convenience issue. Just give us regular door handles, please.
Touchscreen houses too many controls: Lexus has made great strides with its in-car tech in recent years, and the large touchscreen displays in these RX SUVs are easy to use, with modern-looking graphics. It’s a long way from the old laptop-style trackpads and joystick controllers Lexus used to provide for operating its displays. Unfortunately, too many controls — especially climate functions — are now housed in the touchscreen instead of being separate physical buttons and dials.
Multi-function steering-wheel buttons: Speaking of dedicated buttons, another terrible automotive trend that has befallen the RX is the use of multi-function buttons on the steering wheel. These systems use the same buttons to control operations for things like audio settings and head-up display adjustments, leaving drivers to switch between them. It can be confusing to do while driving, and it’s distracting to switch between systems and have the head-up display’s navigation or speed readout interrupted to show you what the buttons now do. It’s helpful in theory but distracting in practice — and I wouldn’t need to know what the buttons I’m pressing now do if they only did one thing.
Uncomfortable F Sport front seats (500h): The last two issues are specific to the 500h and begin with the front seats: The F Sport’s seats are heavily bolstered to give the impression that the 500h is an aggressive performance vehicle, which it really isn’t; drivers are unlikely to ever need to be held in place by the bolstering. Instead, I found them uncomfortable for any drive longer than 30 minutes. I preferred the normal front seats in the 450h+.
500h lacks sportiness: Which brings me back to something I’ve already mentioned: The 500h just isn’t that sporty. It’s quick, sure, but it’s quick like you’d expect any 366-hp hybrid SUV to be. It doesn’t feel particularly different from an Audi SQ5 or a V-6-powered Genesis GV70 when it comes to performance. Part of that is the SUV’s interior atmosphere. Beyond the seats, there’s little to differentiate the RX 500h from the 450h+. There is fake engine noise, but it’s annoying and I turned it off immediately. The gauges and display do little to let you know you’ve put it into the most aggressive S+ drive mode. It simply doesn’t go far enough.
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Should You Buy a 2026 Lexus RX 450h+ or 500h F Sport?
If you’re willing to drop close to $80,000 on a Lexus RX, I recommend the 450h+. It’s more comfortable and more normal, and it has the added benefit of all-electric driving range and better fuel efficiency.
All that said, neither of these SUVs is actually my pick of the RX litter: That honor goes to the RX 350h. It lacks electric-only driving range but offers all the hybrid fuel efficiency of the 450h+, along with most of its interior luxury and comfort — and it costs thousands of dollars less.
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