Lexus has pulled the wraps off a totally redesigned ES sedan at Auto Shanghai, signaling a daring new course for certainly one of its hottest luxurious nameplates. After years of refined updates, the 2026 Lexus ES arrives with sweeping adjustments—each underneath the hood and in its design language—ushering in a brand new chapter that features hybrid and all-electric powertrains for the primary time within the mannequin’s historical past.
Design Influenced by Lexus’ Future Imaginative and prescient
Drawing closely from the LF-ZL idea that made headlines in 2023, the brand new ES presents a cleaner, extra futuristic face to the world. Gone is the outsized spindle grille that lengthy outlined Lexus styling, changed with a sleeker, extra cohesive entrance fascia. The physique options dramatic sculpting and thick gloss-black trim that stretches alongside the decrease doorways—an attention-grabbing element that will show divisive however undeniably fashionable.
On the rear, Lexus has reworked the lighting signature with daring “L”-shaped taillights now integrating the flip alerts, whereas a full-width mild bar replaces the normal emblem with LEXUS lettering. It’s a design refresh that not solely modernizes the sedan however aligns it extra carefully with the model’s electrified identification.
A Cabin That Feels from the Future
Inside, the ES has taken a leap ahead in tech and structure. A 12.3-inch digital cluster and an enormous 14-inch infotainment display screen dominate the cleanly styled dashboard, whereas optionally available passenger show screens additional improve the high-tech expertise. Bodily buttons are largely gone, changed by touch-sensitive controls and a streamlined interface. One welcome nod to practicality stays: a bodily quantity dial.
Luxurious touches haven’t been forgotten. A brand new bamboo-inspired inside end makes use of 3D-printing to imitate pure wooden textures, whereas a panoramic glass roof can dim electronically on the contact of a button. Rear-seat passengers are handled to massaging seats and a devoted local weather management system constructed into the middle armrest—facilities extra generally present in flagship sedans.
Lexus has stretched the brand new ES considerably, making it extra imposing and spacious. It now measures 202.3 inches in size—6.5 inches longer than the earlier mannequin—with a wheelbase improve of three.1 inches. It’s additionally wider and taller, notably in its hybrid and EV varieties, enhancing inside consolation with out treading on the LS sedan’s territory, which stays the model’s full-size flagship.
Electrified Powertrains Take Heart Stage
In a significant shift, the 2026 ES lineup will embody not only one, however a number of electrified choices. The hybrid variations will proceed with 2.0- and a pair of.5-liter engine-based techniques. Nonetheless, the smaller hybrid gained’t make it to U.S. shores. American patrons will get the ES 350h, which gives both front- or all-wheel drive and a complete system output of as much as 244 horsepower. Acceleration ranges from a modest 9.4 seconds to a brisk 7.8 seconds for the highest hybrid mannequin.
The actual head-turner, although, is the all-new battery electrical variant. Out there because the front-wheel-drive ES 350e or the all-wheel-drive ES 500e, this marks the ES’s first foray into full electrification. The bottom EV delivers 221 horsepower and an estimated vary of 300 miles in U.S. trim, whereas the dual-motor model packs 338 horsepower and hits 60 mph in simply 5.9 seconds—at the price of barely diminished vary.
Enhanced Chassis Dynamics and Expertise
The ES has lengthy been identified for its trip consolation, and Lexus has doubled down on that popularity by including a multi-link rear suspension and implementing rear-wheel steering—able to turning the rear wheels in sync or reverse to the entrance relying on velocity. The sedan additionally advantages from elevated rigidity because of the most recent evolution of Toyota’s TNGA GA-Okay platform.
Wheel choices now vary from 18 to 21 inches, with the automaker cautioning that bigger wheels will influence the EV’s driving vary.
Coming Mid-2026
Although formally unveiled, the all-new Lexus ES gained’t arrive in showrooms till mid-2026. When it does, will probably be probably the most technologically superior and design-forward sedans in its class, merging Lexus’ legendary reliability with a daring new imaginative and prescient for luxurious mobility.
The 2026 Lexus ES isn’t any mere facelift—it’s a full transformation. With daring design cues, a tech-packed inside, and a lineup that features each hybrid and absolutely electrical fashions, it positions itself as a future-facing luxurious sedan that doesn’t overlook its roots. For Lexus loyalists and new patrons alike, this next-gen ES gives one thing actually compelling in an evolving automotive panorama.
