Used 2017 Lexus ES 300h Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2017 ES 300h, so we've included reviews for other years of the ES 300h since its last redesign.
3's a Charm
houstonjoe, 05/12/2015
updated 11/17/2016
2015 Lexus ES 300h 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
45 of 45 people found this review helpful
This is my 4th Lexus; 3rd ES and 1st hybrid. I've enjoyed my sportier cars (S60, C30, Boxster, Z3, TT) but my current need is for a comfortable commuter car that masks the horrible Houston streets and doesn't suck gas during crawls home in traffic. During the 4 months I've owned this ES300h, I've been very impressed with the overall experience with the hybrid system, comfort, and obvious quality of this vehicle. Without changing much about former driving habits I'm managing about 33-34 mpg in mostly heavy city traffic. And it's actually more fun/engaging to drive that I anticipated, given pro reviews. But again, this is no 3-series, and for me, thankfully so.
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Love the car!
JGARY, 05/27/2016
2016 Lexus ES 300h 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
28 of 28 people found this review helpful
Performance does suffer a tiny bit because this is a hybrid (I say this most likely because I had a V6 car before), but it is meant to be a quiet, smooth sedan that provides plenty of luxury and superior comfort. You simply can't ask for a car that has V6 performance, a luxury badge, 40MPG AND an MSRP just above $40K. The car does provide instant acceleration because of the continuously variable transmission, which I am a big fan of. Step on the gas pedal and the feel is instantaneous, unlike a traditional automatic that has to constantly shift gears to get optimal performance. CVT is hated by many people because they think it is boring, not performance-oriented and can be very noisy. However, the CVT on this Lexus is nothing like this. The car's sound insulation is superior, you can barely hear the engine at all during normal driving, city or highway. It is also what helps the car gets the gas mileage because of reduced parts and better efficiency. Without even trying (as I said I had a V6 car before, so I don't drive very gently), I easily get at least 38+ MPG, sometimes even better (40-42 MPG), whether on the highway or in heavy traffic during rush hours, and I think this is really amazing. For my previous V6, in heavy traffic gas mileage easily falls below 15 MPG, especially for shorter trips. I had to frequently go to gas station every few days because the engine wastes too much gas when idling or starting/stopping in city traffic. This hybrid car however shuts off the gas completely when coming to a stop or driving at low speeds, and the car runs on the battery entirely. The result is extreme quietness and you won't feel the car's vibration when waiting for the light at an intersection. To me, I would even say the city traffic is now not as bad thanks to the car's advanced hybrid technology and superior sound insulation. I now seriously question myself why I spent the extra $$$ to get a V6, not needing the extra power, and spending more $$$ on premium gas that was not used to generate that power but was wasted. I am saying all of these probably because I have never driven a hybrid before and I don't really know how other hybrids drive, but I doubt the level of comfort, performance, efficiency will be comparable to these of ES300h. What's even better with this car is that it only requires regular (87 octane rating) gas. Also, the front seats are extremely comfortable and with the perforated seats and the safety features, so this is not just a getting-from-A-to-B commute sedan but will also be a nice place to spend time in if you are traveling for longer distances. There are interior cosmetic changes over the 2015 model - and I would say the steering wheel, dash and the gear knob look way better than the previous generation. Overall the interior is just elegant and beautiful. I would definitely recommend this car to anyone who is looking to buy a reasonably priced, entry-level luxury sedan that combines reasonable performance and gas efficiency. Lexus offers a longer warranty, one full year of complementary maintenance, and with its reputable long-term reliability the car should provide a worry-free, enjoyable driving experience.
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Lots to love, but some disappointments as well
robert finn, 07/03/2016
updated 07/17/2018
2016 Lexus ES 300h 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
33 of 35 people found this review helpful
I have had my 2016 ES300h for 2 years. I really like the outside styling and the interior is luxurious and very comfortable. I am getting very good gas mileage. Acceleration in power mode is very good, but I don't use it that often, preferring to get better fuel economy. I find the ride to be very smooth and quiet. The safety features are terrific. In general I love the car, but here are some issues that have disappointed me. 1. The Sirius/XM satellite radio reception is TERRIBLE…music fades out every day, this makes me wish I had a different car. I had sirius/xm reset the signal but that did not help. July 15 2016 update: I took the car in to Lexus of Austin to research the audio problems described in #1 above. The service rep said it is a problem recognized by Lexus that affects a few (random) vehicles across all the Lexus models but they do not know how to fix it. It is weak reception signal that causes dead spots and also lack of HD reception which causes some stations to sound very bad, while other stations sound full and rich. They informed me it could be many months before the issue might be fixed. They recommended that I contact Lexus USA customer service to file the issue. I ended up putting Spoify on my iPhone and cancelling my Sirius/XM subscription. 2. Voice recognition is not good, making it difficult to enter destinations into the Nav system. I would prefer Apple Play. 3. Nav system directions (by Tom Tom) are not good compared to google maps or garmin devices. I would prefer Apple Play. 4. In the summer, climate control defaults to “recirculating” air instead of fresh air from outside, so I have to press the climate control button twice every time I drive the car just to get fresh air! This seems like a design flaw. 5. Limited storage: Front side door storage bins should include a cup holder, but they don't 6. Limited storage: The front cup holder along center console is TOO far back to reach with a normal arm position 10. Limited storage: No small compartment for sunglasses Update: I bought a visor clip for my sunglasses. Not as elegant, but it works. I bought this car because I wanted a hybrid. My last car was an Acura TL. I would have bought a TL hybrid if one existed. The Acura did not have any problems with satellite radio reception, defaulted climate control to FRESH air (what a concept)!, and had more storage compartments (for cups and sunglasses and cell phones). July 2018 update: I've now owned this ES300h for 2 years. I don't regret it. I found work-arounds for most of the issues listed above. I get compliments from friends and strangers about this car.....about it's beauty, styling and luxuriousness.
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Lexus ES 300h v. Avalon Ltd hybrid
john sims, 01/24/2017
updated 09/01/2020
2016 Lexus ES 300h 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
I read the reviews describing the Lexus 300h and Avalon ltd as comparable. I shopped for > 1 yr. I bought because of a good deal (thank you Edmunds for posting the incentives); in August 2016 the incentive on the Lexus was $3500 and the Avalon was $1000. I test drove both cars and here are the differences I think that exist. The Lexus was a little quieter, the sound system a little clearer, the wood finish clearly bamboo wood (and nicely finished), the seats a little more comfortable, and the interior a little bigger. the Lexus Navi system is 1" larger and recessed so it isn't as affected by sunlight. The bad parts of the Lexus are the storage--less trunk space, glove compartment, center console space. it doesn't have the number of "nooks and crannies" that a Toyota does. The Avalon Ltd had these included--plus the rear windowshade. neither trunk passthru works. (the non-hybrid models have a trunk pass thru .) the maintenance cost of the Lexus will be higher; my wife's Sienna has 24 mths free maintenace; the Lexuas has 12. Oh.... the additional "24/7 roadside assistance" on the additional service package is really AAA so just join AAA. compared to my previous car (an 8 yr old Acura RL), the Lexus has worse interior storage, much better mileage, better visibilty / smaller blindspot, and similar size trunk. I had previously thought that the Acura had small storage space! the Lexus' glove compartment, center console have even less storage room than the Acura! the acceleration on the Acura is definitely much better but the hybrid is acceptable. I wish the Lexus ES and/or the Avalon had a AWD AND hybrid model. I guess my biggest surprise disappointment was that I expected more interior storage in the Lexus---especially since our Sienna has so many clever nooks for cup holders, console, etc. update 7/31/17: I've owned the car 11 months now. it is a comfortable car. the rear seating area is very spacious. my favorite feature, however, is the bluetooth "auto connect and play" feature with my iPhone. after the car starts, it automatically connects and plays whatever audio (music or podcast) through the sound system. this is very convenient and meets my music content needs. the most frustrating part of ES 300h ownership is not related to the car itself. it is the Lexus "e-mail reminder" feature which reminds me to service my car depending on the time (estimated mileage) weather (wiper blades in the winter), etc. the worse episode was when it "automatically" made an appointment for me (that I did not request and cancelled by calling person to person) and then sent me an admonishment that "I did not show". Lexus really needs to fully test a software feature before activating it. the navigation screen does not have as many customization options as the Acura (nor is it as easy to program a route). the Acura is better suited for 1 handed control---the main navigation screen knob with rotate and press feature is much easier (and IMHO, safer) than the Lexus mouse-like control. Lexus should just provide a touch-screen (like the Sienna) which would be more intuitive. The blind spot monitor and rear view camera showing the anticipated direction of the car based on the wheel position is very helpful. update 1/31/18: t I've delighted and still enjoy is the "custom seat" setting. when you get in the car, there is a lot of space between the steering wheel and seat; very easy to slide in. When the car starts, the seat slides forward and tilts to your custom settings, making you feel like you're in a spaceship. I still believe the Acura navi system is more ergonomic. the Lexus interior storage is still poor. update 8/4/18: pleasantly mildly surprised that at low mileage (< 7500 miles/yr), I only need to take it in to dealer to maintain once a year. (helps offset 50% higher cost of maintenance over Toyota; 30% higher than Acura). Acura was a little more specific about what would be done at each service appointment needed; Lexus just says, "needs service maintenance". car is still comfortable, still not enough storage. voice command is hard to learn (haven't learned how to use it; easier to pair phone via bluetooth and use phone to call, etc.) navigation system needs work; POI is not bad but need to enter entire address, incl. city. Using the 10 digit phone number to enter POI on the Acura is much, much easier. can't move map around to see "ahead". 8/23/19 update: still happy with mileage and comfortable seats. E300h definitely does not corner well. still wish for hybrid/AWD. would look at Tesla 3. 8/31/20 update: still happy with mileage and comfortable seats. E300h definitely does not corner well. still wish for hybrid/AWD. still wish for better storage. I would look at Tesla 3.
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Great car for the money
Cliff Leegard, 09/30/2016
2016 Lexus ES 300h 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
If you are looking for a quiet car with luxury features and good gas mileage this is the car for you. Driven carefully you can get 42 MPG around town. I only have 1100 miles on the car and first trip on the freeway at 75MPH caused the indicated mileage to drop to 36MPG. Complaints: trunk is rather small but adequate, no cubby hole space to store things except in doors. Console should have more storage as well. One glove compartment- which is pretty much filled with the 5-6 volume instruction manuals. However, thanks for the manuals - much better than a CD/DVD that I cannot look at if I have a question when I am on the road. One complaint on the mouse system- it has three ways to select something (2-side buttons or push down on the joystick - it needs one button programmed to go-back instead of me having to select the go-back icon on the screen which is time consuming. It is a fairly long car but will be a good compromise car for trips on the road for comfort and town car for good gas mileage. I bought the Ultra-Lux package, which has the cooled softer leather seats, plus rear and side sun shades plus the Mark Levinson sound which I feel was worth the extra $2-3000.
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