Used 2018 Lexus NX 300h Consumer Reviews

Love the 300h

I did not even want to test drive the 300h based on the review of it being sluggish. I'm glad I did. I drove all 3 configurations of this car and like the handling and ride of the hybrid the best. I did and do NOT find it sluggish. It has much better accelleration than the Kia Sorento we traded in. Breaking is excellent also. Handling, comfort are all as you would expect from Lexus. This is our first Lexus and first hybrid. We get 35 mpg city and hwy. We have had it for 2 months. I really just wanted to comment on the accelleration and breaking as that comes up as a negative on some reviews. If you are looking at an NX I suggest you try the hybrid to see how you like it.

Waited a year for the NX to arrive

I had been looking for a compact SUV for about a year and test drove pretty much everything on the market. I had been driving a 2001 Lexus RX300 and really loved that car and did not want the larger footprint of the newer RX models. My ideal car would be the layout of the old RX300 with updated electronics and slightly sportier handling, with the comfort typical of lexus and toyota seating. The new NX was the closest I could find to my ideal car. It has a footprint closer to the old RX than to the new RX and has sportier handling than the new RX. It can park in the compact spots in my parking garage at work although it is a tight fit.

NX 300h: Fun, efficient and sharp

If you like the aggressive styling, you'll definitely enjoy driving the NX. I'm a former RX owner and the NX will appeal to those who liked the size and style of the previous RX models. The NX is roomy enough to be useful while still offering a good garage fit. At approximately 2,000 miles on the odo, I'm averaging about 30 mpg in mixed daily driving. RIDE: The NX is sure-footed with a comfortable ride. The rear wheels are electrically powered and only engage when needed. CABIN/COMFORT: The cabin is fairly quiet although the CVT is surprisingly loud... something that might be improved with better sound baffling in future model years, if Lexus is listening to owners. Seats are firm; back seat headroom is terrific for adult passengers. OPTIONS: My NX is pretty well-equipped (luxury package with triple-beam LED headlights). However, my last vehicle, a terrific Toyota Avalon Limited Hybrid, had a few nice features (such as automatic collision avoidance and a few other niceties) not yet offered by the NX. But I traded up for the cargo capacity and AWD. In summary, the NX 300h is not just a head-turner; it's a solid performer that delivers nearly everything you expect from a Lexus. I do suggest test-driving the new RX before testing the NX, just to understand the difference in the price points and driving experience. I also suggest testing different NX models, including the turbo and F-Sport. I felt the NX hybrid was the right fit for my needs and I can highly recommend it.

My Daily Driver NX300h

I traded my used 2015 GX460 for this vehicle. The GX was simply too big and the gas mileage too low to justify keeping this car (especially as I have a 2016 RC350 sports car that I use as my fun car). I bought the NX as my daily driver, and decided to get the hybrid so as to have an SUV that gets at least 30mpg overall. The car is excellent in every respect except for two areas. Acceleration is poor, especially when getting onto the highway. But once the NX gets up to speed it maintains it's speed well. Gas mileage was good the first few months, getting at 30 mpg on each tank of gas (my best was 35.3 mpg). But in the last month the mileage has dropped to between 27 to 28 mpg. I'm still happy with the vehicle, but in hindsight would probably have gotten the gas only version instead of paying the premium for the hybrid. Regardless, the NX is an overall great SUV and do not regret buying one.

Beautiful Little SUV Hybrid

IMO, The way that the NX300h handles and accelerates is way better than some of the professional reviewers have claimed especially wen driving in sports mode. The NX300h is well appointed for comfort as one would expect from Lexus, and the cars technology is probably more than most people will ever require, but it's there if you need it. The interior has a well thought out ergonomic design.

SUV that gets 30mpg and can handle like a car!

Ok, was looking for a hybrid SUV. Green was the emphasis for the purchase. Sedans can be green without the hybrid (the CO2 emitted per mile in a Camry is less than some souped up hyrbids). Also, when your car is stopped, it's just nice no to emit CO2. Toyota makes real hybrids (ones where the battery can boost up city driving mpg) and pioneered much of the technology. Our only real choices were the Nx300h, the Rx450h, or the RAV4 Hybrid. BMW makes a X5 plug in hybrid and Ford used to make an escape hybrid, but the X5 was too expensive acutely and the Escape Hybrid is no more. That being said, I would have gone for the RAV4 but the interior is nowhere near that for it's cousing NX300h Lexus (although it has more camera angles). Ok, back to the car, it performs as advertized -- we are getting between 29-33 MPG in 80% city driving. It handles great and the safety stuff like blind spot monitoring, pre-collision assist, and radar guided cruise control are pretty great. The car is really whisper quiet. (*Acceleration however has a drone, but it's not that bad but sort of unexpected in a Lexus). Handling is actually a bit more sedan like than the RX we gave up. Seats are bit tighter too than the RX -- but it's a smaller car. Suspension and road feel are classic Lexus. My big qualm is the cost -- which it was not $5000 more versus a comprable nx200 to save gas and hurt the environment less. This car gets an easy 5-stars if they charged less for it. But, the ride is really quite good, the handling excellent, and luxury is strong. The new RX is bigger than the previous or we might have bought that with all the new safety and technology features, but they no longer make that 2012-2015 style. To complain of some almost unnoticeable acceleration compromises in an SUV that emits 276 grams of CO2 per mile (less than a Toyota Corrolla at 287 grams of CO2 per mile) seems besides the point. It's hard to ease your carbon footprint and be an SUV this luxurious other than for the nx300h. For comparison, note the nx200 emits 368 grams of CO2 per mile. Sad this technology is not incentivized more. Perhaps the government will at some point though.

an awesome car but awful GPs

I've driven many different cars and i love this hybrid it's comfortable and beautiful, the mpg is good (could be a bit better i thought for a hybrid) drives nice, quiet.. but for an expensive brand this company uses absolutely the worst GPS system!!! it's so frustrating for someone like me who has no sense of direction and rely on my GPS full time. it does not tell you the correct time with traffic (which it should because i pay for satellite) and it doesn't re-route you if there's heavy traffic like all my other cars did, can't choose min toll, never re-route to a side roads plus when i know my roads and i'm on a straight line home it tries to put me back on the highway to go 3 miles further to get home it's ridiculous!! this company needs to use a different GPS system, the MDX even cheap FORD has a better system!!

Lexus wins over BMW, Mercedes and Audi compact SUV

I wanted to downsize to a compact SUV after driving larger vehicles while raising my children. After several test drives, it came down to BMW and Lexus. I liked the looks and performance of the BMW, but the comfort of the Lexus outperformed the BMW. I want and need comfort. A recent road rage experience tested the NX 300h’s automatic braking ability. The driver in front of me abruptly stopped his vehicle illegally on a highway. The LEXUS stopped on a dime, keeping me and the jerk who had stopped safe. While it would have been nice to have 2-driver seat memory like our LEXUS ES350, I’m the primary driver who drives the NX 300h 99% of the time, so it wasn’t an important feature to me. Also, I disliked the automatic wipers on our ES350. We live along the coast where the air is often moist. No amount of fine tuning would keep the automatic wipers turning on in thin fog. We shut off that function. Glad it wasn’t to pester me on the NX 300h. I like the driving assist feature that automatically slows down my car when approaching slower vehicles. I also like that I can easily bypass that function by accelerating and pass them. Everything functional in the LEXUS works great. I love my NX 300h. My only two beefs have to do with looks: in an effort to appear luxurious, LEXUS copied BMW to an extent for the interior. The little bit of “luxury”on the dash looks small and silly, compared to the entire sweep of luxury on the BMW X1 & X3’s dashboard. Also, instead of smooth lines, the NX300h has odd rear lights that stick out from the car, reminiscent of the 1950’s fins. I wonder how long it will take for falling rocks to break one of my rear lights.

Uses regular grade gas on the 300h

Quiet ride, overall very sharp quality styling , fit and finish. Love that it uses regular grade gas. Get 30 mpg overall. Had car car 9 months. Have the atomic silver color which really gives the car a rich look.

Solid, Speedy, and Sporty

My Lexus NX300h is a speedy, sporty little car and it is fun to drive. The car drives like a dream and handles well. The negatives for this car are the seats are uncomfortable for me, but okay for my husband. The car interior is noisy while driving and it has rough suspension. Wonderful on smooth roads, but you do feel the bumps on a rough road.

Check features BEFORE you buy

This is the 5th Lexus car I bought. When purchasing the NX I assumed certain features, which I considered to be basic for a Lexus car, would be included. THAT IS NOT THE CASE!! For instance, I was considering an NX 300, but it did not have driver's seat memory. I had to buy an NX 300 H, which the salesman said was top-of-the-line, for over $45,000 MSRP, to get driver's seat memory and the parking sensors. However, after I got it, I realized this car does not turn on the wipers automatically when it rains (a feature I already had in a 2005 RX 330). The car also does not have the heads-up display (a feature I already had in a 2010 RX 450H). In summary, for the NX Lexus is delivering a basic car which does not have the features you usually expect to get in a Lexus car. So, check what you are going to get BEFORE buying an NX.

Not a car to buy if you ever have to drive uphill

I recently started a commute once a week of 200+ miles, including going up and over a mountain pass, and am so disappointed with the lack of power---I routinely have trucks passing me unless I floor it, and then the engine noise is really unacceptable. Same if you're ever trying to jump onto the freeway quickly. My other major beef is the placement of the steering wheel--it feels to high and to far away, even when adjusted as far as it will go. Oh, and the Lexus app suite--that controls navigation and entertainment could use some serious upgrades and is incredibly inefficient, to the point of being maddening. On the plus side, we regularly get 31-32 mpg if the onboard computer is right and the climate control seems to work well.

Not the Bells and Whistles of a 350 or 450

I've now driven this car for 19 months. This is my 4th Lexus. I had an RX300, an RX350. The last one was an RX 450h. I continue to be more than just little disappointed with the lack of amenities that come at this price tag - - even embarrassed at times!!! I still wanted a Lexus, but wanted to go a little smaller...no kids to haul around anymore. So I thought this would be perfect. It handles like a sports car. Love that! It maneuvers well on the highway in heavy traffic. But it is a noticeably rougher ride than the last three cars and even those who ride with me comment about it. And for the price, I was startled that lane drift alert of any kind was not standard. In fact I was told it doesn't come with that at all. Seriously? My son's Hyundai has that!! So does my husbands Tundra. It is a pretty standard feature. The tundra also has a touch screen (nope, not in this Lexus) and bluetoothing the phone does not operate as I'm accustomed (it won't let me dictate a text response). It is a bit smaller inside, so the seats are a bit tighter fit and at first I experienced hip pain until I got used to the narrowness of these seats. The back seats, though, are roomier than you would imagine. In my 450h, I enjoyed the hand held mouse control. This vehicle has the flat surface you drag your finger across. Couple that with the rougher ride and needless to say I've dialed a few wrong folks when trying to select from recent calls on the screen. The radio station selection system is not intuitive. It was between this Lexus and a couple of others and I chose the NX300h because of the good experience I've had with Lexus in the past. I would not purchase this car again at this price point. Entry level vehicle or not, a Lexus should uphold a certain level of perks that this car does not have. I'm not so hung up on the little "L" on the grill that I wouldn't select a higher package version of a Sonata in the future. As far as gas mileage, it has been a disappointment. I got better mileage from my 450h and it was larger and heavier. The tank is VERY SMALL so I am still stopping pretty frequently to fill up. Just driving a "Lexus" doesn't increase the value enough for me to have given up the other amenities I liked. I should have read closer when the information said this was an "entry level" model. That's a bummer. A Lexus should be a Lexus. And by the way, all the free maintenance stuff is not honored if you take it to another Lexus dealership. This was pitched to me as a Lexus benefit, but evidently it is a DEALERSHIP benefit! Imagine my surprise when the next dealership charged me $80 for an oil change. No thanks. My car is going to the Toyota dealership for service where, even though it is not free, it counts toward warranty compliance. Note to Toyota: Spiff up that RAV4 with better seating and you'll be my next car. I'd rather save the $25K!!!!!!!!!!!

Good experience!

This car is a nice size for my husband and I . We had snow and were very pleased with how it handled. We have had passengers and they were very comfortable in the back seat. I had no issues carrying some larger purchases with the back seats folded down. I have enjoyed all the safety features. It's a comfortable, quiet ride.

Comfort

Very comfortable and reliable car. If you are looking for a quiet ride in comfortable seats, this is a car for you. However, boot space could be bigger and dampers could be softer (when using 18inch wheels). I think this car doesn’t have problem with real world dynamics, because it’s transmission reacts in a blink of a second.

Missing one feature

This is my wife’s car. She loves it. However, we traded a 2016 Lincoln MKX 2.7 twin turbo for it. The Lincoln was blisteringly fast. The Lincoln averaged 22 MPG. But approaching 100k trouble free miles. The Lexus, maybe 30 with lackluster performance. The biggest disappointment is the lack of memory seats. I drive the car, maybe, twice per week-just to fuel and wash it. Memory seats were a nice feature. As I mentioned, the fuel economy is not what was expected but overall it’s a nice car. I think the Lincoln infotainment system was easier to use. These days, we have to milk every MPG we can and the Lexus has delivered, for the most part. Just being honest here.

Very Happy With The NX Hybrid

After owning many..more expensive Lexus models; both car and SUV, this NX hybrid is so satisfying. We highly recommend, we had a gasoline 2020 NX 200t that was superb but needed premium fuel and was missing desirable options. With this 2018 that we bought pre owned, we have it all- all wheel drive, Nav heated & ventilated seats etc etc…Exterior LED lighting is beautiful, quality is high all around. 30 plus MPG always on REGULAR gas. Power folding mirrors - The NX could easily become the top seller over the RX, more refined and built in Japan. The space is limited for cargo but four passengers are very comfortable with reclining rear seats. Test drive before buying X3, RDX or a money pit MB. Don’t even consider Cadillac or Infiniti.

Nx300h

I am impressed so far. H is much quitter than the gas model. Deciding factor in purchases. To much time spent in demonstrations of options. Quick guide would be better.

Nice SUV/CUV

Discount pricing is difficult to obtain.

Sporty drive option in NX 300h

It has very good interior design. I own NX 300h for 4 months. In fact I ordered it November and I got it during March. I had my friends bought non lexus brands. They all liked mine. Two people said..driver cabin is just like "cockpit". My niece is 7 year old and he liked it very much, and whenever he rides, he asks me to choose the drive mode in "SPORT". It is very big difference. You feel the drive is so easy with comfort and nice pick up. It is our first Lexus and first Hybrid. All of my family members are very proud of it.

Didn't know it would be this good!

So far this has impressed me beyond compare. Before purchasing, I flirted with a Mercedes C300 and was thoroughly disappointed. This NX 300h has plenty of space and has great gas milage. It is stylish and smooth. Took a cross country road trip and it easily accommodated 4 adults.

Still looks and rides like it is brand new.

Awesome car. Not too big, not too small. Quiet and reliable.

It drives like a car.

I don't want to feel every little bump in the road. It felt cramped. I had a couple of Prius' and the interior felt larger. Sure looks sharp, tho.

Mimic of Best or at Least Trying/

Was very intrigued by the design and tempting to save ever increasing waste of FOSSIL FUEL. Well, the decision has not disappointed me. However, the estimated EPA and from the Manufacturer's CLAIMED MPG has not met the expectation as ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION. When I did check the NX300h blog, there are 8 out of 10 NX hybrid drivers stated that their MPG never matches the ESTIMATED MPG from either EPA nor from LEXUS. Most CONSERVATIVELY driven would MPG is 31 or 32 MPG. Most of the owner of NX300h complaining not even close to CLAIMED MPG. Personal experience with NX300h last 4 years clearly indicated that I must agree with 80% of the NX300h owners. The NX300h I have averaged 28MPG during cold weather seasons except SUMMER which averaged 31 with very minimal accelerations including attempt to use much as possible with ELECTRIC DRIVE ONLY. Worst MPG was 25 MPG during COLD WINTER day. In order to achieve the EPA or/and the Manufacturer's claim, must drive very much conservatively. Interior fit and finish is unmatched by rivals. European competitors would definitely more expensive with these much contents. Soft Dash unlike cheap plastic dash like Toyota Brands. One disappointment is the seats are not real LEATHER instead leatherette. Wondering WHY? use leatherette instead of real leather? Then wonder why Lexus claim as LUXUARY? Exterior frond fascia look very sharp and modern, but rear end every time I look and think the theme might from the TOY STORY character. The NX300H is definitely has more feminine taste then MACHO image. Edmunds, Bluebook, and Consumer's Magazine rated BEST VALUE OVERALL LUXURY and absolutely agree their claims. However, In personal opinion the Value of this LUXUARY ENTRY LEVEL CROSSOVER is well over valued by these critics. WHY? Fully aware that most cars are not an investment, but at least consider some equity expected by MEDIAN INCOME EARNERS! If you are willing to keep this type of entry luxurious vehicle more than 10 years then it is well worth. Three to Four years later, the value depreciated by the Manufacturer is so significant.

Enjoy So Far

The best bang for the buck

Almost the most creature comforts of any car i’ve ever driven

My favorite hybrid - still going strong!

This is my third hybrid and by far my favorite. Very comfortable and great ride. I'm getting a combined 41.4 MPG, since owning previous hybrids I know how to drive one to extend the MPG. 1/4/24 - I’m still loving my NX 300h, no problems and great MPG! 1/8/25 - Still going strong, no problems, only normal maintenance. Just replaced my original tires on 12/6/24, before the trump tariffs.

Stopped Leasing to Enjoy luxury

I used to lease every three years decided in retirement to treat myself to luxury ---- Excellent decision.

Awsome

I love this car, I've seen information where it says this car is sluggish, but not mine. Everyone that gets in my car is at awe!

Love my NX 300h

Enjoy driving my new car and get loads of comments. Comfortable and fun