Lexus RZ review

Driving position

First and foremost, the Lexus RZ is one of those SUVs that doesn’t really feel like an SUV. Compared with rivals like the Tesla Model Y and Volvo EC40 (and C40), you sit much lower.

We tried the top-spec F Sport Takumi with its sporty front seats, but all trims get comfortable and supportive seats given Lexus' positioning as a premium brand.

Importantly, our test model had the flagship ‘steer-by-wire' steering wheel upgrade, which at the time of writing is standard on F Sport and F Sport Takumi models.

The steering wheel does exactly that – talks to the wheels via an electrical cable – so it’s effectively disconnected from the wheels. Don't confuse it with electric power steering, which is still physically connected to the wheels.

Oh, and let’s not call it a steering wheel. It’s a yoke design, with two grab-handle-like sections on the sides and a chopped-off top.

Ultimately, though, it gives you a totally uninterrupted view of the instrument panel. Something Peugeot’s tried to achieve with its low-mounted i-Cockpit steering wheel, but we think Lexus does it better.

Our only criticism of how the ‘wheel’ works is that the indicators are mounted to it – not the column – so they move as you turn the wheel. This makes it difficult to find the stalk on a roundabout, for example.

Tech and features

Lexus RZ trims

– Premium

– Premium Plus

– Takumi

– F Sport

– F Sport Takumi

A huge 14-inch touchscreen sits proudly in the centre of the dash, but it never feels overwhelming. In fact, just like other Lexus and Toyota cars, it blends seamlessly into the rest of the dash.

We especially like the physical rotary controls for climate control – they have small displays in the centre to show the temperature, but are still easy to use. The perfect blend of modern and accessible, if you ask us.

The rest of the climate controls live on a permanent taskbar along the bottom, too.

Standard equipment varies by model year, but generally includes electric front seats, keyless entry, wireless phone charging and a panoramic sunroof.

Higher trims add things like cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a head-up display and, for Takumi variants, a dimmable panoramic sunroof that electrically switches between transparent and a blue-tinted opaque. It’s really, really smart.

Credit also goes to the high-end 13-speaker Mark Levinson sound system on the Takumi and F Sport Takumi, which is second to none. The standard 10-speaker array will be fine for most, though.

Electric motors and power

Lexus RZ performance stats

– Power: 204 to 408hp

– 0-62mph: 8.0 to 4.4 seconds

– Top speed: Up to 112mph

– Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (DIRECT4)

Lexus has actually sold the RZ with a broad range of electric powertrains since launch, phasing some out and adding new ones in, so what you’ll have access to depends on the year you’re looking at.

They all make total sense, because the higher the number, the more power it has. They include the RZ 300e, RZ 350e, RZ 450e, RZ 500e and RZ550e.

The 204hp ‘300e’ came first but was later replaced by the 224hp ‘350e’. They’re both front-wheel drive, which is fine for pottering around town, but we’d have preferred a more engaging rear-wheel-drive setup as you get in the Tesla Model Y.

Similarly, the 380hp ‘500e’ and 408hp ‘550e’ replaced the earlier 313hp ‘450e’ on the quicker end of the scale, but they all use twin-motor, all-wheel-drive setups.

We tested the RZ 550e DIRECT4, so had no problem with power or grip.

It’s worth pointing out that power delivery is smoother than it is harsh, so you don’t necessarily get the kick in the back you might expect, but still, it would only take a light prod of the throttle to end up on the wrong side of the speed limit.

Handling and ride comfort

Comfort is the RZ’s priority, which actually suits the Lexus badge to a tee. It’s exceptionally quiet even at speed, and extra sound insulation in a 2026 update made things even quieter.

Wheels range from 18 inches with a 60-profile tyre, which likely helps soften the ride, to the 20-inch wheels we had on our test car with lower-profile rubber.

We can’t say the ride ever felt jarring over poor surfaces and potholes, and the RZ did a much better job than a Tesla Model Y over the same surfaces.

Mind you, the RZ 550e also has slightly different suspension to the lower models, so they’re probably even more comfortable.

Fake engine sounds also come courtesy of the ‘M’ manual mode, which is also an RZ 550e-only feature (at the time of writing, at least).

It adds something we’re starting to see a lot of and something that first got mainstream attention in the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N – virtual gear shifts.

The flappy paddles go from controlling how much regen you get to shifting up and down fake gears.

It feels seriously sporty, and the car gives you a big jolt between each gear for added fun. It also holds you in a gear, forcing you to interact with the paddles.

As for the regen, well, we’d prefer it to be stronger. It’s probably the only thing that lets the RZ down, while the Model Y and EC40 offer much, much stronger regenerative braking.

Now onto the elephant in the room – steer by wire. Well, good news, because it really, really works. We can see how this may eventually end up in every car in the not-too-distant future.

Lexus calls it One Motion Grip because your hands never really need to leave the wheel – a full-lock-to-full-lock steer is just 200 degrees, compared with around 1,000 degrees in a conventional car. That’s a major improvement and makes parking a doddle.

It also varies by speed, so don’t worry about a tiny turn causing you to swerve out of your lane on the motorway.

Boot space

Lexus RZ boot space:

– Boot space: 522 litres

– Incl. rear seats folded: 1,451 litres

The 522-litre boot is really positive, but what’s not so helpful is the awkward shape. The floor’s not totally square, as the boot gets narrower the further into the car it goes.

Still, there’s a decent amount of space under the false floor and the boot opening is nice and wide, so it’s a good story overall.

The RZ gets more space than a Volvo EC40 (404 litres) and Genesis GV60 (432 litres), but it’s about on par with a Polestar 4 (526 litres) and Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron (535 litres).

Sadly, there’s no front boot (‘froot’). Electric cars are split down the middle as to whether they have one or not, and the RZ is on the wrong side of that line in our opinion.

It’s an often-overlooked space that’s perfect for storing charging cables and things that you need infrequent access to, but when you do, you don't want to be digging through a fully loaded boot.

Rear seats

Rear-seat space is an RZ strong point, thanks to a long wheelbase which extends legroom. Even headroom is good given the sloping, coupé-like roofline and panoramic sunroof.

A completely flat floor is also ideal for carrying three abreast – not that you’d really want to for long trips.

If you do, the digital rear-view mirror on mid- and high-spec cars really makes a difference.

Awkwardly, it uses its own camera that’s positioned next to the reversing camera by the number plate, rather than one on the roof as many other cars do, so the rearward view actually comes from a lower-than-ideal angle.

In traffic, while you might expect to see over the top of something like a Fiesta through your rear-view mirror, you actually end up seeing the car’s grille because of this positioning.

Storage solutions

Cabin storage is decent, but there’s a really weird omission – there’s no glovebox. At all.

Thankfully, there’s a lot of storage elsewhere, including a front armrest that’s dual-hinged, so it can open from both sides. And a floating centre console hides a narrow cubby beneath it.

The door bins can also hold a fair amount, and have bottle-shaped cutouts.

Some models, depending on trim, have vehicle-to-load (V2L) too. Instead of having to carry around a clunky adaptor to plug into the external charging socket, Lexus fitted two domestic three-pin sockets – one in the rear console and one in the boot.

They’re limited to 1,500W, which is a bit lower than the requirements of an air fryer, but it’s still ideal for most camping gadgets.

Lexus RZ dimensions

Height: 1,635mm

Width: 1,895mm (excl. door mirrors)

Length: 4,805mm

Kerb weight: Up to 2,180kg

Safety

Five stars in its Euro NCAP safety test is a great result, but with scores of 80-90% across all four categories, the RZ is also consistently good.

Safety tech includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and driver attention monitoring.

Range and charging

Lexus RZ: electric range, battery and charging

– Range: Up to 353 miles

– Battery size: 71.4 to 77kWh

– Max charging speed: 150kW

– Charge port location: Front left

– Charge time (AC): 11 hours (77kWh) with a 7kW charger

– Charge time (DC): 10-80% in 30 minutes

– Efficiency: Up to 3.8 mi/kWh (claimed)

Earlier 71.4kWh models got replaced by 77kWh models, so exact range varies not only by motor configuration but also model year. Check any individual model for the specifics, because they’re generally all different.

On the whole, expect range to sit in the 250-350-mile range.

In our case, we tried the newer RZ 550e with the bigger 77kWh battery, which Lexus claims is capable of 280 miles of range on its 20-inch wheels. That’s the equivalent of 3.4 mi/kWh.

With a light foot, you’ll likely be able to achieve this, but if you’re likely to be tempted by all that power, expect efficiency to drop slightly. We ended up with an average closer to 3.0 mi/kWh, which is about average but not class leading.

Everything works very well, and for most trips, it’ll do you just fine, but other electric SUVs are paces ahead of the RZ in terms of efficiency, battery size and range, and charging.

It’s still limited to 150kW at a rapid charging station, while rivals can more than double this. The 10-80% top-up time of 30 minutes is something that even smaller hatchbacks are achieving.

Reliability

Lexus excels on the reliability front, with not only an outstanding reputation and the backing of parent company Toyota, but also up to 10 years’ vehicle warranty with annual, recognised servicing.

That’s more than 3x the industry average, 2.5x the coverage you get on a Tesla, and 1.4x longer than Kia’s offering, which was already considered exceptional.

Steer-by-wire is a relative newcomer to the industry, so that yoke-style steering ‘wheel’ is still somewhat of a mystery in terms of long-term reliability. In theory, there’s less to go wrong, but if it were to go wrong, we suspect a fix could prove costly.