Lexus RX SUV - MPG, running costs & CO2

Being a luxury SUV, the Lexus RX is not exactly the most affordable new car to buy – it starts from around £60k, while the RX 450h+ costs from £65,000. Thankfully, Lexus offers the RX with a variety of fuel-sipping hybrid powertrains, meaning it shouldn’t be too expensive to run.

Lexus NX SUV MPG & CO2

The self-charging hybrid 350h is the least expensive RX to buy and is claimed to average around 42mpg on the combined WLTP test cycle – CO2 emissions stand at 143g/km. 

The plug-in hybrid 450h+ utilises the same 2.5-litre petrol engine as its self-charging sibling, however, it also gets a larger electric motor and two batteries. Using the larger 18.1kWh unit, the plug-in RX can travel around 40 miles on electric power alone – slightly less than the equivalent BMW X5 xDrive45e, but a figure most drivers should be able to achieve with careful driving in warm conditions.

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What really sets the plug-in hybrid Lexus apart from its competition, though, is its second battery which kicks in whenever the larger unit is depleted, turning the car into an old-school self-charging hybrid. From what we’re aware, this is an industry first. Keep both batteries charged up – a full charge will take around two hours and 45 minutes when connected to a home wallbox – and you’ll return up to 256.8mpg. This also means CO2 emissions are as low as 24g/km, putting the 450h+ in the eight per cent Benefit-in-Kind company car tax bracket.

Finally, the range-topping RX 500h uses a turbocharged 2.4-litre self-charging hybrid, and as you’d expect being the most powerful model in the range, it’s also the least efficient. Buyers can expect to return around 34.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 189g/km.

Insurance groups

Unfortunately, no matter which version of the Lexus RX you pick, all will be rather expensive to insure. While insurance groups for the new car are yet to be revealed, the old RX straddled groups 34-42.

Warranty

As standard, all Lexus models come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, with hybrid and electrical components guaranteed for five years. However, just like with its parent brand, Toyota, if you choose to get your car serviced at a main dealer each and every year, this can extend up to 10 years and 100,000 miles.

Servicing

All versions of the new RX require servicing every 10,000 miles or annually, whichever comes sooner. This could add up to more regular servicing than models from some rivals – BMW uses a system whereby sensors within the vehicle determine when a service is required, rather than sticking to fixed intervals.