• Solid official fuel economy figures
• E-Four models slightly less frugal
• As reliable as we expect a Lexus to be

What are the running costs?

Despite its extra power, the Lexus UX300h is actually more efficient than the old 250h. According to the official WLTP figures, front-wheel-drive models can achieve fuel economy of as much as 56.4mpg, while E-Four models can do 50.4mpg. Note those figures are best case scenarios for models with smaller wheels. By contrast, the front-wheel-drive 250h could do 53.2mpg.

In our testing, we found it’s possible to get within a couple of mpg of the official figures. The car’s self-charging hybrid system automatically juggles engine and battery power to maximise efficiency – that basically means the engine is used as little as possible. On the flip side, though, if you tend to drive quite fast, especially on motorways, the battery runs out of charge quickly and the UX can drink fuel.

18

Servicing and warranty

Being a premium brand, Lexus servicing costs are steeper than they are for more mainstream brands. But you can spread the cost by taking out one of the brand’s fixed price, multi-year service plans.

Being a product of the Toyota Motor Corporation, up to 10 years of warranty coverage is available on the UX. After an initial three-year warranty, having the car serviced annually by Lexus adds another year to the coverage, up to the 10-year and 100,000-mile cut-off.

Reliability

• Lexus has a virtually spotless reputation
• Looks and feels very well built
• Well-regarded by owners

Lexus has a stellar reputation for building cars to very high standards – with some incredible attention to detail that it calls ‘takumi craftsmanship’. That includes such details as windows that slow down just before they’re fully closed to reduce noise, and exhaustive testing of the doors to make sure they shut with a suitably solid thunk.

The UX is made from a set of very well-proven mechanical and electrical components – not that Toyota/Lexus really have problems with new ones – and no particular reliability issues have surfaced. Our owner reviews show that people are generally very happy with their UX, as well.

18

But even Lexus gets things wrong occasionally, and two recalls have been issued for the UX. One related to the emergency call system, the other to the brake booster. Only small numbers of cars were affected, and they should have had rectification work carried out by now. The government’s vehicle recall check website provides details.

If you’re thinking about buying a used UX, check the service history and/or contact a dealer to find out if any recall work has been carried out. Outstanding recalls are listed on the MOT certificate of any car that’s more than three years old.