Lexus LBX Review & Prices

The Lexus LBX is a good small SUV, with an excellent hybrid engine and high-quality interior. It’s the smallest SUV in the Japanese manufacturer’s line-up - but it’s also arguably its best. It successfully distils the luxury essence of the larger RX and NX, but avoids feeling like it’s cheaper because it’s smaller. It’s still a Lexus, but miniaturised. However, it’s not really a car for keen drivers and it’s more expensive than some really excellent small SUVs.

Like an expensive clutch bag or an M&S in a petrol station, the Lexus LBX is proof that posh things can come in really small packages. Though it’s based on the same mechanical underpinnings as the Toyota Yaris Cross, Lexus has given it a totally new exterior look and interior fittings, so surprisingly little of what you interact with day-to-day can be found on the cheaper sibling. Take note, Stellantis - anybody who’s driven a pricey Peugeot or DS and noticed the same buttons as on a Citroen or Vauxhall will understand.

The LBX’s size puts it a class below other premium options such as the BMW X1 or Mercedes EQA - it’s somewhere between an Audi A1 and an Audi Q3 in terms of space. A Volvo EX30 is similarly-sized, but electric-powered and not as luxurious.

Though it’s smaller than the rest of the Lexus range, the styling is very familiar. There’s a pointy nose, tall grille and angular headlamps, while at the rear there’s a full-width lightbar. It’s smart, though not massively exciting - an Alfa Romeo Junior or Mini Aceman are both more eye-catching. However, neither of them can compete when it comes to interior quality.

The LBX feels like a properly luxurious little car, a world away from the Toyota Yaris Cross and its functional but plain interior. There are plush materials including leather on the door cards and centre console and soft-touch plastics on almost all the surfaces you interact with, lots of standard equipment and even some really fancy features such as the Lexus-typical soft-close electric windows. Top trim levels even come with bougie Alcantara upholstery.

All models get a 9.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is a huge improvement on Lexus systems of old such as the one you’d find in the pre-facelift Lexus UX. It has sharp graphics and a responsive interface, though some of the functions - such as the driver assistance systems - are squirreled away under one or two layers of menus.

It’s a small SUV, so space isn’t particularly high on the agenda. The rear bench is cramped for legroom and headroom, making this more suited to couples or a very young family than people trying to ferry around lots of kids. Boot space is similar to alternatives in the standard models, but the optional four-wheel drive variant eats up a lot of cargo space.

Don’t expect driving thrills from the LBX, whether you go front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Its hybrid engine isn’t particularly powerful, and if you put your foot down it can get quite noisy. However, it’s very refined in town, and deals well with lumps and bumps on all road types. Its compact dimensions make it a breeze to slide through tight city streets and if driven carefully it’s also astonishingly efficient.

Check out new Lexus LBX deals on Carwow, or Lexus LBX lease deals to avoid paying a big lump sum outright. You can browse through used Lexus LBXs for sale through our network of trusted dealers, or other used Lexus models for something a bit more spacious. Carwow can also help you sell your car when you’re ready for a change.

Who is the Lexus LBX best for?

The Lexus LBX is best for single people, couples, or families with one child - it doesn’t have a lot of room in the back seat. It’s perfect for people who want luxury on a budget, especially considering its fantastic fuel economy. And if you’re retired and want something easy-to-drive and trouble-free, the LBX should be at the top of your shopping list.

Trim highlights

Urban: 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 9.8-inch touchscreen
Premium: Heated front seats, adjustable lumbar support, blind-spot monitoring, privacy glass
Premium Plus: 18-inch alloy wheels, 12.3-inch digital cockpit, head-up display
Vibrant Edition: Matte black 18-inch alloy wheels, exterior black pack
Premium Plus Design: Matte black 18-inch alloy wheels
Vibrant Edition Bi-Tone: Two-tone paint
Takumi: 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, heated steering wheel, electric front seats, Mark Levinson sound system

The Lexus LBX starts at a fraction under £30,000 for the entry-level, front-wheel drive Urban trim, but it’s rather well equipped for a base-model car. You get 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and the 9.8-inch touchscreen as standard.

Premium trim adds heated seats, adjustable lumbar support, blind spot monitoring and heated front seats, while Premium Plus trim comes with all of that as well as 18-inch wheels and a head-up display.

Top-spec all-wheel drive Takumi Design cars have 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, a heated steering wheel, electrically-adjustable front seats and a 12.3-inch driver display. You’ll pay over £42,000 for the top trim level in all-wheel drive though, so you really need to want all of the fancy gizmos to justify the extra spend.

That puts the LBX Urban at just under the price of a range-topping Peugeot 208 hybrid, which is a good option if you can do with a bit less space but you want just as posh an interior - and more bells and whistles - for your money. A Volvo EX30 will be a few thousand pounds more at any trim level but they’re more comfortable, and the long-range cars could be worth considering if you’re considering an EV alternative.

For our money, we’d go for the Premium Plus car, as it gets heated seats - almost an essential in winter - and the larger 18-inch alloy wheels, which look a lot smarter than the 17-inch options on more basic cars. It also has the larger, posher instrument display. However, even the basic Urban trim won’t feel too Spartan, and it’s a lot cheaper.

We tested a Takumi model in August 2024, and especially liked the Mark Levinson sound system that comes as standard on this trim level - music lovers take note. We did think that the 360-degree cameras and head-up display were a bit superfluous on a car this small, though.

The LBX is a fantastic companion round town, comfortable over bumps, but an Audi Q2 feels more involving to drive on a twisty road

We tested the Lexus LBX over the course of a week on a variety of roads, including rural routes around Cambridgeshire, the A1 and M1 motorway, and town driving through Peterborough and London.

In town

The LBX shares its underpinnings with the Toyota Yaris Cross - the car which won the ‘Urban Living’ category in the 2025 Carwow Car of the Year awards. It’s not at all surprising, then, to find that the Lexus is a great car to drive around town.

It uses a 1.5-litre hybrid engine with a continuously variable transmission that provides smooth acceleration and plenty of pep off the line thanks to the low-down response of the electric motor. As a result it feels nippy up to 30mph, even if the overall acceleration stats aren’t overly impressive.

If you do put your foot to the floor, the engine revs quite hard, but thanks to extra sound deadening over its Yaris Cross sibling it’s not too obtrusive. The suspension has also been overhauled, and delivers a softer ride over lumps and bumps than most other small SUVs.

On the motorway

With 136hp on tap the LBX isn’t especially rapid and you will notice there’s not much power in reserve for overtakes or short sliproads. But it’s very quiet when you do reach a cruise, and it doesn’t feel underpowered compared to cars like the Audi Q2.

The LBX has a suite of assisted driving features and they do generally work well, but the cruise control is activated through a multi-functional controller on the wheel which requires you look at the head-up display to figure out what function does what. It’s needlessly complicated.

Other features, such as the highly annoying speed limit warning or overly cautious driver attention alert, are controlled through several layers of menu on the touchscreen. We wish there were shortcuts for this, like you get on a BMW X1 (where you just have to hold one button for a few seconds).

On a twisty road

An Audi Q2 or BMW X1 are much more involving to drive than the Lexus down a twisty road. It’s not that the LBX lacks competence, it just doesn’t aim for an enjoyable drive - rather a relaxing one.

The steering, though accurate, is quite slow and doesn’t give much feedback to the driver, whereas the CVT transmission means there’s always a disconnect between what the engine is doing and where your right foot is positioned.

There’s also quite a lot of body lean in the bends thanks to the soft suspension. At lower speeds, you’ll find the LBX relaxing, but it feels a bit frantic to drive quickly.

The Lexus LBX is more spacious inside than you might expect of a car this size, but the boot is really small

The Lexus LBX is a small car, so it was never going to be cavernous inside. That being said, it’s not as tight as you might expect, with loads of adjustment in the seat to get the height you need. The steering wheel has a lot of movement for reach, but it’s limited in how much height you can change. All that being said, leg space is fairly cramped, particularly for taller drivers.

The secondary issue this causes is that it’s tricky for the driver to access the cubby hole beneath the dashboard. It’s a usefully spacious area, but you might need to get your passenger to reach in from their side as your leg blocks access and there’s not much room to manoeuvre it out of the way.

There’s a single cupholder ahead of the gear selector, with a slot to place your phone on the wireless charge pad ahead of it, with USB-C charge slots not far away. A second cupholder is hidden beneath the armrest, where you’ll also find some more storage.

Space in the back seats

Knee room is only just about okay, but you get good under-thigh support to help relax on longer journeys. Headroom is a bit tighter, so tall passengers will be rubbing their hair on the roof lining, while fitting three across the back is a challenge.

It’s still a small SUV, though, so while accommodation is better than it could be, your passengers will still be more comfortable in a longer vehicle - such as an Audi Q3 or BMW X1. We also found that any legroom disappeared when the driving position was set for our 6’ 2” tester.

There’s not much storage in the back, with small door bins about the extent of it. There’s a couple of USB-C slots for charging devices between the front passengers, so it’s not completely creature comfort-free.

Fitting a child seat is pretty tough, though. The rear doors aren’t particularly wide and a bulky child seat pushes up against those in the front. At least the ISOFIX mounting points are really easy to get to.

Boot space

While the LBX is quite spacious inside, the boot isn't as impressive. If you go for the front-wheel drive model it's a respectable 402 litres, but in the all-wheel drive version this drops to 317 litres, which is some way off the other alternatives you might consider. The Audi Q2 is close at 405 litres, but the bigger Mercedes GLA and Mini Countryman have 435 and 480 litres respectively.

The LBX has plenty of room for a weekly shop for two or a couple of big suitcases, but parents with big pushchairs will find they’re struggling to fit much else inside. We found when taking the LBX shopping that it had plenty of room for a couple’s groceries, though the boot lacks handy features such as dividers or lots of bag hooks.

Even with the space you do get, accessing it isn’t the easiest. There’s a deep lip, so if you’re loading something heavy you need to reach in, and there’s minimal under-floor storage. The small boot does at least mean you can fold the rear seats down easily by pressing a button by the headrests.

Interior quality is top-notch in the front, but those in the back will notice cheaper plastics on the door cards

Interior design and quality is where the Lexus LBX really stands out from its alternatives. The soft Alcantara upholstery found on high-spec models feels really luxurious, and everything you see and touch looks and feels expensive. The material atop the dashboard is almost sponge-like in the way you can squash it between your fingers.

Those in the back get the same lovely seats, but there are a few cheaper plastics to be found, particularly on the top of the door, which you notice when you go to rest your arm. Overall, though, this is the most luxurious small car you can buy.

Fortunately, the infotainment system lives up to the rest of the interior – something that’s not been true of Lexus models in recent memory. Gone is the awkward laptop-like trackpad, and in is a high-resolution touchscreen. It’s a 9.8-inch display and the graphics are sharp, though it’s a shame Apple CarPlay gets wireless support while Android Auto is wired-only.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument display looks great, but it’s only included on Premium Plus cars and above, with Urban and Premium cars getting a 7.0-inch screen.

One of the choice upgrades is the 13-speaker Mark Levinson sound system. Lexus has been using this brand for years and they sound brilliant, but you will have to go for the top-spec Takumi grade to enjoy it.

Under the bonnet sits a 1.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid engine that comes with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive, though the latter is only available with the Takumi trim.

It’s essentially the same unit found in the Toyota Yaris Cross, but it’s been updated to be lighter and more efficient. It makes a reasonable 136hp and can go from 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds. Far from thrilling, but it’s the efficiency that’s the real selling point of this engine – it will do up to 62.7mpg according to official tests (correct as of 24/11/2025).

When we tested a Takumi model in August 2024, we saw 55mpg during mixed mileages around Peterborough - spending some time on the A1 as well as heading into rural Norfolk. Around town, a figure over 60mpg was easily achievable.

Its low CO2 emissions mean that road tax will be fairly low, and only Takumi models are at risk of facing the extra charge in years two to six because of their proximity to the £40,000 limit. As for company car tax, it won’t be extortionate, but all-electric and plug-in hybrid models will have more favourable rates.

Euro NCAP rating (2024): 5/5

Adult occupant: 82%
Child occupant: 83%
Vulnerable road users: 79%
Safety assist: 76%

When safety tested by Euro NCAP in 2024 the Lexus LBX scored the top five-star rating, with scores of 82% and 83% in adult and child occupant protection particularly impressive for a small car. Every Lexus model Euro NCAP has ever tested has scored the top rating, a remarkable record.

Safety kit levels ramp up as you work up the trim levels. As standard you get front and rear parking sensors with a rear-view camera, but stepping up one grade to Premium adds a pre-collision warning, driver monitor, blind spot monitor and more.

Takumi models add an automatic parking system, 360-degree camera, lane change assistance and an automatic braking system if it senses traffic passing in front of the car.

*the basic three-year warranty is extended by a year with each approved service

Much like its impeccable safety record, Lexus is also known for building some of the most reliable cars around. The LBX is yet to go out on the road and prove its reliability, but the Toyota Yaris Cross has been racking up miles without raising any alarms.

To back this up, Lexus offers the longest warranty of any manufacturer in the UK (alongside its sister company Toyota, of course). All new cars come with a three-year warranty, and this can then be extended by 12 months annually up to 10 years or 100,000 miles by servicing the car at an official Lexus Centre. This is fully transferable between owners, so you can continue to benefit from this up to the time/mileage limit even when buying a used LBX.

Tom Wiltshire's verdict

I’m a big fan of the Lexus LBX - you can’t really get many properly luxurious small cars any more, and this combined with the brand’s impressive build quality and long warranty mean it’s definitely a car I’d recommend to people who like the finer things but don’t want to worry about the potential reliability pitfalls of a premium German brand.

• A city-friendly Lexus that brings a touch of big-car luxury to a small hybrid SUV
• Powered by a 1.5-litre hybrid engine: it’s smooth and superbly efficient, but not very fast
• Very refined and quiet: the LBX gets extra soundproofing compared to its Toyota Yaris Cross sibling
• Rear passenger space is tight: headroom and legroom are limited, and the boot is smaller than you might expect
• Incredibly fuel-efficient: up to 62.7mpg in official tests and over 55mpg easily in our own testing
• Strong on safety: it earned a five-star Euro NCAP rating and there’s lots of standard driver assistance equipment

Model tested: Lexus LBX Takumi, Passion Yellow, August 2024.