2026 Lexus ES 500e AWD rear view showing badge

The 2026 Lexus ES 500e AWD. Photo: Lexus.

2026 Lexus ES 500e: Edison Buyers Guide

Quick Answer: The 2026 ES 500e

The ES 500e is the performance flagship of the redesigned ES lineup — dual electric motors (221 hp front, 118 hp rear) for 338 combined horsepower, standard DIRECT4 all-wheel drive, and a 0-60 time of 5.1 seconds, the quickest any ES has ever gone from a stop. Two trims: Premium at $51,795 and Luxury at $60,195 (both include the $1,295 destination charge). EPA range runs 276 miles on 19-inch wheels, 272 on the 21-inch option. It shares its 74.7-kWh battery with the ES 350e but adds the rear motor, AWD, and a genuinely different personality behind the wheel.

The quickest ES Lexus has built

Add a 118-hp motor at the rear axle to the 350e's front motor and the combined net output climbs to 338 horsepower with standard all-wheel drive Lexus calls DIRECT4. The result is a 5.1-second run to 60 — genuinely quick for a car this size and this quiet — without giving up much of the range that makes an ES electric worth owning. EPA puts it at 276 miles on the standard 19-inch wheels, dropping to 272 with the 21-inch wheel option, a smaller range penalty than you'd expect for the extra motor and the AWD hardware.

Charging is identical to the 350e: the same 74.7-kWh pack, DC fast charging from 10 to 80 percent in about 28 minutes at up to 150 kW, NACS port with a CCS adapter included. The extra motor doesn't cost you charging speed, just a bit of range at the margins.

Premium vs. Luxury

Premium carries the same well-equipped baseline as the 350e Premium — NuLuxe seating, 14.0-inch Lexus Interface, 12.3-inch driver display, Lexus Safety System+ 4.0, wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, 10-speaker sound, 19-inch wheels. Luxury adds semi-aniline leather, the 17-speaker/1,800-watt Mark Levinson system, Panoramic View Monitor, standard Traffic Jam Assist and Lane Change Assist, Advanced Park with Remote Park, knee-level radiant heating, and Digital Key 2.0. Unlike the 350e, the 500e Luxury does not get the Executive Package rear-seat option — that one's reserved for the FWD electric trim — but it does qualify for the optional Dual Wireless Chargers and, on Premium, the Cold Area and Convenience packages that add winter-weather gear and the fuller driver-assist suite.

Why choose the 500e over the 350e

Both electric ES trims share a battery and a cabin; the real decision is standard AWD and 338 hp versus FWD and 221 hp, for roughly $3,000 more at the Premium level. For a New Jersey winter commute where traction matters more than the last few miles of range, or for a driver who simply wants the quicker car, the 500e is the clearer pick. For a buyer optimizing purely for range and price, the 350e wins. Both outrun a plain hybrid ES on straight-line performance, if that's part of the calculation.

What buyers say

Recent service and delivery reviews at Lexus of Edison consistently name the same handful of staff going above the baseline. "Just had my new [ES] serviced at Lexus RT.1 EDISON. Beautiful brand new showroom. I was there less than an hour," one 2026 visitor wrote — a fair preview of what picking up a new 500e here looks like, from the same team now handling deliveries on Lexus's newest performance EV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the ES 500e an F Sport model?

No — there's no F Sport trim on the 2026 ES at all, despite the performance numbers. The 500e is a standalone dual-motor performance trim within the regular Premium/Luxury structure, not a sub-brand.

How much does the ES 500e cost to charge at home vs. the 350e?

Both share the same 74.7-kWh battery, so home charging costs are essentially identical per kWh — the 500e simply covers a few fewer miles per full charge because of the added motor and AWD hardware.

Does 21-inch wheels really cost that much range on the 500e?

Barely — EPA-rated range only drops from 276 to 272 miles, a 4-mile difference, much smaller than the 350e's 15-mile gap between wheel sizes. If the styling upgrade matters to you, the 500e is the more forgiving trim to choose it on.

Is the ES 500e all-wheel drive standard, or optional?

Standard — every ES 500e, Premium or Luxury, comes with DIRECT4 AWD. There's no FWD version of the 500e; that's what separates it from the 350e.

See one at Lexus of Edison

The 500e is the newest, most in-demand trim in the lineup — check current new inventory before assuming it's on the lot, or book an extended test drive to feel the difference against the ES 350e back to back. Back to the full ES lineup overview.

All 2026 Lexus ES guides

MSRP figures include the $1,295 destination charge and exclude taxes, title, registration, and dealer-installed options; the dealer sets the actual selling price. EPA range and efficiency figures are government-certified estimates via fueleconomy.gov; real-world range varies with wheel size, climate, speed, and driving style. Equipment and availability can shift with configuration and production timing — confirm current specs with Lexus of Edison. Customer quotes are excerpts from public Google reviews of Lexus of Edison.