Lexus LBX (2025) Review

Introduction

Lexus often gets overlooked – and quite unfairly.

It is rarely discussed in conversations about premium brands like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz- or Jaguar/Land Rover, for that matter.

But it’s hard to see why. After all, Lexus produces superb cars – often cheaper to lease than competitors, and usually with better reliability. In fact, as German powerhouses faltered in dependability, Lexus clawed its way to the top of various leaderboards.

Inevitably, like many manufacturers, Lexus’ range includes a variety of SUVs and crossovers nowadays (plus a saloon car or two for the sake of tradition).

Here, we're looking at its smallest car - the LBX compact crossover SUV. It's the only premium brand in this segment to offer a hybrid, so it has an advantage straight away.

It derives some of its hybridity from the DNA of the Toyota Yaris Cross's system. But don’t let that put you off – the two cars share little else, in terms of size, shape or features.

At A Glance

Much like Audi, Lexus has a signature grille shape nowadays, and, like the German marque, it's huge, dominating the front end.

There isn't quite enough room to create the corset-shaped outline found on some of its siblings, but the LBX still features a wide mesh trapezoidal grille, flanked by a couple of bits of silver bodywork and prominent chiselled cheekbones.

There is a sort of ‘collar’ above the grille, above which there’s a gap, and the day-running lights poke out of the sides of this gap, creating a mean frown at the front.

The sides look more modest but still feature some shapeliness at the bottom of the doors, where the cladding rises slightly, and the roofline slopes downwards towards the back.

The rear looks stylish, too, with a thin light bar which expands out to create the shape of the taillights on each side, above a blank space.

At each lower corner, there’s more chiselled bodywork and, as if mimicking the grille, another trapezoid, this time creating an indentation to house the number plate.

It is a very nicely proportioned car, which is at odds with most of Lexus's larger sizes. If the interior is up to the job, though, this could well be one of the most luxurious small cars on the market.

Key Features

The Lexus LBX comes in various trim levels, which Lexus calls ‘grades’.

Entry-level Urban gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a 9.8-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, digital radio and voice control, a seven-inch digital instrument display, plus dual-zone climate control.

There is also an illuminated entry system, fabric seat upholstery, a synthetic-leather steering wheel, an acoustic windscreen, and automatic LED headlights and electrically adjustable door mirrors.

Premium upgrades to Tahara synthetic leather seats (heated in the front), enhanced cabin illumination, ambient lighting, automatic wipers, aluminium scuff plates, driver’s lumbar support, tinted rear windows, and a wireless phone charger.

Premium Plus gets 18-inch alloys, a larger 12.3-inch digital instrument display, smart keyless entry, Nanoe X air filtering technology, steering switches, a head-up display, more USB ports, and a powered tailgate.

Takumi gets semi-aniline leather upholstery, eight-way powered driver’s seat adjustment, a 13-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, front side acoustic windows, adaptive high beam, cornering lights, LED fog lamps, and multi-colour ambient lighting.

Takumi Design gets leather and ultrasuede upholstery, and a black roof.

Power comes from a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol unit and an electric motor, producing 136PS.

It is front-wheel drive, although Takumi and Takumi Design can opt for all-wheel drive.

Performance & Drive

We are testing the LBX in range-topping Takumi Design trim.

The top model doesn’t get a more powerful engine, though – its 1.5-litre petrol may not sound exciting, but it does the job, doing 0-62mph in 9.2 seconds (9.6 seconds in all-wheel drive versions).

Hardly ground-breaking, but it feels quicker than it is, especially when accelerating up to 30mph, and it’s adequate enough, roughly on a par with plenty of rivals. It shares its powertrain with the Toyota Yaris Cross – but don’t let that put you off, as it’s been tuned to be more responsive to accelerator inputs.

The engine is impressively refined, too; even when worked hard, it doesn't sound coarse, in part thanks to the work Lexus has carried out to dampen vibration and soundproof the cabin.

Its CVT gearbox produces a rather strange engine note if you're not used to the technology (CVTs are effectively one gear adaptable to different speeds), but overall, the driving experience is quiet and serene.

The engine will switch itself off, allowing brief moments of all-electric driving when sat in queues, which helps fuel economy and prevents emissions in busier, built-up areas – and it's seamless when the engine cuts in and out.

Lexus has also fitted the LBX with a rather stiff setup, which might be foreign to Lexus die-hards. This makes it quite engaging to drive, although the suspension has been overhauled from the Toyota Yaris Cross and does a better job of soaking up potholes and bumps than its Japanese counterpart. As a result, despite the firm-ish ride, it's still comfortable to run around town in, and even more relaxed on faster, smoother roads such as motorways.

The steering is reasonably well weighted, but it’s a little too sensitive and doesn't provide much feedback through the wheel. The tyres grip the road well, though, and the short wheelbase makes it entertaining to thread through bends.

Body roll is well controlled, making it adept at flicking between twistier left-right-left corners on a twisty road. It isn’t, however, quite as well built to handle as the likes of German premium brands.

Wind and road noise are well damped out – again, perhaps not quite as much as in the premium branded cars, which may be because its small size leaves few places for the sounds to reverberate to, other than inside the cabin. Sound-deadening treatments, such as acoustic glass on the windscreen and front side windows, and active noise cancellation technology, are available on some trims.

Running Costs & Emissions

The LBX’s hybrid powertrain returns 60.1 to 62.7mpg, emitting 102 to 108g/km of CO2 depending on the exact model, which is impressively economical.

As expected, all-wheel drive versions fare slightly worse, managing 56.4 to 60.1mpg and emitting 110 to 113g/km of CO2. That means the LBX straddles the 26, 27, and 28% Benefit-In-Kind tax bands, although company car users stand to make more substantial savings by choosing a plug-in hybrid or a fully electric car.

Road tax will cost £390 to £440 for the first year, depending on the exact model, dropping to £195 a year after that (subject to annual increases).

Bear in mind, though, that the Takumi Design trim (as well as the all-wheel drive Takumi model) breaches the £40,000 mark. That will add £425-a-year to your road tax bill - but only for years two to six inclusive.

Lexus has a good reputation for reliability, generally speaking, often coming near the top of leaderboards.

Interior & Technology

For a small car, the interior is lovely.

There is a three-spoke steering wheel that looks large, although that's mainly because the cabin is comparatively small compared with other vehicles.

The centre console is relatively thin, but widens out as it connects to the dashboard, leaving enough room for the infotainment screen.

The gear lever is flanked with silver, which also features on the steering wheel, air vents and doors.

Admittedly, there isn't really much else – it's not one of the minimalist designs we've seen from the likes of Tesla, but it's a decluttered cabin, mainly because there isn't room for much else.

Multifunction buttons adorn the steering wheel, but much of the control is within the infotainment system.

The 9.8-inch touchscreen is small by today’s standards, but it suffices with a decent interface and sharp graphics, although admittedly it’s not quite up to the standard of premium rivals. Despite the small screen, the icons are large and easy to hit, so it's convenient to use on the move, and it offers a fairly intuitive menu layout.

Likewise, the 12.3-inch digital instrument display is clear and informative, offering a range of helpful information and some customisation. However, you only get a seven-inch display in the entry-level model.

You also get a head-up display, included as standard on all but the bottom two trims.

On all models, Apple CarPlay is provided wirelessly, but Android Auto is wired-only, and both are a nuisance to access, though at least they're fully usable once you're there.

Thankfully, despite space being at a premium, there’s just enough room for small air conditioning controls beneath the infotainment touchscreen, which makes things easier on the move.

Lexus says luxury is about the complete experience of being inside the car, focusing on colour, material and finish.

That is certainly true here, where the build quality seems excellent, the materials are pleasant to the touch, and the finish is impressive, even if the small LBX doesn't quite match the luxury and voluptuousness of more expensive cars in Lexus’s line-up.

Everything feels pleasingly expensive, with plenty of soft-to-the-touch surfaces, as we've come to expect from the Japanese manufacturer.

Lexus has even got a campaign going around its whole luxuriousness concept, called “Living In My LBX”. While the cabin is unlikely to replace a house (or even a caravan) for liveability, it’s certainly got a nice level of attention to detail.

Ambient lighting complements the cabin in most trims, bathing it in a choice of up to 64 colours in the Takumi and Takumi Design models.

It has even got a system that will combine the car’s climate control, interior lighting and fragrances (yes, it will provide those too) to create an appropriate mood – a feature it calls the ‘Sensory Concierge’. It is coming soon, although it’ll be launched in China first before being rolled out elsewhere.

How keen Brits will be to have their cabin smelling like bamboo (which it’s basing five fragrances around) remains to be seen, but it’s got to be a valuable way of overpowering the smell of the kids’ dirty football socks that they left on the back seat last week.

Practicality & Boot Space

Despite it being a small car, you still feel fairly perched up on the driver’s seat of the LBX, which is what you’d want in a compact crossover.

The seats are also exceptionally comfortable, although there isn't a tremendous amount of travel in them, so if you're extremely tall, you might feel a bit hunched over the wheel.

You get leather and ultrasuede upholstery in the top-of-the-range Takumi Design model. However, the lower trims certainly won’t feel like you've been shortchanged – even second-from-the-bottom Premium gets synthetic leather.

Regardless, there’s still a decent amount of legroom and headroom in the front seats.

It’s a different story in the back, though, with neither legroom nor headroom anywhere near as generous as some foes. Adults will fit, but three in the back will be uncomfortably tight, and anyone approaching six feet will have their head perilously close to the ceiling.

Lexus has kept the windscreen pillars relatively thin, which helps forward visibility. However, the rear pillars are much thicker, and the close proximity of the B and C-pillars restricts your over-the-shoulder view.

Front and rear parking sensors are factory-fitted on all models, with a reversing camera, and the latter is upgraded to a 360-degree surround-view camera in the two top-of-the-range Takumi and Takumi Design trims.

The LBX comes with 332 litres of boot space, which is roughly on a par with rivals, although some outliers offer quite a bit more. You will also lose a considerable amount if you opt for the all-wheel drive version, with the capacity dropping to just 255 litres. To put that in perspective, a Vauxhall Corsa offers 309 litres. At least the boot is well-shaped, so it's easy to make the most of.

Available room expands to 994 litres (992 litres in the all-wheel drive version) with the seats folded down, and they drop in a 60:40 configuration, which is typical for this class but not as versatile as a 40:20:40 arrangement. You will also lose two litres from all the figures above if you have the Mark Levinson audio system installed (it's standard on Takumi and Takumi Design trims).

There is no shortage of interior storage in the cabin, with a couple of cupholders and plenty of room in the centre console cubby. However, the glove compartment isn’t particularly capacious, and neither are the door bins.

Safety

The Lexus LBX was crash-tested by Euro NCAP experts in 2024, earning a full five-star rating.

Its individual scores were 82% for adult occupants, 83% for kids and 76% for safety assists.

Those assist features include automatic emergency braking, dynamic radar cruise control, pre-collision system, lane trace assist, road sign assist, and lane keep assist.

Premium Plus and above get the pre-collision system, blind-spot monitor, safe exit assist, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Takumi and Takumi Design also get the Advanced Safety Pack, which includes a 360-degree panoramic view monitor, lane change assist, front cross-traffic alert with auto-brake, and intelligent parking assist.

Options

There is plenty of choice when it comes to optional extras.

There are nine body colours – the default being 'passionate yellow', but metallic shades of silver, black, dark grey and a dark-ish blue are also offered, as are pearlescent white, dark grey, copper and red, if you’re happy to pay extra.

Premium trim and above offer a choice of interior upholstery colours, too. However, these aren't available in Premium Plus Design trim, which offers two-tone body colours with a black roof.

Vibrant Edition and Takumi trims mandate black interiors; the former also assigns a black exterior, while Vibrant Edition Bi-Tone offers a choice of red or white body colours with a black roof. The Takumi Design gets all the body colours listed above, along with a black roof, which looks funky.

Alternatively, alloy wheel styles are offered, but you can't choose smaller or larger wheels than the ones the car comes with as standard.

Several packs are available, too, including the Essential Protection Pack, which offers rubber floor mats, boot liners, and a seatback protector, and the enhanced Plus Pack, which also throws in mud flaps and a boot mat.

There is also a range of accessories, including roof boxes, available – some items in the above packs can be bought separately.

Rival Cars

The main rivals to the Lexus LBX are the Audi Q2, BMW X2, Mercedes-Benz GLA, and Volvo’s XC40 and EX30 models.

The Alfa Romeo Junior is also worth considering, along with the DS 3 and MINI Countryman.

The Toyota C-HR, Volkswagen T-Roc, Jeep Avenger, Smart #1 and Peugeot 2008 are also well worth considering, alongside the Ford Puma.

Verdict & Next Steps

The Lexus LBX is a strong contender which ticks plenty of boxes.

It is a premium car at a competitive leasing price, with a nice interior and a decent standard of equipment, despite being the entry-level Lexus in terms of size.

The LBX is also economical to run thanks to a very well-refined hybrid system and should come with Lexus's high reliability standards.

However, the car as a whole is not quite as refined as some premium peers, and the ride is on the firm side. As a result, it isn’t the most comfortable car, nor is it the most practical SUV, given its small size, especially in the rear seats, where adults will feel squashed.

The Takumi Design trim is terrific but overkill. We would avoid the base model and recommend at least the Premium trim, stretching to Premium Plus if you can, as the entry-level Urban model misses out on a few features.

Still, it’s a very impressive car which gets people on the Lexus ladder for similar lolly to the Volkswagen T-Roc.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Lexus LBX

**Correct as of 03/11/2025. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £2,631.78(Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.