Lexus LBX Review & Prices

The LBX is the smallest SUV available from Lexus. Like an M&S in a petrol station, it’s here to prove that posh things can come in small packages, by injecting some of the luxury that you get on the larger NX or RX into a city-sized package.

Closely-related to the Toyota Yaris Cross - a car that’s so good we gave it the win in the Urban Living category of the 2025 Carwow Car of the Year awards - the LBX features a hybrid engine, eye-catching looks and a premium interior that makes most other small SUVs feel a bit cheap.

It’s an alternative to cars such as the Mercedes GLA and BMW X1, but both of those are quite a bit larger than the LBX. Truly posh cars this size are few and far between, and consist pretty much of the aging Audi Q2, the upcoming Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida, the expensive and unconvincing DS 3, or the all-electric Mini Aceman.

And design appeal is something the LBX has in spades, despite its compact dimensions. There are narrow headlights up front around a large grille, while the rear end sports a cool light signature that spans the full width of the car. You can choose from an unusually wide colour palette, too, including a pleasant red or blue, eye-catching rose gold or a bombastic bright yellow.

Inside it’s even more impressive. Considering it’s the most affordable Lexus it feels every bit the luxury car in miniature. You get soft-touch materials just about everywhere, standard equipment is generous, and the Alcantara upholstery on the top two trim levels is particularly fancy.

There’s almost no trace of the Toyota Yaris Cross the LBX is based on - Lexus has even gone so far as to fit its signature touches like soft-closing electric windows.

The LBX features Lexus’ new infotainment system which is a huge improvement on the clunky systems of old. You will have to work your way up the range to get some of the choice kit though, such as the digital instruments, head-up display and upgraded stereo.

All models use the same 9.8-inch main display, and it’s big enough for what is quite a small car. Space beneath the steering wheel isn’t quite big enough for tall people, though, and the boot is quite a bit smaller than other SUVs you might consider. Although rear seat space is tight, it’s not as cramped as you would expect.

You might be willing to sacrifice a little boot space for the low-running costs of its self-charging hybrid engine. It’s based on the same system as the Toyota Yaris Cross, with some minor tweaks, and that car is easily capable of getting more than 60mpg on a run.

While the LBX is by no means quick or exciting to drive, it’s very smooth, mostly quiet and refined and, apart from the annoying driver aids, very fuss-free. It’ll appeal greatly to people who prefer their cars to be resolutely un-sporty and just want something to get them from point A to point B quietly and in comfort.

You can get your hands on a Lexus LBX shopping through Carwow - check out our best Lexus LBX deals here. You can see our other Lexus deals here, or find a used Lexus for sale too. And remember, you can get a great price selling your car through Carwow and our network of trusted dealers.

Prices for the Lexus LBX start at just under £30,000 for the Urban trim, and ramp up to nearly £40,000 for the top-spec Takumi Design and Original Edition trims. Aside from the latter, which is a launch model, there are six trims to choose from.

Standard kit is pretty good, with 17-inch alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, and that 9.8-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Step up two grades to Premium Plus and you get the digital instruments and larger 18-inch alloy wheels, while jumping another two grades to Takumi gets you a head-up display and Mark Levinson sound system. Top-spec models also get soft Alcantara seat upholstery.

All of this means that the LBX is a pretty compelling option compared with its alternatives. The Audi Q2 starts at about £28,000 and the Mini Countryman from £30,000, but neither has the LBX’s frugal hybrid engine option. The Mercedes GLA is also worthy of consideration if your budget allows – its starting price is close to the top-spec LBX, but it is a bigger car.

Determined to find a hybrid alternative? There’s the excellent and again significantly bigger Volvo XC40, but hybrid versions of this start at around £45,000, so it’s quite a bit more expensive than the Lexus.

A fantastic companion round town but bigger SUVs are more relaxing on a long journey

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 most alternatives nowadays.

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

Much like the front seats, those in the rear won’t be as cramped as they might expect. Knee room isn’t too bad, and you get good under-thigh support to help relax on longer journeys. Headroom is a bit tighter, so tall passengers might rub their hair on the roof lining, while fitting three across the back would be a challenge.

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 will be pretty tough, though. The rear doors aren’t particularly wide and bulky seats might push 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 quite 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.

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

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 65.7mpg according to official tests, and if the Toyota version is anything to go by, that will be pretty 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.

When safety tested by Euro NCAP 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.

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.