2026 Lexus TX Hybrids Road Test and Review

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Many people buy luxury cars because they want cutting-edge technology, flashy styling, and top-of-the-line engineering. Other folks are just willing to pay up for a nice car. And when they also want the pedestrian qualities of interior space and good gas mileage, they find that many high-end cars just weren’t built with those priorities in mind. 

The 2026 Lexus TX hybrids were. These are the gas-electric TX 500h and TX 550h+ models. The Lexus TX is an upscale version of the family-friendly Toyota Grand Highlander plus-sized crossover SUV. And its two three-row hybrid versions provide both more power and better gas mileage than the base gas-only Lexus TX 350. 

For this review, we just spent a week testing the TX 500h, and we’re also drawing from our experience driving a TX 550h+ last year. Keep reading as we explore these TX hybrids’ pros and cons so you can see which one sounds like the right roomy, economical luxury SUV for you.

Two High-End Hybrid Versions

The TX 500h and TX 550h+ have similar names, but these two hybrids are quite different under the hood. We’ll go into more detail shortly, but here are the basics.

The TX 500h is a conventional hybrid, which pairs a gasoline engine with electric motors. These motors help out the gas engine, which boosts performance and shoulders some of the engine’s burden – meaning it has to burn less gasoline. This hybrid starts at $69,110 in a well-equipped Premium AWD trim level. That’s a rich $9,000 more than the equivalent gas-only TX 350. 

The TX 550h+ is even more expensive. It starts at $79,510 for a Luxury AWD model, which is about $15,000 more than an equivalently equipped TX 350. It’s a plug-in hybrid, meaning that you can charge up its larger battery using electricity from the grid, while it also has a gas engine on board. 

As the prices illustrate, these aren’t “dollars and cents” hybrids. You don’t buy them because they’re going to pay for themselves with fuel savings. But they have other advantages that we’ll discuss momentarily. 

The TX hybrids and the TX 350 are nearly identical to each other visually. They’re all elegantly rounded-off boxes with appropriately upscale styling cues. We’ve read some complaints that they’re too plain, but we appreciate how no one could call them garish. 

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Recharge Automatically

Let’s start with the TX 500h. It pairs a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors for a combined output of 366 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. That’s equivalent output to many six-cylinder rivals. And it helps the TX 500h accelerate to 60 mph in an estimated 6.1 seconds, about 2 seconds quicker than the TX 350. It’s not a thrill ride, and this four-cylinder engine doesn’t sound lovely. But if you don’t appreciate waiting for a gap in traffic, this extra speed alone is worth paying extra for. 

And while most higher-performance upgrades burn more gasoline, the TX 500h gets better gas mileage than the slower TX 350. In EPA testing, that’s 27 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. We came up short of that, averaging a still-OK 25 mpg in mixed driving. Our test car matched or beat EPA estimates on the highway, but we didn’t see the usual hybrid efficiency at low speeds; the gas engine helped out more than we’d like. Like other conventional hybrids, the TX 500h recharges its electric battery as you drive. The gas engine juices it up when it’s running, and this SUV also recaptures some energy from the brakes. 

The TX 500h’s powertrain is also included on the smaller five-seat Lexus RX 500h, and it’s optional on the Toyota Grand Highlander. However, you can’t get the TX with the less-powerful, more-economical hybrid option on the RX and Grand Highlander. That non-turbo four-cylinder gets more than 35 mpg in those models.

Also, the TX 500h (and RX 500h) require premium-grade fuel. That’s a disappointing change from the nearly identical engine in the Grand Highlander, which runs happily on much cheaper 87-octane regular at the cost of just a few horsepower. 

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The Plug-In Option

The TX 550h+ is the more expensive TX hybrid, but we liked it more. First of all, it’s a plug-in hybrid. If you charge up its battery before leaving home, you get an EPA-estimated 33 miles of electric range before needing to burn a drop of gas. (The gas engine will also come on when you want maximum power.) We came up a bit shy of this number, averaging 31 miles per charge in our test. Still, for many people, that’s enough for an entire day’s driving. 

Thanks to the bigger battery and stronger electric motors, the TX 550h+ also gets better gas mileage than the TX 500h when its range is used up. In EPA testing, it picks up an extra 2 mpg, to 29 mpg in mixed driving. And we averaged an excellent 32 mpg (again on premium fuel). We didn’t use the EPA’s scientifically replicable testing, but it’s still telling that we crushed EPA estimates in one TX hybrid while falling short of them in another. 

A final TX 550h+ advantage is the engine. While other TX models use a serviceable four-cylinder turbo, the 550h+ uses a rich-sounding 3.5-liter V6. It’s barely faster than the TX 500h (5.9 seconds to 60 mph), but it’s a much more premium experience. 

2024 Lexus TX 550h+ PHEV ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Both TX Hybrids Are Easy to Drive

Whether you buy the TX 500h or the TX 550h+, this Lexus is a comfortable and easy SUV to drive. It rides smoothly and quietly. The steering is accurate but low-effort. The handling is agile, if not quite sporty. Lexus sells the TX 500h exclusively in its performance-themed “F Sport” guise, but we noticed no meaningful difference versus other TXs we’ve tested in the past. 

The driving experience isn’t brilliant like you’d get in a BMW or an Audi. The TX feels lighter and less substantial when it hits a bump; it quivers rather than shrugging off the impact. But at least you don’t have to worry about the bump slamming hard enough to wake a sleeping child. The TX’s suspension isn’t an engineering marvel, but it’s tuned for family-friendly comfort. 

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Simple-Looking Dashboard

Lexus keeps things simple inside, too. This isn’t the luxury SUV you’d buy when you want dazzling digital displays glowing at you from all directions. The TX has a big 14-inch touchscreen, but its graphics are muted and it’s not a focal point of the interior. Nor is the rest of the TX dashboard jumping out to impress you. Lexus trims it with some rich materials, but we’d consider it more “nice” than “amazing.” You’ll decide whether that’s good enough to deserve luxury-car money, especially with the extra-expensive TX 550h+. But as with its exterior, some people may appreciate the design restraint. 

We do wish Lexus had paired the simple design with extra-easy controls, too. That would have gone nicely with the TX’s overall vibe of family-friendly luxury. Instead, the TX buries some climate controls inconveniently in the touchscreen. It makes you constantly swap among different views, rather than using the big screen to show lots of information at once. And its multifunction steering-wheel controls (the same buttons control different things at different times) require too much concentration. 

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Comfortable Seating for Six

A key TX advantage is its interior space. In many three-row luxury SUVs, the far-back seats are more of a box to check than a welcoming place to sit. In the TX, even adults can fit OK in the third row. The front and second-row seats are even more accommodating, of course. The second row has ample legroom and a high cushion (also not a given in a luxury SUV). And every TX 500h and TX 550h+ comes standard with heating and ventilation for both the front and second-row seats. 

Here’s one drawback: You can only get the TX hybrid as a six-seater with two captain’s chairs in the second row and two seats in the far back. The TX 350 is available as a seven-seater via a second-row bench seat. And the Toyota Grand Highlander fits up to eight, with three seatbelts in the third row. We don’t understand why Lexus wants to exclude large families from its big family-friendly hybrids.

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Big Cargo Hold

Seating quibbles aside, another TX strength is its cargo space. It’s one of the few luxury SUVs with genuine luggage space behind its third row. So you don’t have to fold the third row any time you’re carrying more than a few bags of groceries. 

By the numbers, the TX has 20.2 cubic feet behind the third-row seat, 57.4 cubic feet behind the second row, and a whopping 97 cubic feet behind the front seats. This beats even most family-focused mainstream-brand crossovers, to say nothing of the typical luxury SUV. The second row is a little cumbersome to fold; you have to pull two different handles at just the right times. At this price, we’d expect to push a button for a power-folding seat – or at least get a simpler manual process. 

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Economical Alternatives

The 2026 Lexus TX 500h is America’s only non-plug-in three-row hybrid crossover from a luxury brand. The other top luxury hybrid is the Volvo XC90, which is a PHEV like the TX 550h. The XC90 has a longer range per charge than the TX 550h, along with a swankier interior. But the Lexus has more room, better gas mileage with the range used up, and a nicer-sounding engine.

The Mazda CX-90 PHEV is another option. It’s not from a traditional luxury brand, but its interior decor and its driving manners are as premium as the TX’s – if not more so. And you can get a top-of-the-line model for less than a base TX hybrid. However, it’s not as roomy as the Lexus, and it goes just 25 miles per electric charge. 

Turning to non-plug-in hybrids, the all-new 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid is compelling. It looks, feels, and drives like a high-end luxury car. It’s nearly as roomy as the TX for tens of thousands less. And it edges out the TX 500h’s gas mileage (on regular-grade fuel, too). The Lexus is quicker, and it wears a traditional luxury badge. But otherwise, this beautifully finished new hybrid is a formidable alternative to the TX 500h. 

Another consideration is that the TX 500h isn’t the world’s most economical hybrid. Again, we averaged 25 mpg in our test vehicle. We’ve averaged 24 mpg in the non-hybrid Buick Enclave and BMW X7. And we averaged 26 mpg in the non-PHEV Mazda CX-90. The Buick has a harsh-sounding four-cylinder engine, but the BMW and Mazda achieve this mileage even with powerful and rich-sounding six-cylinders.

Finally, we’d shop the TX 500h against the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid. It’s not quite as stylish or as richly finished as the TX. It’s missing a few of the Lexus’s amenities, like a 21-speaker stereo and a self-parking system. But it’s quite similar in many ways, but for less money, with lower fuel costs, and with more places to sit. There's no Grand Highlander equivalent to the TX 550h+, though.

2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Big and Efficient

The 2026 Lexus TX hybrids are family-friendly luxury cars. They’re upscale, yet bigger and more economical than fellow premium-branded crossovers. The appeal is instantly obvious. 

After our week with the TX 500h, we wished Lexus had taken a few small steps that would have made this hybrid so much better. With no effort, Lexus could have used an engine that ran on regular-grade fuel, and it could have offered seating for seven or even eight passengers. A poshly trimmed version of the base ultra-efficient Grand Highlander Hybrid could have also been welcome. Finally, we wish Lexus had drawn from its heritage of easy-to-use controls. 

The TX 500h is efficient for the power it puts down, but not incredibly so – especially if your real-world experience matches ours. It could still be a great fit for your family, but we see the potential for it to have been better. 

We liked the TX 550h+ more. In addition to the appeal of its plug-in capabilities, its gas engine sounds better, accelerates even more quickly, and gets even better gas mileage than the TX 500h. And while it’s more expensive, it stands out more from mainstream-brand alternatives like the Hyundai Palisade and Toyota Grand Highlander hybrids.  

But whichever TX hybrid catches your eye, keep the competition in mind as well. 

2025 Lexus TX 500h ・ Photo by Brady Holt