2025 Lexus UX 300h Road Test and Review

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ever since the Toyota Prius became a fuel-saving icon, Toyota has tried to replicate that success in its premium Lexus division. The 2010 HS 250h sedan and 2011 CT 200h hatchback were too slow without getting truly phenomenal gas mileage. The 2019 UX 250h came closer, but it still had room for improvement. 

Now, the new 2025 Lexus UX 300h is quicker yet more economical than the UX 250h. It’s still a sharp-looking subcompact luxury crossover (the body carries over from last year’s UX). With a starting price of $36,340, it’s still the least expensive Lexus model and one of America’s most affordable luxury-badged vehicles. It’s still the country’s most fuel-efficient luxury crossover that you don’t have to plug in. And this year’s update makes it better than ever. We just spent a week testing the updated 2025 Lexus UX. Keep reading as we explore its pros and cons to see if it sounds like the right lower-cost, higher-mileage luxury car for you. 

Even Better Fuel Economy

With EPA estimates of 39 mpg in mixed driving with all-wheel drive and 42 mpg with front-wheel drive, the old Lexus UX 250h was already an incredible fuel-sipper. The 2025 UX 300h beats that. The front-wheel drive model now gets 45 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway, and 43 mpg combined. And with all-wheel drive, like on our test vehicle, it now gets 44 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, and 42 mpg combined. Better still, we averaged 47 mpg during our weeklong test – and on low-cost regular-grade fuel, too. 

Most luxury fuel-saving cars now require plugs. They might be fully electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, the latter meaning cars that you can recharge using electricity from the grid to get perhaps 20 to 40 miles of gas-free range before needing the engine. These are great technologies for folks who can plug in. The UX 300h, as a conventional hybrid, generates all its own power. Its battery charges up using energy from the running engine and friction from the brakes. And that’s still enough to generate phenomenal mileage, particularly in the low-speed stop-and-go conditions where gas cars are the least efficient. Lexus dropped its non-hybrid Lexus UX 200 a few years ago, meaning that every 2025 UX uses the same gas-electric powertrain.

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Enlivened Performance, Too

Even more impressive, the 2025 UX got faster at the same time that it got more economical. The combination of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor (or two electric motors with all-wheel drive) now generates 196 horsepower, up from last year’s 181 hp. The UX 300h can now reach 60 mph in 8 seconds with front-wheel drive or 7.9 seconds with all-wheel drive, about half a second better than the old UX 250h. 

This still isn’t wild performance. The Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA are both about a second quicker to 60 mph. The BMW X1 is two seconds quicker. And all-electric vehicles like the Tesla Model Y are faster still. Nor does the UX 300h have a beautiful-sounding engine. But it’s all tolerable. Careful sound deadening suppresses the engine’s hum, and what you do hear of it is closer to a lively growl than a tired droning sound. We wouldn’t buy the UX 300h for speed, but it doesn’t embarrass itself. Similarly, it’s agile for a crossover thanks to being low and small, though without corner-carving precision. A selectable sport mode firms up the steering nicely. It also has an extra-tight 34-foot turning circle – perfect for city driving. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Still Looks Fresh

Except for this year’s striking new Copper Crest paint that adorns our test vehicle, the UX has barely changed visually since 2019. Yet this little crossover still looks fresh. 

Some folks won’t love how the UX looks more like a hatchback than an SUV. It’s about the same length as a BMW X1 or Volvo XC40, but they’re 5 inches taller. But to our eyes, its proportions work better than even some of Lexus’s larger, more expensive crossovers. It hunches itself forward aggressively, but the wee UX comes across as cheeky more than angry. At the same time, Lexus’s familiar spindle grille, rear lightbar, and flourished body creases keep it firmly in the luxury family. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Well-Finished Dashboard

Inside, the UX has also kept up with modern norms after Lexus retrofitted its latest-generation infotainment system a couple years ago. It’s not our favorite system – the base 8-inch version is too tall to fit the dashboard well, and while the big 12.3-inch upgrade looks better, it doesn’t use its space well. There’s enough room on the screen to show a lot of information at once, like a GPS map next to info about the song playing on the radio. No such luck, though. The system does support wirelessly connected Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, at least, so you can use your phone’s apps on the car screen. 

We also appreciated the UX’s well-finished cabin. It’s not world-beating, but it doesn’t embarrass the Lexus brand despite costing thousands less than other Lexus models. Harder, cheaper plastics are strategically placed to avoid compromising the overall vibe of premium quality. Moving parts operate smoothly, and leather or well-executed facsimiles cover many surfaces. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Cozy Cabin

Subcompact crossovers have gotten unexpectedly roomy these days. All but a few models now have adult-friendly backseats and plenty of cargo room. The UX is among the exceptions. 

The UX has comfortable, well-shaped front seats that are available with heating and ventilation. You don’t get an SUV-high seating position or great visibility, but these seats are a comfortable place to be. The backseat, though, has very limited legroom unless the front seats move forward. It’s better for emergencies than everyday carpools or family use. Similarly, its 17 cubic feet of cargo room is only about the size of a large sedan’s trunk. You can fold down the backseat to open up more space, and the rear head restraints pivot down so they won’t bump into the front seats. But the resulting volume is much smaller than most UX competitors. The UX isn’t rated to tow a trailer, either. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Top Safety Status

The UX earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, plus five out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s a respectable showing for an aging car. The UX did earn a Marginal score in the IIHS’s latest test of rear-seat protection in frontal crash tests. But few other cars have done well in it yet, either. The UX’s dummy wasn’t “injured” in the test, but the seatbelt let it move around more than the IIHS would have liked. 

The UX also comes standard with a long list of advanced safety and driver-assistance features, including some that cost extra on competing vehicles. These include adaptive cruise control, forward automatic emergency braking that also detects dangers during left turns, lane-keeping steering assistance, and blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert.  

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Still Affordable for a Luxury Car

The 2025 Lexus UX 300h is one of America’s least expensive luxury-branded cars. Despite its advanced hybrid powertrain, it starts at $36,340. It’s one of just four premium-badged crossovers under $40,000 and the only one of those four to get more than 26 mpg. 

Prices do go up from there. You pay extra for luxury basics like heated seats, a sunroof, and a power liftgate. Those add-ons, along with ventilated front seats and a digital gauge cluster, arrive in the Premium model like our test vehicle ($39,540). All-wheel drive also costs about $1,600 extra. Our AWD Premium model, which also included a $1,400 upcharge for a bigger screen and an $1,150 destination charge, topped $42,000. Even so, that’s still only the starting price of a BMW X2, Mercedes-Benz GLA, or Volvo XC40 these days. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Alternatives to Consider

Depending on what has attracted you to the UX, it has a number of alternatives – though no direct competitors. As an affordable luxury crossover, other budget-friendly models include the larger Lincoln Corsair and Cadillac XT4, along with the Audi Q3. They all have much roomier interiors for the money, but none gets great gas mileage or has a tight city-friendly turning circle. We’d also consider the Acura Integra five-door hatchback if you don’t need all-wheel drive – it has just as much room as the UX (including a bigger backseat) along with sharper driving manners, and it costs thousands less. 

If you’re interested in the UX’s hybrid fuel economy, we’d start by looking at the Toyota Prius. This fuel-sipping icon has lately become a stylish, almost sporty ride. It has the same engine as the new UX 300h, though Lexus worked harder to hush its noises. It has optional all-wheel drive. And it costs thousands less while getting even better mileage. You could also spring for a Lexus NX 350h, which costs just a few thousand more than the UX while bringing a more conventional SUV-high seating position and more space. But in addition to costing more, it's less economical than the UX. The Kia Sportage Hybrid is also an unexpectedly premium-feeling fuel-saving SUV with tons of room for the money, if you aren’t attached to a high-end brand or extra-petite dimensions. 

2024 Toyota Prius Limited ・ Photo by Brady Holt

City-Friendly Luxury

Sometimes, we hear people talk about electric cars as the perfect city vehicle. But for actual city-dwellers, charging can be a problem. That’s the beauty of the UX hybrid. It’s great on gas in low-speed city conditions without any fuss. It’s also small yet stylish, and it’s extra maneuverable and easy to park. And this year’s updates give it more pep along with better mileage than ever. 

You don’t have to live in the city to welcome a luxury car that gets more than 40 mpg for less than $40,000. There isn’t much space in the backseat or cargo hold, ultra-quick or quiet acceleration, or the longest list of decadent amenities. But the 2025 Lexus UX 300h is the perfect fit for the right buyer. There’s nothing else quite like it. 

2025 Lexus UX 300h ・ Photo by Brady Holt