The second-generation Lexus NX opened the next chapter in Lexus design, electrified powertrains and advanced technologies – areas that are thoroughly explored in our first plug-in hybrid model, the Lexus NX 450h+.
Since the launch of this eagerly anticipated SUV in early 2022, motoring journalists have spent hours evaluating its day-to-day capabilities on UK and European roads. What did they think of the plug-in model’s enhanced electrified performance? Please scroll down to see excerpts of their NX 450h+ review articles and view the multiple awards it has been bestowed. To read the full online reports, simply click on the hyperlinks in the emboldened titles.
Lexus NX 450h+ review articles:
Carbuyer Best Car Awards 2023 – Best Large Plug-in Hybrid: “The Lexus NX is a great car with or without a plug, but the 450h+ raises the game with a long electric range, plus a quiet, comfortable cabin and fantastic in-car tech. Another repeat winner [it won the same award in 2022], the Lexus NX is our best large plug-in hybrid for 2024.”
Recent additional awards for NX 450h+: Best Large Hybrid SUV (What Car?), Plug-in Hybrid of the Year (What Car?), Best Mid-Size Premium SUV (Auto Express), Euro NCAP five-star safety rating.
Auto Express long-term test review: “If you’re nervous of making the leap to an EV, the Lexus hybrid system is a great way to see if it will work for you – and in an SUV package that gets a lot of what matters right.”
Driving Electric: “Overall, the plug-in hybrid version of the new NX adds refinement and class-leading efficiency to an already appealing package. There are several significant improvements over the previous generation, such as more cabin space and a vastly improved infotainment system, while material and build quality throughout are as strong as ever.”
Honest John long-term test review: “The electric powertrain is silky smooth and quiet. Press the throttle and the NX whirrs along and the power delivery is applied in a predictable and linear way, without any unpleasant jolts or thumps when the petrol engine kicks in. Using the odometer and brim-to-brim fuel receipts to work out the fuel economy, the NX 450h+ is comfortably averaging 200mpg.”
RAC Drive: “The NX 450+ may be the first plug-in hybrid Lexus, but it’s been created with a greater wealth of engineering experience than has been devoted to any other mid-sized premium brand SUV segment rival. There’s up to 47 miles of all-electric driving range, sharp looks and a sumptuous cabin. It’s a strong contender.”
What Car?: “The Lexus NX 450h has a plush interior, impressive refinement, good electric range, low CO2 emissions and low company car tax rate. [The] family SUV is a great all-rounder and the best car Lexus has launched for years.”
Video reviews:
Lexus NX 450h+ review articles:
Autocar: “The PHEV drivetrain remains subtly effective and impressively economical… [plus] a 0-62mph time of 6.3 seconds makes the NX 450h+ one of the fastest crossovers of its kind. This is a thoroughly modern and tastefully engineered proposition, with its own distinct character… and impressive performance statistics.”
Auto Express: “[The NX 450h+ has] a sizeable battery for a mid-size plug-in SUV, placed under the floor of the car. It’s also key to unlocking some of the impressive figures the new NX boasts on paper. The NX’s exterior design is unmistakably the result of an evolutionary process, but once you get inside you see that this really is a radical departure from its predecessor.”
CAR: “In this PHEV model… there’s an 18.1kWh battery pack sitting under the floor. A full charge takes around 2 hours and 45 minutes using a home wall box, and… Lexus claims a range of 42 miles on mixed roads or up to 55 miles in urban conditions. It’ll do up to 83mph on electric power, too, making it more than just a temporary thing for towns. And the brand’s focus on refinement means it really is silent when the engine’s off.”
Motoring Research: “The switch between power sources is seamless, and the E-CVT gearbox offers the linear feel of, yes, a fully electric car. The Lexus is… a car you’ll appreciate over time, and on journeys – such as the daily commute – where convenience and comfort matter most.”
Parkers: “This is a very nice place to sit. Running on electric can often display refinement issues – with no engine to drown out wind and road noise it becomes more prominent. That’s no issue with the NX, which remains impressively silent whether the engine’s off or on.”
What Car?: “When its battery is charged up, the Lexus NX plug-in hybrid operates just like a fully electric car. That means smooth, quiet and fairly nippy acceleration up to motorway speeds and beyond. When the battery runs flat, the 2.5-litre petrol engine fires into life.
Top Gear: “How does it drive? It’s actually a very comfortable car, matching up well with the zero-emission capable powertrain.”
Learn more: Independent owner reviews of Lexus NX on Feefo
Information updated in January 2024 and correct at the time of publishing.
Fabulous , would hope at some convenient time to experience the PHEV Self charging combination to properly appreciate its benefits. Meanwhile perhaps you can outline if on a 80 mile round trip, it could use both the electric and ICE in synchronised way to achieve best fuel consumption? Is the power train combining both ICE and Electric motor together for maximum efficiency, range and reduced fuel consumption at all time? Perhaps some information to illustrate how it works, it may be helpful to increase my awareness.
Thanks for suggesting some videos, links etc. outlining the power train workings
Hello Evangelos,
You can refer to the following link for further details – https://www.lexus.co.uk/plug-in-hybrid/.
Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Thanks.
Hi,
as Evangelos asks;
can you preferentially select either electric mode or hybrid mode when driving?
Or does hybrid mode start when the battery becomes depleted?
On a Lexus hybrid there is an EV button to drive under electric mode for a distance. Can one do this with the NX PHEV?
Thank you
Hello John,
Thank you for you question.
Yes, in the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid you can select EV mode to drive in pure electric mode.
Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Thanks.
We’ve ordered the new nx phev 450 premium plus with the optional sunroof. Reading about the takuma range we noticed that it comes with a panoramic sunroof, which we enjoy in our jaguar fpace. Please explain whether the takuma panoramic roof stretches across all of the roof, or is the same size as the optional one , simply a sunroof
Hello Jens,
We have emailed you directly to clarify this.
Thanks.
Hello,
I have ordered a NX450H + with the premium plus package, why is the Mark Levinson sound system not available on this version but available with lower specifications?
Regards, Giuseppe Minelli.
Hello Giuseppe,
Thank you for contacting Lexus.
The Mark Levinson Audio System is only available on the NX 350h.
Please let us know if we can assist you further.
Thanks.
Thank you for your reply, I know it’s only available on the 350h, I asked WHY is not available on the 450h+
Regards, Giuseppe.
Hello Giuseppe,
Unfortunately, the Mark Levinson sound system cannot be fitted on the NX 450h+ due to technical reasons.
We understand that this is frustrating, and we apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.
Please let us know if we can assist you further.
Thanks.
I have been informed that my ordered 450h Takumi has a Mark Levinson audio system. This conflicts with your response to someone on 6/1/22, which said it can’t be fitted on this model for technical reasons. Please clarify.
Hello Bryan,
Thank you for contacting Lexus.
The Mark Levinson audio system cannot be fitted to the NX 450h+.
Please can you confirm who gave you this information?
Thanks.
I was led to believe, by Lexus Ipswich, that my ordered Takumi 450h+ would have a ML audio system.
Hello Bryan,
We are really sorry to hear about that, and we completely understand your frustration.
If you would like to raise your situation further, we would recommend contacting our Customer Relations team directly.
You can do so here – https://fal.cn/3hJ9G.
Thanks.
I ordered Lexus 450h+ on 21 September 2021 when can l exspect delivery
Hello Peter,
Thank you for your order.
Your Lexus Centre would be best placed to provide you with a date.
Thanks.
Hi,
How many miles will the NX 450h+ do on electric power and engine power combined with a full charge, and what mpg can you expect.
Thankyou.
Best that I have achieved in EV mode is 51 miles. Impressive!
Hi,
I have bought a Lexus NX450H+ Takumi Pack, when ordered it I was told it will have automatic parking, however that function isn’t supported to UK models, also I hasn’t got headlights cleaners which again has been advertised in Lexus brochure when I’ve ordered the car. Could you please update me on it, is automatic parking something that may be released later on to UK model via system update??
Hello John,
Congratulations on your new car and thanks for choosing Lexus.
Automated Parking is available on your vehicle, however the Remote Parking feature was never confirmed for the UK and we don’t have any information on it currently.
Saying that, your vehicle is fitted with a Lexus Link Pro multimedia system with over-the-air updates.
This means that additional features can be added remotely if needed.
With regards to your question about headlight cleaners, all versions of the NX have this feature.
In front of the headlights you should see a small, rectangular panel which raises and sprays the headlights.
Thanks.
Thanks for your reply.
Just a bit confused, so what Automated Parking does? Is that just parking sensors and camera?
Also, with Headlight Cleaners, I cannot find how to operate them, the rectangular plates are there but I’ve tried all options from wheel controls and cannot see them working. Don’t know if it’s somewhere in Menu to turn them on.
Hello John,
In response to your question about the Headlight Cleaners:
When the headlights are on and the windscreen washer lever is pulled and held, the headlight cleaners will operate once.
After this, the headlight cleaners will operate every 5th time the lever is pulled.
Regarding your query about parking:
-Perpendicular parking (forward/reverse) function Assistance is provided from the position the vehicle is stopped near the target parking space until the vehicle is in the parking space.
-Perpendicular exiting (forward/reverse) function Assistance is provided from the parked position until the vehicle is in a position where you can easily exit from the parking space.
-Parallel parking function Assistance is provided from the position the vehicle is stopped near the target parking space until the vehicle is in the parking space.
-Parallel exiting function Assistance is provided from the parked position until the vehicle is in a position where you can easily exit from the parking space.
-Memory function Assistance is provided until the vehicle is guided into a previously registered parking space.
If you would like to gain further information on this, here is a link with more detail – https://we.tl/t-8HPewxkV6Z.
Thanks.
Please can you explain how the 256 MPG is calculated.
I drove 1400 miles to Spain from the UK, and I only got an average MPG of 52 miles showing on my dashboard.
I had the radio and air conditioning on, but I didn’t expect the huge difference.
I was driving in the Eco gear on the French motorways doing an average of 80 MPH.
PS the car was an absolute pleasure to drive over a long distance.
Lexus NX 450+h F sport.
Hi Graham, thanks for your comment.
The MPG figures are calculated using the WLTP method. This particular figure refers to the PHEV variant of the NX, so if you were to regularly recharge you could benefit from plenty of EV driving.
Thanks,
Lexus UK
The NX 450+h F sport is the PHEV variant of the NX. It does about 46 miles per full charge, if I was to recharge every 46 miles I would be able to do over 1 Million miles per gallon ! as I wouldn’t be using any petrol.
Please can you explain how the WLTP method calculates the MPG.
Hi there, thanks for your response.
Full information on WLTP can be found from the governing body here: https://brnw.ch/21wGLc8
If you are unsure of the performance of your vehicle this needs to be investigated by your local Lexus Centre, it is not something that we are able to provide further technical advice on.
Thanks,
Lexus UK
Hi I do have a number of issues with mine especially with the driver assist which seems to be at best over zealous and controlling . The tech on the car rather than making the driving experience pleasurable sadly does the exact reverse with the vehicle resetting any switch offs on restart. Sad as the drive is good but as a long term Lexus advocate I feel disappointed with the car overall.
Hi Jason, thanks for your comment.
We’re sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your NX. Your local Lexus Centre is best placed to take a closer look and ensure that everything is working as it should be.
Thanks,
Lexus UK
Good morning, I own two Lexus.
I am very keen on purchasing an NX 450+ Takumi.
I have a few questions;
The electronic rear view mirror, is this covered under Lexus Relax?
Is the large 14 inch display screen covered under Lexus Relax?
What is the warranty on the plug in traction battery? is this covered under Lexus Relax, the 15 year hybrid battery warranty, or just the three year degradation warranty?
Thank you for your advice.
John
Hello John,
Thank you for interest in the NX 450h+.
Our warranty team have advised the following:
1) If the electronic rear view mirror failed due to an electrical manufacturing defect it would covered.
2) The screen itself would not be covered, as it is listed as an excluded component in the terms and conditions.
However if the unit was not was unresponsive due to electrical failure that was not the fault of the screen it would be covered.
3) The Hybrid battery is not listed a covered component under service-activated warranty, but if the vehicle had a valid Hybrid Health Check contract and the battery failed due to a manufacturing defect it would be supported under a Hybrid Health Check contract.
We hope this information is useful. Please let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with.
Thank you.