Lexus vs Toyota: Which Is More Reliable?

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability

Lexus is the luxury brand owned by Toyota. Even though Lexus is a division of the Toyota Motor Corp, there's no harm in comparing the reliability of both brands.

However, Lexus is more reliable than Toyota, although this comes at a close margin on an overall scale. Toyota beats Lexus on a few different factors; higher safety ratings, cheaper repair and maintenance costs, better gas mileage, and cheaper price.

There are a few reasons to consider a Lexus: interior designs, warranty coverage, and improved engine performance.

Since we are experts at car buying and ownership, we've compiled a detailed comparison of the Lexus Vs Toyota reliability to help you make informed decisions when choosing between these two brands.

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability: A Detailed Comparison

FeaturesLexusToyota
Design
Simplicity, Elegance, anticipation
Vibrant Clarity; Practical and Functional
Gas Mileage
Good
Better
Repair and Maintenance Cost
Cheap
Cheaper
Engine and Performance
Good
Good
Safety
High Safety Ratings
Higher Safety Ratings
Durability
Lexus cars last 200,000 to 300,000 miles with an average lifespan of 16-20 years.
Toyota cars last up to 150,000 - 200,000 miles, stretching to 300,000 miles with an average lifespan of 13-17 years.
Technology
Good
Good

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability: Which is Better?

Lexus and Toyota are amazing car brands. You can't make a list of the Top 10 most reliable car brands without mentioning Lexus and Toyota. However, in terms of reliability, Lexus is better.

According to the 2023 Consumer Reports reliability survey, Toyota is the most reliable car brand, while Lexus takes second position. The 2023 JD Power dependability survey places Lexus on top with Toyota taking best mass-produced make.

It's a slightly different story on RepairPal, as Toyota takes the 8th position out of 32 car brands with a reliability rating of 4.0/5.0. Lexus has the 7th position with a 4.0 rating.

No matter which survey ranking we choose to abide by, it is obvious that both brands are always within one place of each other. Nevertheless, you can't solely rely on reliability ratings to decide the reliability of a brand. Let's compare their different features and specs.

Lexus offers better warranty coverage. With a Lexus, you get a 48 months/50,000 miles basic warranty, and a 72 months/70,000 miles powertrain warranty.

Toyota offers 36 month/36,000-mile basic warranty and 60,000 month/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

While you get better warranty coverage on Lexus vehicles, you still have cheaper repair and maintenance costs with Toyota. Toyota also offers higher safety ratings and better gas mileage.

Moreover, Toyota's cheaper than Lexus, so you're saving costs by choosing a Toyota. However, comes at the expense of classy interiors which Lexus, as a luxury brand, offers.

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability: Design

It can be confusing trying to choose between the design of Lexus and Toyota. However, you can narrow your preferences down by deciding if you want more luxury or functionality.

Lexus offers more luxury, premium materials. These features are cool, but they will cost you more to repair when they break down.

However, with Lexus, you get the latest tech quicker than they will arrive on a Toyota. Toyota takes their time to test these technologies first.

Lexus is the brand you go for when your options are classy, flashy, and more style. The Lexus brand adopts a design philosophy that focuses on a sophisticated approach to design.

They achieve this by integrating incisive simplicity, intriguing elegance, and seamless anticipation. The result is luxury, sleek designs, and bold and sharp lines.

On the other hand, Toyota is more interested in practicality and functionality. The Toyota brand isn't interested in adopting excess sophistication, but in building cars that work, in the simplest form.

Efficiency, usability, and dynamism are at the core of its design philosophy; vibrant clarity. While Toyota has more emphasis on building high-quality cars, it doesn't sacrifice the beauty of its cars.

To ensure superior build quality, Toyota optimizes the use of some engineering principles; Jidoka, and Kaizen, to ensure reliability and resilience in their cars.

Headroom and legroom vary on models from both brands, but we've noticed that Toyota vehicles get more cargo space than Lexus vehicles.

Winner: Both

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability: Engine and Performance

What exactly is the difference between the Lexus and Toyota engine? There are a lot of speculations about the engines of Toyota and Lexus, citing the tendency of Lexus to use Toyota engines.

This is entirely not true. Lexus and Toyota use different engines for their cars — engines built for specific models. This creates varying standards and performance metrics for the engines from both brands.

Whether you choose a Lexus or Toyota vehicle, you will enjoy high-performance engines that deliver impressive power and acceleration. While Toyota is better in terms of fuel economy, Lexus does a slightly better job with engine power and speed.

For instance, the 2022 Lexus ES records 302 hp compared to the 2022 Toyota Avalon, which records 301 hp. The 2023 Lexus ES offers 184 hp and the 2023 Toyota Camry 163 hp.

The increased engine power advantages on Lexus vehicles come at the expense of fuel economy.

Winner: Both

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability: Gas Mileage

As cited already, Toyota is better than Lexus when it comes to gas mileage. It's hard to find a Lexus vehicle that beats a Toyota on fuel efficiency.

Toyota vehicles are built as economical and affordable options for the average driver. So, you're saving more gas with a Toyota than with a Lexus.

For instance, the 2020 Lexus IS gets a gas mileage of 18/28 MPG for city and highway drives, compared to the Toyota Corolla which gets 28/52 MPG.

The 2022 Lexus ES gets 22/32 MPG, the same as the 2022 Toyota Avalon. But, Toyota continues its win with the 2023 Toyota Camry which records 22/53 MPG compared to the 2023 Lexus ES which records 22/44 MPG.

The gas mileage of both brands varies on different models. However, you can go for the hybrid models to get more fuel efficiency, like the Toyota Prius or the Lexus RX hybrid.

Winner: Toyota

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability: Safety and Technology

In terms of safety and technology, Toyota is a more reliable option than Lexus. This doesn't imply that Lexus vehicles are entirely unsafe, just that you are getting a higher assurance of safety on Toyotas than on Lexus.

14 Toyota vehicles earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick (+) award, compared to Lexus which has only six vehicles.

On an overall scale, you get advanced safety features on Lexus or Toyota vehicles. The level of safety features you get on Lexus and Toyota depends on the version of the safety system that your car is equipped with; 2.0, 2.5, 3.0

The Lexus Safety system includes:

  • Lane Assistance
  • Intelligent High Beams
  • Road Sign Assist
  • Pre-Collision System
  • Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

Toyota Safety Sense includes:

  • Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
  • Automatic High Beams
  • Road Sign Assist
  • Lane Departure Alert
  • Lane Tracing Assist
  • Proactive driving assist
  • Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

As for technology, whether you choose a Lexus or a Toyota, you get advanced infotainment; touchscreen displays and smartphone integration, sound systems, navigation systems, and lots more.

Winner: Toyota

Lexus vs Toyota Reliability: Repair and Maintenance Costs

It is cheaper to repair and maintain a Toyota than a Lexus. According to RepairPal, the average annual repair cost of is $441 for Toyota and $551 for Lexus.

With Lexus, you have a 0.5 chance of visiting the repair shop and an 8% chance for severe damages. Toyota has a 12% chance for severe damages and 0.3 chance of visiting a repair shop.

Winner: Toyota

Conclusion

While Toyota is more reliable than Lexus, there are a lot of things to admire about both brands. Toyota's emphasis on practicality and functionality has placed it above not just Lexus, but a whole lot of different car brands.

However, this comes at the expense of luxury and engine performance like Lexus offers. With Toyota, you get good gas mileage, impressive safety ratings, and cheaper repair and maintenance cost.

Keep in mind that Toyota offers a higher resale value than Lexus. Your choice between Toyota and Lexus lies in your needs. Ae you willing to sacrifice a few Toyota advantages to step up to luxury driving?

Don't forget that the individual strength of both brands drives down their different models and trim levels. Research your preferred model before making purchases.