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By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 63

The RZ wasn't the first all-electric Lexus, but it was the first one that really mattered, launched back in 2022 and new from the ground up. As expected, it was packed with borrowed Toyota technology, embellished with the usual Lexus sheen and a new-found spirit of driver involvement. An interesting confection. How do the earlier 71.4kWh models stack up as a used buy?

Modelsword count: 5

5dr SUV (EV) - [300e,450e]

Historyword count: 290

No other premium luxury brand has more experience in electrification than Lexus. Which made it all the more surprising that it took until 2020 for the brand to launch its first EV (the compact UX 300e) and a further two years for the marque to introduce one with a dedicated EV platform, this car, the Lexus RZ. To be frank, we were pretty underwhelmed by the original UX 300e with its feeble operating range, but in 2022 the RZ looked far more promising. As it should have been, given the huge investment poured into the e-TNGA architecture it sat on, a chassis that by then we'd already seen with the Toyota bZ4X and its rebadged cousin the Subaru Solterra. The similarly-sized RZ was a more driver-orientated, luxurious thing, though it used the same 71.4kWh battery and most of the same engineering. To begin with, it came only in twin motor 450e Direct4 form. And there were some clever cabin innovations. All these attributes were needed because the RZ started off somewhat hobbled by its parent company Toyota's policy of incorporating such a massive safety buffer in its batteries that the driving range figures lagged behind those of obvious rivals. There was also the question of whether what was on offer here was sufficient to justify the premium Lexus wanted over the usual mid-sized executive EV crossover choices in this segment, headlined by strong-selling models like the Tesla Model Y and the Polestar 2. In 2024 a cheaper front-driven 300e version was added to the range. The earliest 71.4kWh models continued until early 2026, when they were replaced by a substantially updated RZ model line-up with a larger 77kWh battery. It's the earlier 2022-2025-era 71.4kWh RZ models we look at here.

What You Getword count: 676

This RZ's 'Seamless e-Motion' styling approach was apparently an evolution of the brand's 'Next Chapter' visual theme and its objective was to create a more premium take on mid-sized EV crossover design than had been served up by this Lexus's Toyota bZ4X close cousin. That's broadly what you get in a car sized directly between the two Hybrid Crossovers that back in 2022 the brand was campaigning with in the mid-to-upper SUV segment, the NX and the RX. In profile, that means an overall length of just over 4.8-metres, but the RZ hides its bulk well, its wheels pushed out to all four corners in an attempt to emphasise the wide stance and low centre of gravity. At the front, gone was the brand's usual trademark spindle grille, though that visual spindle remained as part of a three-dimensional shape more deeply integrated into the frontal design. The rear features a split-roof spoiler; and an elongated light bar across the width of the car that Lexus said was a hallmark of its current design: perhaps they'd not noticed that back in 2022 it was also a hallmark of just about everybody else's too. The front-of-cabin architecture was designed around Lexus's so-called 'Tazuna' concept, apparently inspired by the way a rider can control a horse by using only small adjustments on the reins, with a driver-focused feel that was a bit more conventional than the futuristic vibe served up by this RZ's Toyota bZ4X close cousin. Most RZ models got a supplementary head-up display, which works with the steering wheel touch-tracer switches we first saw on the MK2 NX. These can be customised to operate preferred functions like drive mode, navigation and audio and when you touch a switch, its form and function appear on the head-up display. In a car from this era of this size, prestige and price, you'd expect one of those big, customisable instrument displays with space for selectable full-screen mapping. There's nothing like that here: just a central Power Meter with Power and Charge sections that arc above a central data area you can populate via steering wheel buttons. You'll not be afflicted by screen withdrawal symptoms though because the cabin's dominated by one that's simply enormous. We first saw this car's huge 14-inch HD 'Lexus Link Pro' infotainment display on the NX and then on the RX and it's equally as sophisticated here, benefitting from continual over-the-air updates and a supposedly intuitive 'Dynamic Voice Recognition' system. Enough with screens, what else might you need to know here? Well seats are usually a highlight of any Lexus cabin and so it is here. The front chairs are superbly comfortable, thanks to a so-called 'deep hung' upholstery design, and if you avoid base trim with your RZ, you'll find that positioned in front of them are what the brand calls its 'Radiant Heaters'. Working silently, these waft infrared radiation towards you in a way that feels like a warm blanket spread around your legs: lovely. Get comfortable in the back and you'll find that six-footers will be able to stretch out, even when the front seats ahead are pushed right back, though you can't insert your feet below the front seat bases in the way you can in a Tesla Model Y. The floor's almost completely flat (as it should be in an EV), though the middle occupant this frees up space for may object to the way that the raised centre seat cushion restricts headroom. Head space for the two outer passengers is much better, thanks to a rearward peak in the roof line that Lexus says freed up an extra 67mm of head space. What about luggage space? Well, unlike some rivals, this Lexus doesn't provide any extra 'frunk' room beneath the bonnet, so all your stowage capacity is in the back. There is of course a powered tailgate, though it's only gesture-controlled at the very top of the range. Its wide angle of opening can be adjusted (to suit your garage roof) and once it's raised, a 522-litre space is revealed.

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