Lexus UX300e, anyone got one?
Discussion
New company car time soon, and one surprisingly cheap option on our scheme is a Lexus UX300e, the 72kWh version. Just wanted to see if anyone on here has one and what their ownership/driving experience has been like?
On paper it looks alright; in terms of size and claimed performance/range it's very close to my current 2021 e-Niro. I was surprised to see that a mid spec model will cost less than I currently pay for the Kia. It would be around £150 a month less than something like an Ioniq 5 84kWh. But reviews for the Lexus seem pretty lukewarm.
Biggest concerns for me are practicality and range. The Niro does quite well in these respects for a relatively small and old EV, and I wonder if I'd regret not paying the extra for a larger EV with quoted 300+ mile range.
On paper it looks alright; in terms of size and claimed performance/range it's very close to my current 2021 e-Niro. I was surprised to see that a mid spec model will cost less than I currently pay for the Kia. It would be around £150 a month less than something like an Ioniq 5 84kWh. But reviews for the Lexus seem pretty lukewarm.
Biggest concerns for me are practicality and range. The Niro does quite well in these respects for a relatively small and old EV, and I wonder if I'd regret not paying the extra for a larger EV with quoted 300+ mile range.
We have one and for us it's great, though that is exclusively charging at home and localish drives only. The Chademo charging and slow rate at that would rule it out for longer trips. It's a very quiet car and the acceleration is typical ev, ie quick.
Small boot though if that's a concern.
Small boot though if that's a concern.
Thanks both.
Small boot would be a pain, don't want to go any smaller than the Niro, would prefer an estate car but company car has to be an EV and they don't seem to exist as an estate. I'll have to try and find some dimensions to compare the two.
Fast charging isn't a concern fortunately. I've done 75000 miles in the Niro and never needed to use a fast/public charger. As long as the AC charging is from a normal Type 2 connector as that's what the charging points are work are.
Small boot would be a pain, don't want to go any smaller than the Niro, would prefer an estate car but company car has to be an EV and they don't seem to exist as an estate. I'll have to try and find some dimensions to compare the two.
Fast charging isn't a concern fortunately. I've done 75000 miles in the Niro and never needed to use a fast/public charger. As long as the AC charging is from a normal Type 2 connector as that's what the charging points are work are.
Edited by Jonny_ on Monday 20th January 15:26
Jonny_ said:
would prefer an estate car but company car has to be an EV and they don't seem to exist as an estate.
There's quite a number of estates available.Jonny_ said:
As long as the AC charging is from a normal Type 2 connector as that's what the charging points are work are.
Chademo - which the UX300e probably has - is not Type 2.A friend runs one of these which he bought without doing any research and it's my fault because I'd told him EV's are fine after having a Tesla.
Probably the most compromised new EV available, although the larger 72kWh battery mitigates things to some degree. The earlier ones (pre 2023) were a little over 50kWh.
They are not very efficient - especially at motorway speeds. Work on 180-200 miles usable real world range on the 72kWh - less than 3 miles per kWh, reducing in winter as they don't have a heat pump. Earlier ones are only good for around 150 miles usable.
As has been said, Chademo for rapid charging is relatively scarce - but even if you find one, these only charge at an average of around 30kW. They are nominally 50kW, but can only sustain that between 10% and 12% state of charge. At 30% they're down to 35kW, 55% 30kW, and above 80% it drops to 9kW. 10%-80% takes over 90 minutes and that's only adding 150 miles range - the same in a Tesla Model 3 would be more like 20 minutes.
They can charge on a normal Type 2 AC charger of they type you'd typically install at home or as a destination charging post.
They're quite small, but relatively quiet and comfortable for the size.
If you can stay within the round trip range at all times, the charging piece arguably doesn't matter I guess and if you're charging at work the efficiency piece doesn't matter either.
I have primarily stated the above for the benefit of anyone other than the OP who stumbles across this thread thinking of buying one. These won't work well for some people.
Probably the most compromised new EV available, although the larger 72kWh battery mitigates things to some degree. The earlier ones (pre 2023) were a little over 50kWh.
They are not very efficient - especially at motorway speeds. Work on 180-200 miles usable real world range on the 72kWh - less than 3 miles per kWh, reducing in winter as they don't have a heat pump. Earlier ones are only good for around 150 miles usable.
As has been said, Chademo for rapid charging is relatively scarce - but even if you find one, these only charge at an average of around 30kW. They are nominally 50kW, but can only sustain that between 10% and 12% state of charge. At 30% they're down to 35kW, 55% 30kW, and above 80% it drops to 9kW. 10%-80% takes over 90 minutes and that's only adding 150 miles range - the same in a Tesla Model 3 would be more like 20 minutes.
They can charge on a normal Type 2 AC charger of they type you'd typically install at home or as a destination charging post.
They're quite small, but relatively quiet and comfortable for the size.
If you can stay within the round trip range at all times, the charging piece arguably doesn't matter I guess and if you're charging at work the efficiency piece doesn't matter either.
I have primarily stated the above for the benefit of anyone other than the OP who stumbles across this thread thinking of buying one. These won't work well for some people.
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