One of the first electric cars I tested this year was the Lexus TX550H+, which was a gigantic-sized SUV with 3-row seating. However, that was actually a PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), which I argue helps to bridge traditional gas-powered driving and all-electric. With the Lexus RZ 450e, I’m getting my first taste of what Toyota’s luxury vehicle division has to offer in this area — and it has a lot of selling points to convince me it’s worth a look.
The 2024 Lexus RZ 450e Premium I drove for a week starts at $59,875, but that goes up to $62,305 to include additional packages and features like the advanced park, head-up display, digital rearview mirror, illuminated front badge, and more. This puts it in direct competition against the Cadillac Lyriq, which makes it only harder for the Lexus because of how much I loved the Lyriq.
At the same time, it shows how much of a better EV it is than the Toyota bZ4X — and how Toyota can adapt some of the RZ 450e’s qualities into future EV rollouts.
2024 Lexus RZ 450e Premium: Quick specifications
2024 Lexus RZ 450e Premium: Driving summary
Much like the bZ4X, the Lexus RZ 450e drives well in all sorts of conditions. Even though its 308 hp performance isn’t the strongest I’ve seen in an EV, it gets the job done when it comes to accelerating from a dead stop.
And much like the bZ4X, its smart cruise control system is one of the best because of how gradual it is with the acceleration. Other EVs have a tendency to floor it in order to reach my set speed, but the RZ 450e is gentle with it and the braking.
When it comes to the efficiency of the Lexus RZ 450e, it’s right there in the middle oftentimes achieving over 3 mi/kWh efficiency with most of my drives. This helps to offset its 220 miles of range from its 71.4 kWh battery. Even though it’s certainly not a long-range vehicle, I was actually surprised that it was charging at the rate of 3.43 mil/hr with Level 1 charging. Other EVs I’ve charged at home barely get to 1 mi/hr.
- 357.5 total miles driven, mixed between city and highway driving
- Achieved a best mark of 4 mi/kWh efficiency
- Frequently goes over 3 mi/kWh efficiency with most drives
- 39 miles of range added back with 11 hours and 21 minutes of charging
- Went from 31% to 50% charge level in that time
- 3.43 miles/hour recharge rate with Level 1 charging
2024 Lexus RZ 450e Premium: What I Like
Stunning looking design
I thought the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra looked great with their futuristic designs, but Lexus takes it a step further with the RZ 450e. Sure, there are similarities between the two designs. However, the hard angular lines, low profile design, and two-toned paint job of the RZ 450e makes it a head-turner.
The strong contrast between the Copper Crest and Black Onyx colors around the body only enhances its appeal, giving it a commanding presence coming down the road. EVs deserve a styling that uniquely points them out, and Lexus does an amazing job of putting it all together here with the RZ 450e.
Moonroof that goes from opaque to transparent
One of the coolest parts about the Lexus RZ 450e is its moonroof, even though the glass is technically fixed and can’t open. That’s because the dynamic sky panorama moonroof can go from opaque to transparent with a press of a button. It’s really neat and a totally different experience from your usual mechanically operated covers.
On bright sunny days, the opaque covering does a fantastic job of blocking out the harsh sun. In fact, I relate it to how this opaque cover acts like the solar filters on my telescopes to block out the harsh rays of the sun. But what’s even cooler is just how quickly it can become transparent.
Self parking
I’m pretty confident with my parking jobs, but for those who aren’t, the Lexus RZ 450e Premium offers Advanced Park to give it complete control of the vehicle for those tighter parking situations. After selecting the spot and how I want it to park with the touchscreen display, the RZ 450e does the rest while I sit back and watch it in action. Although, it does take time for it to properly park itself in a spot — but I know people who aren’t as confident with parking won’t mind the wait.
Foot activated liftgate
When my hands are tied up with groceries, I cannot tell you enough about how handy it is to have a vehicle with a foot-activated liftgate. The Lexus RZ 450e offers it and by simply hovering my leg near the rear bumper, which initiates the liftgate to open automatically on its own. While it’s not alone in offering this, it simply just adds to its list of conveniences.
Surprisingly good Level 1 charging rate
Anyone thinking about buying an EV will eventually have to consider installing a Level 2 charger at home, which does come at a cost. But in the interim, you can always rely on Level 1 charging to add back some range to the Lexus RZ 450e Premium.
Other EVs I've charged at home offer dismal speeds with Level 1 charging. For example, the Genesis GV70 added back 12 miles of range with Level 1 charging in 12.74 hours. In contrast, the Lexus RZ 450e gave me 39 miles of range in 11 hours and 21 minutes of charging. Sure, it'll take a while before it's fully charged, but that's really good for the convenience of Level 1 charging.
2024 Lexus RZ 450e Premium: What I Don't Like
Weak ambient lighting
After the dazzling light shows that the Genesis GV60 and GV70 showed me, I’m a bit disappointed by the Lexus RZ 450e tepid-looking ambient lights. I’m referring to the interior of the vehicle, which is nowhere as glitzy or ostentatious. There's this pattern that gets projected along the sides of the door, but it's nowhere as eye-catching as the glowing edges that Genesis douses with its EVs.
Short range for its size
If you intend to do a lot of long-distance driving, just be prepared for frequent recharging because of its extremely short 220 miles of range. That’s actually less than the comparably sized Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra with their EPA-estimated range of 236 and 222 miles respectively. Time is money, so having to stop more than other EVs to charge its battery to a decent level might dissuade you from getting it.
2024 Lexus RZ 450e Premium: Bottom line
Since I don’t have as long a commute to work as others might, I could probably tolerate its 220 miles of range — just as long as its efficiency continues to average closer to 3.5 mi/kWh. Add to that its smooth ride, intelligent smart cruise control system, and killer-looking design, the 2024 Lexus RZ 450e checks off a lot of the things I want in an EV. I hope that Toyota can somehow take the best parts of the Lexus RZ 450e and somehow adapt them into its EVs because the bZ4X just doesn’t have nearly the same level of appeal.
