2025 Lexus RX450 H +plus Review – The Ultimate Plug In Hybrid? Luxury, Power and a Hidden Risk
Let’s have a look at the Lexus RX 450h Plus.
The plus means it’s a plug-in hybrid. Now, this is one of the bigger Lexus models, certainly
aimed at the luxury market. We’re going to go through just overview what the car is like inside,
outside, what it’s like to drive. We’re going to look at the engine, the power components,
how it actually performs, and at the end, I’m just going to flag up a big problem I
have with buying this car. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy it, but you need to be aware
of this so you can take precautions and prevent yourself from suffering this inconvenience that
a lot of new Lexus owners are experiencing sadly. Under the hood, then we’ve got a 2.5 L tried and
tested Toyota engine that uses the Atkinson cycle. It’s an inline 4 engine. It’s supplemented with
two electric motors. The battery pack is an 18.1 kWh lithium ion battery. In the UK spec, the
petrol engine produces about 185 horsepower, but overall with the electric motors, you’re
looking at round about 304 horsepower. Obviously, that depends on how much charge you’ve got in the
battery and the mode the car is in. So, whenever we’re talking about hybrid cars and plug-in hybrid
cars, the overall power is subjective. It varies depending on the actual circumstances you are
currently in. The official naught to 60 time is about 6.5 seconds and it certainly felt this quick
in the everyday drive. It’s surprising because it’s quite a large, heavy car. It’s carrying
a lot of weight because of the large body, but also the battery pack and the electric motors,
they all add to the overall weight, but this car feels a lot lighter. The reversing sensors and
cameras make parking this an absolute dodle. Because it’s a plug-in, people often think of this
as an EV alternative. So, how far can you actually realistically drive in EVO only mode? Well, on
this car, you’ll get a range of about 40 mi. It depends on where you go. You need to be relatively
gentle and conservative with your throttle inputs, but it certainly does last quite a long time on
EV only power. Whereas a lot of other hybrids will only let you use EV power along with the
combustion engine, it’s very very judicious in its use of EV only. Whereas on this car, you
can select an EV only mode, which switches things over. So, you’re driving something much more akin
to an EV without the range anxiety limitations that you might get because you can just top up the
fuel tank when you need that extra boost or that extra distance. Company car drivers will benefit
from a slightly lower benefit in kind due to its lower CO2 emissions levels. It’s a nice package.
It feels quite luxurious. It’s great to drive in traffic. There’s a lot of rear storage space.
The luggage compartment is quite expansive and there’s lots of little hidden compartments inside
that you can use just to stow your essentials. I like the feature of the center compartment between
the driver and passenger seats that can be opened from either side. It’s on a simple reversible
hinge. Whichever side you approach it from, you can just lift it up and reach stuff. It’s got
a 14-in highdefinition touchscreen which showed up well even in relatively bright light. You’ve got
the massive array of driver assists and options that are becoming the norm on these cars today.
There’s a handy heads up display which gives you speed and essential information as you’re driving
along. If you edge over the speed limit as well, you get a slight little nudge reminder, little
visual clue that that’s happening. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A big
bonus to a lot of people with modern phones that just want to use their phone for some of the
essentials, browsing their Spotify playlist or getting navigation instructions. Lexus Safety
System Plus version three is standard on these. Adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist,
pre-colision warning with pedestrian detection, road sign assist, digital latch with safe exit
assist helps to prevent opening doors into oncoming traffic, helping to keep the family safe.
You’ve got this heads up display that I’ve already mentioned and the traffic jam assist as well. It
would be nice if traffic jam assist actually just got rid of the traffic in front of you. Maybe
some torpedoes appeared from under the grill to just clear the way, but I think that is a little
way into the future and there’s probably some emissions issues with having torpedoes and blowing
up other cars as you go along. The outside, the styling is very modern Lexus, very glitzy, very
posh. There’s a lovely wraparound grill. Wheel sizes ranging up to 21 in. I feel that the 21 in
will hamper the ride quality. If you’ve got the option of going for slightly smaller alloy rims,
please do so because that’s going to give you a much more comfortable ride and it really is going
to improve the handling no end in my opinion. Let me know what your thoughts are on the 21in rims.
Logical competitors to this would include the BMW X5 X drive 50E, the Volvo XC60 Recharge T8,
the Audi Q555, and the Mercedes-Benz GLE 350de, not to forget as well the Porsche Cayenne E
Hybrid. So, what’s the RX450H+ like to actually drive on the roads? Well, overall it drives with
a very clear focus on refinement rather than agility. The awesome suspension really does smooth
out all the undulations, potholes, and bumps from the road surface and gives you confidence when
driving it hard driving on the edge. In corners, it certainly still remains predictable. We’re
dealing with a very heavy car here and it doesn’t feel as heavy thanks to the way that this vehicle
has just been designed and put together. It does tend to go towards under steer when it’s pushed
particularly hard. It’s pretty unlikely you’ll get into a situation where over steer cuts in and the
traction control stability systems are very good at managing over steer problems and keeping
the car true to where the driver is actually intending to take it. The steering felt very
light around town, making it very easy to park, but it didn’t offer much road feel. It felt a
little vague in terms of spirited driving on twisty roads, but that’s not really what this
car has been designed to do. Anyway, overall, the car is a good package. It does exactly
what you would expect a car of this size and this class to do, and that is deliver refinement,
a smooth drive, a comfortable drive, and give the driver reassurance that the car is going to
go where the driver actually wants it to. It works well as a luxury plug-in and it has a very
practical availability of electric only power, giving you really the best of both worlds. You can
have an electric car when this is in electric mode or you can drive it as a very advanced hybrid.
Now, I said at the beginning there was a big downside to this. This was my sister-in-law’s car.
She’d only had it a short while and it was stolen after parking in London. The thieves took just six
minutes to go away in this lovely new car. and is really a weakness of the keyless fob system that
Toyota and Lexus are using. Other manufacturers are also affected by this. These have up their
game. They’re using high-tech systems to sniff out the signals from key transponders and they’re
then using these to not only unlock the car but also drive it off. If you’ve got a modern Toyota
or a modern Lexus or any modern car with keyless entry system, I would urge you to get some kind of
physical anti- theft protection, a steering wheel lock that can’t easily be cut and removed, maybe
even one of those wheel clamps or wheel boots just to make it harder for people to get away. Now, if
thieves are determined, they will steal anything, but we want to make the job harder for them.
And these modern keyless entry systems, I feel manufacturers could do a better job. Is
it really too much to ask for maybe PIN number to be entered when the driver starts the car or
for some kind of fingerprint recognition or some other backup system to actually start the car
and drive off? It just seems to be a bit open that you’re driving around broadcasting a signal.
It’s like holding up a picture of an oldfashioned key that’s actually got a very clear picture
of what the key looks like. So, people can just photograph that and cut their own key and get
into your car. In this digital age, we’ve got to be much more cautious about these keyless entry
systems. And I would argue the convenience it gives us is just not worth the risk of having the
car stolen. I hope you found this video useful. Let me know what you’ve decided about Lexus in
general, which models your weighing up, and what you thought of this video, how I can improve
the next one that I do. If you’ve enjoyed it, please boot the like button. That really does help
us to get out there. If you haven’t subscribed to the channel, please do so. That again helps the
channel. And I’ve lined up this video and this playlist that you should find really interesting.
Thanks for watching. See you in these next videos.
Looking for a luxury SUV that blends hybrid performance with Lexus reliability? The Lexus RX 450h+ Plug-in Hybrid might just be the car you’ve been eyeing – but wait until you hear the one big problem that could ruin your ownership experience.
Before you buy, you need to know what this sleek and powerful hybrid SUV can really do, and more importantly, what could make it disappear in just six minutes!
The Lexus RX 450h Plus stands tall in the luxury hybrid SUV market, offering comfort, style, and impressive plug-in hybrid efficiency.
Powered by a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle engine paired with two electric motors and an 18.1 kWh lithium-ion battery, this hybrid SUV delivers a combined output of around 304 bhp. That’s enough for a 0–60 mph time of 6.5 seconds, which is quick considering the car’s large size and weight.
You can expect an EV-only range of about 40 miles, depending on driving style and conditions. In EV mode, the RX 450h+ behaves like a fully electric vehicle, giving you that silent, smooth drive Lexus is famous for — without range anxiety.
Once the battery runs low, the petrol engine kicks in seamlessly, letting you go the extra distance without stopping to charge.
Step inside and you’ll find a premium cabin that screams luxury. A 14-inch HD touchscreen dominates the dash, supporting wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
There’s also a heads-up display, an intuitive digital driver’s cluster, and clever storage compartments like the dual-opening centre console, which opens from either side for easy access. The rear luggage area is spacious, with hidden storage spaces for everyday essentials.
Lexus has packed this plug-in SUV with safety and convenience. The Lexus Safety System Plus 3 includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, road-sign assist, and traffic-jam assist.
There’s even a digital latch system with Safe Exit Assist to stop passengers from opening doors into passing traffic.
Outside, the RX 450h+ looks bold and modern, with Lexus’s signature wraparound grille and alloy wheels up to 21 inches. While the big wheels add presence, smaller alloys improve comfort and handling — a point worth noting if you value ride quality over aesthetics.
On the road, the Lexus RX 450h Plus favours refinement over agility. The suspension absorbs potholes and uneven surfaces with ease, giving you that effortless Lexus glide.
Steering is light and accurate at low speeds, perfect for city driving, though it can feel a little vague on twisty roads. Still, this isn’t a sports SUV; it’s built for comfort, luxury, and effortless cruising.
Rivals include the BMW X5 xDrive50e, Volvo XC60 Recharge T8, Audi Q5 55 TFSI e, Mercedes-Benz GLE 350de, and even the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid.
Against these, the RX 450h+ holds its own thanks to Lexus’s legendary reliability, smooth hybrid performance, and low company-car BIK tax rate from its reduced CO₂ emissions.
However, there’s one serious issue new Lexus owners need to watch out for — keyless car theft. The RX 450h+ shares the same keyless entry system used by other Toyota and Lexus models, and criminals have developed relay devices that can clone your key fob signal in seconds.
In one real case, a new RX 450h+ was stolen in under six minutes from a London street.
To protect your investment, consider physical anti-theft measures such as steering-wheel locks, wheel clamps, or Faraday pouches for your key fobs. Until manufacturers improve their systems — perhaps with PIN start-up or fingerprint verification — owners should stay vigilant.
So, is the Lexus RX 450h Plus worth buying? If you want a luxurious plug-in hybrid SUV with real-world EV driving capability, refined performance, and top-tier comfort, then yes — it delivers on every front.
But make sure you also protect it, because while Lexus engineers have perfected refinement, the thieves have perfected getting away with them.
If you found this review helpful, hit the like button and subscribe for more honest car reviews, hybrid comparisons, and ownership insights.
Check out our next videos on plug-in hybrid SUVs and Lexus keyless theft prevention — you’ll want to see them before you make your next move.
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Legal Notice: Unless we have inspected your car we can only provide generic theory. All information is provided without warranty, please check any recommendations made with a mechanic locally to verify it would be legal in your area or region and that it would be suitable for your car and your needs.
