Worth it over the hybrid? // 2026 Lexus NX450h+ review

Worth it over the hybrid? // 2026 Lexus NX450h+ review

We’ve got the 2026 Lexus NX plug-in hybrid. This is the FS Sport. Hold on, Zach. Easy. Now, let those tires rip. Wow, that is smooth. Let’s get into it. What’s powering this NX? A 2.5 L 4 cylinder with Lexus hybrid drive. It has an 18.1 kWh battery with 60 km, 37 mi of range. It’s matched to an ECVT and has a combined 304 horsepower, standard all-wheel drive, and you can use regular fuel in this plug-in hybrid. Okay, we’re going to get into what’s new for 2026 in just a moment. Right now, what are the key standard features of the NX plugin? The base trim comes with a 7in driver display, a 14inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10 speakeraker audio system, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, driver seat memory, eightway power front seats, four-way power driver seat lumbar, heated steering wheel, a moon roof, heated rear seats, a power liftgate, and Lexus Safety Sense 3.0. So, if you’re not aware, this is the same basic powertrain and platform as the RAV 4 Prime. That’s the plugin. They don’t call it Prime anymore, do you think? No, just plug in hybrid. Yeah. So, they’ve got an all new one. This is the current one here for Lexus, but they have made some changes for 2026. What’s new? Well, not a whole lot. Canada has added another F-S Sport model called F-S Sport 2. And in the US, a base trim has been added. So, you’ve got a little bit more of an affordable plug-in hybrid option. And the US also gets a new exterior color. I think also in Canada, we’ll get to the pricing later on in our vital stats. The pricing for this, the base model is actually not bad. The problem is, is the dealer going to order a base model? Probably not. In Canada, many buyers actually want more, so they will go to the higher trims. But in the US, the base model is actually quite popular. I actually think that of the NX family of vehicles, I still think the hybrid, the regular hybrid is kind of the one to get. It’s the sweet spot of um efficiency and price. This one drives the best, though, because that extra power, that over 300 horsepower and that instantaneous torque from the electric motor really makes this the most satisfying to drive. I’m actually surprised at how little the gas engine actually comes on when you accelerate quickly. Um, it really wants to stay in pure EV mode and that 60 km 37 mi of range is very good. We know when this does get a redesign, by the way, that question is coming up in questions, coffee, and cars halfway through the show, so stick around for that. It’s probably going to get the 80 km, 50 mi that the new RAV 4 plug-in hybrid is getting. Okay, so we do have the F-S Sport, and the F-S Sport is the one where you can get the adaptive or the variable suspension, and we have that on this one, and it does make a difference. I noticed when I picked this up driving home over some rougher roads that it, you know what, Andrea, it really smoothed out those imperfections in the road. And you know what? It also comes with front and rear performance dampers. And then you’ve got your exterior and interior F-S Sport design elements as well. But it never really gets super sporty. It’s always a Lexus. Yeah, it’s always a Lexus. It’s always comfortable. It’s really well insulated. I forgot how quiet this is. Okay. A little bit of a backdrop on how they engineer vehicles. What they do is they have an envelope and they say the the the the noise, the vibration, the harshness, the smoothness, the acceleration, all has to fit inside this envelope. And that’s what they’ll do for a Lexus, which makes it different than a Toyota, for example. And the steering isn’t too light. You know, sometimes with Lexus models, it gets a little bit light. This feels really nice. It’s not floaty boaty either. Okay, we’re getting up to higher speeds now. Andrea, what is the number one thing people can do for us on this channel? You guys subscribe, hit that notification bell. You’ll be notified when all of our reviews drop and then you can watch them. And we do these full length car reviews twice a week. The first one drops on Wednesday. We put another one out on Saturday. All we ask is you subscribe. That’s it. That’s it. Okay, Andrea, let’s go for it. Now, we can put to the floor. And so, it’s staying in EV mode. Like, that’s impressive. I just want to say something. We’ve been driving this vehicle for 20 minutes before we started. The battery still says it’s at 100%. What kind of voodoo is that? What kind of voodoo is that? It says we’ve got 44 kilometers of range. Okay, slow down a little bit. Slow down. Get behind this car here. This is the bumpiest part. This is the adaptive suspension. And I just wanted to check out. So, this is the bumpiest part of this road. Can you even really feel that? No. What about those imperfections, Zach? Yeah, they’re there. And you can barely feel them. But boy, you know what it does, Andrew? Well done, tuned. It eats up those imperfections in the road. There you go. That’s Now we can hear a little bit. You can hear it. But boy, very good. But not available on all NX. You got to splash out for the F-S Sport to get it. Yeah. Well, we don’t have to spend too much time on the outside cuz not much has changed. We’ve got the F Sport and Andrea talked about kind of what you get with the F-S Sport, but I everyone’s gotten used to this by now and it’s selling like crazy. I like this red color. It actually uh makes it look a little bit sportier. You just need to get a bright color. But um the green one is super nice, too. Oh yeah, the green, the Nory green. Love that color. Uh I think it’s quite an elegant looking NX. I remember when I saw it for the first time and I said to Zach, “Wow, it really has more of a refined grill. It’s not so in yourrface.” And that’s what I like about this model. The NX has 7.7 in of ground clearance and comes standard with LED headlamps, available triple beam LED headlamps, standard LED fog lamps, LED rear combination lamps, power folding exterior mirrors, reverse and tilt mirrors, 18-in wheels, run flat tires, which means no temporary spare tire on this model. Of course, F-S Sport models up the sportiness. A little more aggressive NX with F-S Sport badging, F-S Sport design elements, and 20-inch wheels. Okay, we just drove the new RAV 4, right? Yeah. And uh this is based on RAV 4 platform, but it doesn’t have the same software. What’s the Come on, Eileen. What’s the software for Toyota? Aren aren they have this new software for the Toyota RAV 4. And what I like about it, Andrea, you know, in a lot of new cars, you get the different tiles on the screen, so you can have the map and you can have your audio at the same time. with this system that we have, whether it’s this or the RX, if you wanted to, say you have the navigation going, we we had this in Toronto, remember we were driving around, but I wanted to change the satellite radio station, you have to leave the navigation screen, go into audio, unlike that system where you can have them both on the screen at the same time. So, that’s better, the Toyota one. Yeah. And there I’m sure Lexus is going to adapt that as well because they share a lot of the same things. I think that overall this offers a pretty clean look. You’ve got a standard 14-in touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 7 in driver display. By the way, there is no available 12.3 in digital driver display on this model. I think it needs it considering we’re seeing it in other models, but it’s the RAV 4. Yeah, I think it’s just because this was updated in 2022. I don’t think it’s a very fancy interior design. Some of the other luxury models do a better job like the GLC 350e is really nice from Mercedes-Benz, but it’s all well done. Like it’s other than the radio, but it’s all well done. It’s beautifully put together. Nice materials. We find it though, Andrew and I are kind of noticing it’s a little toy. It feels a little toy to me. And that’s where the RX is better. You just get more space. It’s a little bit wider. And uh I’m feeling like maybe I’m a little bit close to Zach here, but I like it. I’m liking it. He’s liking it. So, this is huge, by the way, the center console storage unit. I also like the shifter that’s offered. I’m a big fan of this shifter. I remember when it first came out, I was not, but now I’ve gotten so used to it. I love the look of it. That’s so weirdest like we resisted the things that are now commonplace like the little toggle shifter and also the touch button to open and close the door. It’s not a proper handle. Uh you know at first we’re like I don’t know now we’re kind you get used to you get used to everything. You get used to a stone in your shoe Andrea. Yes you do. And you can override it too. You just pull it out and you can get out of the vehicle. Uh but I think that overall it’s welldesigned. you feel like you’re in a little bit of a cockpit feel. Um, and also everything is at your fingertips for the driver. Even the screen is turned slightly towards the driver, so it’s easy to access. And there’s still a volume knob, temperature controls, and drive mode, so it’s not like Lexus has gotten rid of all the buttons either, which is nice to see. Here’s the available features for the NX plugin. You can get a panoramic sunroof, a 17 speakeraker Mark Levenson sound system, a head-up display, panoramic view monitor, digital rearview mirror, wireless charger, 64 color ambient lighting, and a power rear door with kick sensor. Well, this is not the biggest in this class. You can see me getting in the back seat. There isn’t a ton of leg room. Headroom seems to be okay, and you can fold down the center armrest, but it isn’t the biggest. How does it stack up? This plug-in hybrid has 41 in of front row legroom and 36.1 in of rear seat leg room. Lifting up the power liftgate on this model, uh you can see it’s not a huge cargo area. And underneath the floor, that’s where you see the charge cable and it has a tire repair kit. Cargo space behind the second row is 22.7 cubic feet and overall cargo space 46.9 cubic feet. Okay, after questions, this or the RX plugin? Stick around for time now for questions, coffee, and cars. Your questions from Instagram. Is it worth getting the plugin over the 350H, which is the hybrid, if you’re rarely charging externally? The fuel economy seems to actually be worse. Maybe because of the larger battery, Zach, what do we always say? If you don’t have a plug, don’t buy a car that needs a plug. It’s pretty simple. And if you’re you’re basically telling us you’re not driving much, so no, don’t buy this. Get the regular hybrid. And carrying around an 18.1 kilowatt hour battery, why just get the hybrid? Yep. Have you heard any rumors about when the NX will be redesigned? Surely with the new Rav 4 coming, the NX should be due soon for a new generation. Everybody keeps asking about the NX. This just came out in 2022. Yeah, brand new in 2022. Rhymes, Andrea. I don’t get it. People are all the time, when’s the NX getting updated? It just came out. So, if you look at uh midcycle refresh probably in the ne like not 26, but maybe 27 and then a new one two to three years after that. So, this is going to be around a while. Yeah, we’re we’re talking like three years, I think, anyway, before they would ever do a redesign. If you want to get a question in, don’t be shy. Follow along on Instagram. It’s motormouth_andry. We also get to see all the pictures behind the scenes. For me, it’s Motormouth Auto and the links are below the like button. How is the driver seating and visibility for petite drivers? Assuming the driver’s seat has lumbar support as well. It does have lumbar support. I think for petite drivers, you’re going to find that this is just fine. My issue with car companies is they make seats go higher for petite people, but they don’t make seats go low for tall people. So, this is I I’ve actually moved the seat back for questions, coughing, cars, but I like to sit more kind of upright close to the steering wheel. And I don’t have a lot of headroom here. I wish this seat went lower. This for me is pretty low. Yeah, but you don’t have the torso of a giant. I don’t. But that’s the lowest position. So, maybe that one goes I don’t understand why they can’t do low. This one is This one does go down pretty low. But this is high as it goes. And um this is a bit I would say a bit high for me. I could actually bring it down a little bit. Okay, so for petite drivers, I don’t think it’s an issue. No. And now it’s time for our hot topic. What’s this one, Andrea? Is the NX450H+ or Lexus RX 450h plus a better buy? Well, the RX generally is a lot more vehicle. We really enjoy driving that compared to this. It’s just more substantial, longer wheelbase, feels very planted, especially at highway speeds. But there’s limited availability for the plug-in and man, it’s expensive. Well, the issue in Canada is there’s just one RX trim. Yes, it comes loaded, but it’s going to cost you around $91,000. So, you look at the base model of the NX plug-in hybrid in Canada. That’s a $28,000 difference. That’s a lot of money. Now, in the US, it’s a different story. You can buy a Porsche Cayenne for that kind of money. It’s a lot of money. It’s a lot of money. So, in the US it’s a different story. There’s only about an $8,800 difference between the two. So, if you had the budget, you could make the jump to it. I think um you get a lot more for your money with the RX. And we drove it and we thought it was great. It does what it says on the box. It’s very well done. All right. So, let’s get into the vital stats of this. Like the price, that’s kind of important. We touched it on a little bit already. Yeah. Let’s start with pricing. We’ll do Canada first and then we’ll move on to the US. In Canada, the pricing includes freight, PDI, and fees. The base model starts at just under $63 and a half thousand, and the top trim FS Sport 3 is just over 80,000. In the US, we’re using MSRP. The base model is just over $59,000, and the top trim just over 64,000. Here’s the fuel economy. When the battery is charged, this plug-in hybrid gets 2.8 L equivalent per 100 kilm. That’s 84 miles per gallon equivalent. When the battery is depleted, it’s 6.3 L per 100 kilometers city, 7.1 on the highway. That’s 37 m per gallon city, 33 on the highway. This plug-in comes with a 6.6 kW onboard charger. With a level two charger, it can reach a full charge in 2 and 1/2 hours. The NX is not compatible with DC fast charging. Towing capacity is 2,000 lb. Lexus offers a warranty of 4 years, 80,000 kilometers, or 50,000 mi. In the United States, complimentary maintenance is covered for 1 year or 10,000 mi. Okay, we’re going to go through what else you can buy. It has to be premium or luxury and a plug-in. Here’s four to choose from. For your consideration, four vehicles for you to consider. Up first is the Volvo XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid with 455 combined horsepower and 58 kilometers, 36 miles of range. It has a starting price over $685,000. The Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e with a 2 L turbo four-cylinder, 313 horsepower. Check this out. 87 kilometers or 54 miles of range, but a starting price of 67 grand. The Alfa Romeo Tanali with a combined 285 horsepower and 50 kilometers, 32 miles of range. It has a starting price of $60,000. The Lincoln Corsair with a combined 266 horsepower, just 45 kilometers or 28 mi of range. It has a starting price of $63,000 and rumors have it that this vehicle is going away. So, there are four luxury plug-in hybrids for you to consider. Lightning round. Two things we like, two things we’d like to see improved. I’m really impressed by how little the gas engine comes on when that battery is fully charged. Yeah, it’s very uh comfortable to drive. What I’d like to see improved is just more adjustments with the seating position, especially on the driver’s side. Come on, Eileen. I’d like them to put that software that’s in the Toyota in this. I bet you it’s coming. Or a version of it. Oh, yeah. So, there it is. It’s the NX plugin. What do you guys think of that? Thanks for watching and if you like what you see, make sure you subscribe. We’ll see you next time.

This is a Motormouth couple car review of the 2026 Lexus NX450h+ plug-in hybrid compact, luxury SUV.
What’s New? There are minor changes for the 2026 Lexus NX450h+. In Canada, a new 2026 Lexus NX450h+F Sport 2 trim has been added offering another sporty option. In the US, a base Premium grade is now available enabling a more affordable entry level model and there’s a new exterior colour called Infrared.
The 2026 Lexus NX450h+ plug-in hybrid is powered by a 2.5L 4-cylinder with Lexus hybrid drive, it has an 18.1 kWh battery with 60 km/37 miles of range. It’s matched to an eCVT and has a combined 304 horsepower, standard AWD.
We are driving an F Sport model with an adaptive variable suspension, front and rear performance dampers and exterior and interior F Sport design elements. While this is supposed to be your sportiest NX, it still has that Lexus feel, it’s very refined, smooth, quiet and comfortable. I am surprised how little the gas engine comes on when the battery is fully charged, you really feel like you are driving a pure electric vehicle.
The higher 2026 Lexus NX450h+ trims do get up there in price, but the good news is Lexus has loaded up the base model, I would be satisfied with the lower trim. The 2026 Lexus NX450h+ comes standard with a 7” multi-information display, 14” touchscreen, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a 10-speaker audio system, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, driver seat memory, 8-way power front seats, 4-way power driver’s seat lumbar, heated steering wheel, moonroof, heated rear seats, power liftgate and Lexus Safety Sense 3.0.
2026 Lexus NX450h+ fuel economy is impressive. When the battery is charged, this plug-in hybrid gets 2.8Le/100 km, 84 MPGe. When the battery is depleted, 6.3L/100 km, 37 MPG city and 7.1L/100 km, 33 MPG highway.
This plug-in hybrid comes with a 6.6 kW onboard charger. With a Level 2 charger it can reach a full charge in 2.5 hours. The NX is not compatible with a DC Fast charger.
In Canada, the 2026 Lexus NX450h+ Ultra Premium starts at $63,353, F Sport 2 $76,453, Executive $79,968

Andrea Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motormouth_andrea/
Zack Instagram https://www.instagram.com/motormouth_auto/