Lexus LS saloon - Reliability & safety
Lexus has an admirable reputation among owners and safety seems assured, too
If Lexus has become known for one thing it's quality and customer service, and it seems unlikely that the LS500h will upset that hard-earned reputation. Meanwhile, although it seems unlikely that the LS500h will undergo Euro NCAP crash testing, it isn't found wanting for safety equipment.
Lexus LS 500h reliability
The LS500h's predecessor sold in relatively small numbers, and too few owners participated in our 2017 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey for it to be represented individually. However, Lexus did extremely well as a brand, not only placing first overall out of 27 manufacturers surveyed, but its Lexus RX SUV finished in third place out of 75 cars covered.
Owners generally had little but praise for their cars, particularly commenting on the smoothness of their engines, the interior and exterior quality, technology and comfort. Fuel economy came in for little celebration, though, and running costs and high maintenance costs were criticised, too. Owners generally thought of their cars as reliable, too, despite 11.8% of owners reporting a fault in the first year of ownership.
Safety
As it was sold in such small numbers, the previous Lexus LS was never crash-tested by Euro NCAP, and it's unlikely that the latest version will be, either. However, there's still little doubting the big car's safety credentials.
It carries a host of crash-prevention technologies, which double to make driving a relaxing and stress-free experience. The Lexus' autonomous emergency braking system is part of the same package of technology that also includes active cruise control, and the lane-keeping assistance system employs sensors that can instruct the car to swerve to avoid a collision. There's even a reversing monitor that can tell the difference between pedestrians and static objects and intervene if it thinks you’re going to hit someone.