2021 Lexus ES 250 Review

Name: 2021 Lexus ES 250 Review
Brand: Lexus

Price Range: $28,990 - $31,990

2021 Lexus ES 250 Luxury Sedan Exterior Shown

+104

The 2021 Lexus ES 250 finally brings an all-wheel-drive powertrain to the ES lineup. Unfortunately, the 250's lethargic four-cylinder engine is unworthy of being in a luxury car such as this. Unless you absolutely need the AWD system, the V6-powered ES 350 is a better buy. The ES 250's endearing qualities are otherwise present in the ES 350 as well.

See all features & specs

See Offers Nearby

Check out current offers on the Lexus ES 350

View Offers

Lexus.com

Price & Payment

5 cars

$29,614 avg. price

Min$

Max$

See listings

Appraise My 2021 Lexus ES 250

Build & Price

Lexus.com

Lexus ES 250 model years

Lexus ES 250 for Sale

2021 Lexus ES 250 Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

New ES variant with four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive
Part of the seventh ES generation introduced for 2019

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Lexus ES 250 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.10 per gallon for regular unleaded in Colorado.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Colorado

$133/mo

$188/mo

Avg. Large Car

Calculate my fuel costs

See Edmunds pricing data

Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

See pricing history

Lexus ES 250 Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.4

7 reviews

5(72%)

4(14%)

3(0%)

2(14%)

1(0%)

Write a vehicle review See all 7 reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Great luxury car for the money

Brian , 02/20/2021

2021 Lexus ES 250 Luxury 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A)

Other poster talked about cheap interior and bad stereo. Luxury version has leather seats. Mark Levinson upgrade provides great stereo. Features are as good or better than what you find on higher priced cars. ES250 isn't powerful but I got 37 mpg on a long trip. I would like to see better ambient lighting.

Love our Lexus

Stephen Bowman, 08/29/2023

2021 Lexus ES 250 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A)

Purchased 2021 ES250, 30,000 miles, Lexus Certified two weeks ago. We absolutely love our car. Quality throughout, very comfortable ride and seats. Roomy. Easy to get in and out of. Love the styling. Top Safety Pick. Loaded with safety features. Getting 34+ MPG highway. Power is adequate. All wheel drive a plus for us. Update - We have owned this car for more than a year- Certified Pre …

Old school reliable daily

VaLexusDriver, 10/08/2022

2021 Lexus ES 250 F SPORT 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A)

Traded my beloved Infiniti QX70 Limited but I really like this car. It’s the 4 cylinder so it’s not as powerful as others in the class but the simplicity and old school demeanor and AWD is what sold me. I’m getting high 30’s low 40’s mpg and the luxury look/feel is top notch. I have the F Sport with red interior with every option except the HUD and rear window shade. ML audio and triple …

Extremely under powered

John, 01/08/2021

2021 Lexus ES 250 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A)

Brought my older es350 in for service and got a 2021 es250 as a loaner. I was thinking on trading my es350 for newer model since in am nearing 150k miles but after driving the new es250 I will be keeping my old one. Biggest first impression is the vehicle is extremely under powered and takes excessive throttle input to get it to move. 4 cylinder engine is loud and feels like I am …

See all 7 reviews of the Lexus ES 250

Write a vehicle review

2021 ES 250 Highlights

Trim:

Base

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$40,000
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	28 MPG
Cost to Drive	$133/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	13.9 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Our experts like the ES 250 models:

Blind-Spot Monitoring: Uses radar to detect when vehicles are alongside and alerts the driver to potential side collision due to a lane change maneuver.
Lexus Enform Safety Connect: Provides automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle location, an emergency button inside the cabin, and enhanced roadside assistance.
Lexus Safety System+ 2.0: Bundles a variety of standard safety features, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assist.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall4 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover10.5%

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

People who viewed this also viewed

Lexus ES 350
4.5 average Rating out of 16 reviews.
Starting at $41,940

See Lexus ES 350 Inventory

Lexus ES 300h
4.1 average Rating out of 9 reviews.
Starting at $43,340

See Lexus ES 300h Inventory

Lexus IS 300
Starting at $40,085

See Lexus IS 300 Inventory

2021 Lexus ES 250 Review

Price & Payment

2021 Lexus ES 250 Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Lexus ES 250 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.10 per gallon for regular unleaded in Colorado.}

Lexus ES 250 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Great luxury car for the money

Love our Lexus

Old school reliable daily

Extremely under powered

2021 ES 250 Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2021 Lexus ES 250 info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Lexus

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Your Privacy

2021 Lexus ES 250 Review

Price & Payment

2021 Lexus ES 250 Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Lexus ES 250 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.10 per gallon for regular unleaded in Colorado.

Lexus ES 250 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Great luxury car for the money

Love our Lexus

Old school reliable daily

Extremely under powered

2021 ES 250 Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2021 Lexus ES 250 info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Lexus

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Your Privacy

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Lexus ES 250 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.10 per gallon for regular unleaded in Colorado.}