20 Years Young: Every Lexus RX Hybrid Explained
With the world’s first luxury hybrid sport utility vehicle turning 20 this year, here’s an overview and a guide to all four Lexus RX Hybrid generations.
The Lexus RX debuted in 1998, kicking open the doors to a new vehicle segment — the luxury crossover SUV — and becoming an instant best-seller, moving roughly 42,000 units in its very first year. Later, in the RX’s second generation, the Lexus RX Hybrid, aka the RX 400h, was not only the first Lexus-branded hybrid. But also the “world’s first luxury hybrid sport utility vehicle.” The RX 400h was such a success, it’s hard to even imagine a time when a Lexus RX existed with just an internal combustion engine.
To celebrate the Lexus RX Hybrid turning 20 years young here in 2025, here’s an overview and a look back at how the electrified Lexus RX Hybrid has evolved since its debut 20 years ago.
Second Generation RX (2004-2009)
The second-generation 2004 Lexus RX 330 arrived packing a 3.3-liter V6 engine making 230 horsepower. More notably, the RX 400h joined it in mid-2005 for the 2006 model year, becoming the world’s first luxury hybrid sport utility vehicle in the process. It uses the same engine as its gas counterpart, but adds three electric motors to the mix as well. The front-wheel drive 2006 Lexus RX 400h had EPA fuel economy ratings of 28 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, which helped make it a popular choice among consumers right off the bat. In fact, over the ensuing decade, Lexus sold more than one million hybrids across the globe.
“Toyota created a gasoline-electric-hybrid consumer monster, and now it’s struggling to feed it,” Autoweek said at that time. “Since Lexus announced at last year’s Detroit show that a hybrid version of its best-selling RX sport/utility vehicle would be for sale, nearly 10,000 people have plunked down deposits. More than 46,000 others say they’re also interested in the RX 400h. In the car world, that’s a home run – out of the park.”
For an amazing nugget of Lexus RX Hybrid history, take a trip back in time to THIS ClubLexus thread, where our members were eagerly reading then-current RX 400h reviews and debating the then-new hybrid SUV. Seriously, it’s like jumping in a time machine.
Third Generation RX (2010 – 2015)
The third-generation Lexus RX debuted in 2010, and this time, it did so with a hybrid powertrain from the start. The new Lexus RX 450h paired the gas 3.5-liter V6 engine with up to three electric motors, producing 295 horsepower in total.
The 2010 Lexus RX arrived with a host of improvements, including exhaust-heat recovery and a cooled exhaust-gas recirculation system, which helped reduce emissions and improve efficiency.
Fourth Generation RX (2016-2022)
For its fourth generation, the 2015 Lexus RX 450h continued to utilize a gas 3.5-liter V6 engine and either two electric motors for front-wheel-drive models, or a trio of them for all-wheel-drive. Output remained unchanged at 295 total system horsepower, though the 450h was updated as part of the RX’s 2019 mid-cycle refresh with a pair of revised electric motors, giving the Lexus RX hybrid a bit of a boost to 308 total horsepower.
Fifth Generation Lexus RX (2023+)
For 2023, an all-new Lexus RX debuted, and it did so with a variety of notable updates. As for the latest version of the Lexus RX hybrid, it’s now offered in not one, but three different hybrid flavors. The RX 350h, RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid, and the RX 500h F-Sport Performance.
The 350h pairs a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter I4 gas engine & hybrid system with two electric motors to generate 246 horsepower and up to 36 mpg in combined driving. The RX 450h+, the first plug-in Lexus RX hybrid model, pairs the same 2.4L engine and electric motor setup with a larger battery pack that’s good for 304 combined horsepower, 35 mpg combined, and up to 37 miles of electric-only driving.
And, for those that crave a bit more sportiness, the RX 500h F Performance boasts the high-output 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four cylinder gas engine that’s paired with an electric motor up front, and a DIRECT4 rear e-axle to generate a combined 366 horsepower. It also earns a respectable 27 mpg combined and is the quickest RX to run a 0-60 mph time (5.9 seconds).
Photos: Lexus
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