Hi all,

I hope everyone is doing well this evening. My girlfriend is considering buying a 15'/16' certified ct200h and was hoping to gain some helpful feedback and honest reviews on the car from my fellow friends from Club Lexus. Despite the great city/highway mpg, this is one of Lexus' few models that's a hybrid and was inquiring on its longevity. Though it has a sleek design in and out, I wanted to see if anyone's ever ran into any trouble with this car, long-term wise. I understand a lot of cars can go through issues and defects, but was curious to see what's a common issue with this model. We've been shopping around a lot and couldn't help but notice how there's a good amount of cars on their lot, which means people have traded this one back in.

I appreciate your guys' time and want to genuinely thank you in advance for any feedback given.

Yours truly,
A Proud Lexus Owner

Welcome to CL, huajohn, and thank you for your question.

I haven't driven a CT in the last couple of years, but did a full-review of one when it first debuted. Overall, I thought it was more comparable to something that would normally be marketed under the Toyota nameplate, rather than as a Lexus. Its ride comfort and general level of refinement were not, IMO, up to Lexus standards.

But it also had some very good points. The paint job was the typical Lexus excellence, and, unlike some other Lexus products, it was available in some interesting colors. The NuLuxe upholstery was such a good imitation that it would fool even the cow LOL. The reliability level, like most Lexus products, was excellent. And, despite its small size, it offers at least some hatchback-style versatility.

out of curiosity, did you ever drive an HS250h? Another vehicle that was kind of a one-off, not sure if it really resembled a Lexus or not.

Yes. I liked it a little more than the CT....but not a huge amount. Its sedan-bodystyle, with a closed-off rear end behind the seats, helped seal off a little more of the road noise coming in from the rear tires, and its slightly higher stance (the CT practically drags the ground) also gave it a little more suspension-travel for bump-absorption.

get the prius instead, which the CT literally is

CT definitely greater than a Prius. However, the CT almost always ranked low in all tests and comparisons. It was not much of a success for the brand. But it was built very well, is extremely reliable, very economical, and affordable. I'd easily recommend one. Just don't expect Lexus luxury, nor a sporty or plush ride. It's a nicely styled commuter car with excellent reliability.

the performance is no better than the prius, it's less practical, here the prius can be used in the hov lane with only one passenger but the CT can't since it gets worse mpg, but yes it is better looking lol

the 2016- prius is a fantastic car... and my whole life i've always tried to dislike the prius whenever possible since it's so slow and ugly while getting mpgs that aren't really so amazing, all while being quite environmentally damaging to build in the first place... but i'd honestly love to have a prius prime

the regular prius i still wouldn't get probably, even though i was able to get over 72 mpg on a 28 mile mixed city and highway trip, but the prime is honestly pretty awesome

not only can it do burnouts when on a full charge, but if you don't drive more than about 30 miles per day, you can literally never need to put gasoline into it and just charge it from the wall

That's not a good idea, though. Gasoline engines were made to run, not sit for long periods of time. Let a gas engine sit too long, and you could have problems with seals/gaskets going bad from drying out, all the oil-film draining off the moving parts causing friction and metal-to-metal contact on start-up, the engine coolant and oil itself deteriorating from not heating up enough to burn off contaminants, and the gasoline in the tank going bad and forming varnish. Run the gas engine at least once every week or two to normal operating temperature.

Ive had the CT200h, I bought two, one f-sport and one non f sport. I would say find an fsport and buy it. just realize its not gonna win any races and drive accordingly, but enjoy arriving to places well rested because of the quietness and comfort & saving gas money. Always just be in the right lane, let people pass first and its a great car, just have to do some adjusting to your driving habits because of it.

Welcome to CL!

Owned a 2011 CT and loved it. The best part was having fun trying to surpass your previous MPGs. I averaged 50 MPG using the pulse-and-glide technique, which maximizes battery use/recharging. Echoing the comments above, it's not fast and is a bit tight in back, but as far as reliability goes, CT is a tank as its powertrain is the Prius' which has proven to run hundreds of thousands of miles in many taxi fleets around the world.

Happy shopping!

The CT will be reliable and get great mileage. It will be a bit cramped and slow. If her car requirements fit this, I know of no reason not to buy a CT.

CT is very reliable and gets a good mileage... if your gf does not need a large car, it is really a good choice.
Hybrids have cheaper maintenance and are generally more reliable than regular vehicles.