The Lexus That Combines Luxury, Reliability, And Incredible Resale Value
9 minutes reading
Sunday, 19 Jul 2026 21:00 0 9 autotech
By now, we all know the story behind owning a luxury vehicle. The upfront pricing is considerable, but the hidden cost of long-term ownership is equal to or greater than the cost of the vehicle itself. Something like a BMW X5 or a Mercedes-Benz GLE can lose half of its value before 50,000 miles is up. It’s a premium that you have to be willing to bear the brunt of.
The one brand that has always bucked this expectation is Lexus. They have so many different kinds of models to choose from. From a bare-bones, near-premium SUV like the UX, to the legendary, supercar-level LFA. Probably the most well-known and most well-bought has to be the RX. Then, of course, the ES will now be the brand’s last standard sedan after the 2026 model year. Which one, however, encompasses all of its best qualities?
We’ve already touched on legacy luxury brands, like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, for having severe depreciation value. What could start as a $65,000 car, could, six years later, be $24,000, like a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, for example. All the technology and features that you come to expect from a luxury car are great in theory. In practice, they end up costing so much more to fix. That’s why leases end up being more popular for these brands than actually buying them, because once a warranty runs out, you’re on your own.
Luxury SUVs Typically Lose Half Their Value In Five Years
2025 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography front shot parked on the roadWilliam Clavey | TopSpeed
SUVs are still considered to be the more valuable of the two (between SUVs and sedans), but that doesn’t mean they’re safe from losing value. According to CarEdge, the most popular midsize luxury SUVs like the BMW X5, the Mercedes-Benz GLE, and the Audi Q7 lose between 45 and 55 percent of their initial value within the first five years.
An extreme example would be the 2015 Land Rover LR2. The top-of-the-line HSE LUX starts at an MSRP of $43,375. According to Kelley Blue Book, however, it now has a fair purchase price of $9,800. Again, this is an extreme example, but the data clearly shows that people dump these for fear of maintenance issues. Their fears are certainly not unfounded. Even Land Rover’s flagship Range Rover isn’t safe because they lose between 50 percent and 60 percent of their value between the first three and five years as well.
Lexus Is In A League Of Their Own
2027 BMW X5 front shot driving on the roadBMW
On the flip side of this equation, Lexus vehicles in general only depreciate about 38 percent on average within the same timeframe. At the top end, this is at least 18 percent better than its German counterparts. Therefore, not only are you paying an arm and a leg for a German SUV, but you’ll also be giving the other arm and leg for maintenance. Meanwhile, with Lexus, you haven’t even been to the shop yet.
Brands that are solely one thing, a.k.a. luxury, like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, require special attention. You can’t put any old fluid in the engine, and you certainly can’t put any old parts in or around the block. Thankfully, Lexus is a subsidiary of Toyota, so it benefits from having cheaper Toyota parts. Lexus has ended up number one on JD Power’s reliability list year after year. This is because it’s still a luxury brand with slightly more attention to detail than Toyota, even though the parts are virtually the same.
It’s Not The Lexus You Think
Front 3/4 shot of a blue 2026 Lexus RXLexus
What do you think the smartest Lexus buy would be? If you asked the average person, you would probably surmise that it’s their two most popular vehicles: the Lexus ES and the Lexus RX. They are the most popular vehicles for a reason. They offer great upfront value, a smattering of powertrains to choose from, and competitive styling that offers the brand prestige that customers are looking for. In fact, the Lexus RX has been their best-selling vehicle for decades. It offers comfort, cargo space, room for families, and now comes with a sporty powertrain that could rival German counterparts. However, being popular doesn’t mean that they have incredible resale value.
The ES Works, But It’s An SUV’s Market
Front 3/4 shot of 2026 Lexus ES 350e parkedLexus
Just look around, you don’t see many Lexus LS sedans driving around, do you? Neither did Lexus. That’s why they’ve unfortunately given it the axe. This is a symptom of the bigger problem within the market right now; sedans are just not nearly as popular. Now, the ES is the current reigning mid- to full-size sedan. This symptom hasn’t just befallen Lexus either. Other brands like Ford and Toyota have discontinued their legacy full-size sedans, like the Avalon and the Fusion. A Lexus ES only depreciates about 35 percent after about five years, which is good news, but it is still a harder sale than an SUV.
The RX And A Lesson In Basic Economics
High-angle front 3/4 action shot of 2025 Lexus RX 500h F Sport Performance AWD in white driving on city streetLexus
The Lexus RX is a great lesson in basic economics. According to Car Sales Statistics, in 2025, the Lexus RX sold over 113,000 units. That’s an incredibly substantial number, especially for a luxury vehicle. The depreciation value of a Lexus RX is even lower, between 27 percent and 35 percent, depending on the year and the mileage. With these two factors combined, there is an abundance of supply, but the demand is not always there. Even though Lexus is the one brand that you don’t necessarily need to lease and can confidently own for an extended period of time, people still end up turning in their leases quite frequently, flooding the stock.
The Literal “Do-It-All” Lexus
Lexus GX550 Luxury+ front 3/4 shotAmee Reehal | TopSpeed
The answer to the title of this article is undoubtedly the Lexus GX. The Lexus GX 550 improves upon the previous generation in every way. Even though it dropped two cylinders, it ends up making substantially more horsepower (48 more, in fact) than the Lexus GX460. It’s powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 that makes 349 horsepower and standard full-time four-wheel drive. The new GX is also atop the same Toyota Land Cruiser Prado frame that is beloved worldwide. The GX doesn’t make you decide between brand prestige and value.
The platform in question is the TNGA-F architecture that can be found in the American Land Cruiser. Most Lexus and Toyota products in the U.S. will remain on the road for years. This frame is built for life-and-death situations elsewhere around the world. You might think that the twin-turbocharged V6 is going to be stressed because of the turbochargers. It’s slated to carry the same reliability torch that the Lexus GX 460 lit with its 4.6-liter V8.
Minimal Five-Year Depreciation
2025 Lexus GX550 side shotTopSpeed | Michael Frank
According to CarEdge, the current Lexus GX 550 only has a depreciation value between 33 percent and 35 percent over the first five years. Comparatively, a BMW X5 or a Mercedes-Benz GLE loses about half within the same timeframe. Demand for this Lexus is also incredibly high, with the automaker not being able to give automotive journalists a press vehicle because they need to save every unit for sale. That just goes to show that the public doesn’t even need convincing, and these are selling like hotcakes.
Third-Generation GX Does Luxury Well
Of course, no brand is perfect, and each comes with some sort of caveat. The reason Lexus vehicles do so well with maintenance and reliability is that they are often the same car for 10 years or more. That was the case with the previous generation Lexus GX 460 because by the time that generation had ended, the main complaint was the age of the interior. It didn’t matter that it received a facelift in 2019 with more modern tech, it was still, by and large, an older vehicle.
From Dated To Premium
The current third generation has hit a sweet spot with the interior. While the top-of-the-line Land Cruiser is admirable, for a few thousand dollars more, you can get a base model GX 550 with a bigger engine and an updated cabin that reflects current trends. Even though it does have a larger 14-inch touchscreen that is par for the course in modern vehicles, it still has analog-style buttons and dials for the essential controls. The 4×4 selector is operated with the flick of a switch, not the touch of a touchscreen. Luxury features include the Mark Levinson sound system and front-row massaging captain’s chairs.
Another strong point is the pricing. Unlike some of its counterparts, this doesn’t even touch $100,000. It has a starting MSRP of close to $68,000 and tops out around $86,000. The trim depends on what your needs are. If you want creature comfort, but you also want to be able to go off-road, then the Overtrail+ is for you. It comes with off-road tires and nearly 10,000 pounds of towing capacity. If luxury is more your speed, you can get the street tire-equipped luxury that also comes with third-row seating. The great thing about this model is that it comes not only with dependability and reliability, but also a wide variety of trim options to choose from.
No Comments