Lexus UX 300e open for booking in UK, from RM241k

Lexus has opened the order books for its first full-electric vehicle, the UX 300e, in the United Kingdom. The company is revealing estimated prices of the zero-emissions SUV, as well as the equipment on offer.

As an electric vehicle, the UX 300e does not incur any excise duties and retails at £43,900 (RM241,300). Opting for the Premium Plus options pack hikes the price to £47,400 (RM260,500), while the Takumi version tops out at £53,500 (RM241,300).

To give you a sense of perspective, the regular UX 250h hybrid starts at £29,950 (RM164,600), rising up to £42,720 (RM234,800) for the F Sport model with the Takumi pack and E-Four all-wheel drive. Lexus claims the car is the only premium SUV eligible for the government’s £3,000 (RM16,500) grant for plug-in vehicles, subject to application.

Standard equipment includes bi-LED headlights with automatic high beam, power-adjustable heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a power-adjustable steering wheel, automatic wipers, 17-inch alloy wheels, and aluminium roof rails.

Moving up to the Premium Plus pack nets you “smooth leather” upholstery, a heated steering wheel, ventilated seats, heated rear seats, keyless entry, a Qi wireless charger, a credit card-sized key, and illuminated door handles with puddle lights.

Last but certainly not least is the Takumi pack, which throws in triple-projector LED headlights with adaptive high beam, 18-inch alloy wheels, aluminium scuff plates, a sunroof, the Lexus Navigation system with a 10.3-inch central display, a hands-free powered tailgate, a 360-degree camera system, a head-up display, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a 13-speaker Mark Levinson sound system.

All models get autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist and adaptive high beam to go with the eight airbags (including two front knee airbags) and stability control. Blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are exclusive to the Takumi.

To recap, the UX 300e gets its power from a front-mounted 204 PS/300 Nm electric motor, juiced by a 54.3 kWh lithium-ion battery. It has a quoted WLTP range of up to 300 km and will get from zero to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds. A full charge with a dedicated AC charger takes around eight hours, while a 50 kW DC charger will get the car to 80% charge in 52 minutes.

For greater peace of mind, the UX 300e will come with a 10-year/one million km battery warranty in Europe, complete with a free replacement if battery capacity dips below 70% during this period. It’ll be a while before customers are able to get their hands on the car, with deliveries only slated to begin in March.