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Lexus ES Hybrid Reliability by Year

Every ES Hybrid model year from 2013 to 2022, scored on reported failures weighted against how many were sold — and ranked against every other Executive Passenger Car of the same year.

Scored separately as its own vehicle: ES (2004–2025).

The short answer

Best model year
2021
#3 of 16 that year
Year to avoid
2015
#7 of 22 that year
Latest scored
2022
#4 of 17

Across 8 scored model years the ES Hybrid needs fixing less often than its class, and costs less to fix when it does. The spread between years is what matters: 2021 is its strongest, 2015 its weakest.

Every model year, scored

Longer bar is better. Rank is against every Executive Passenger Car sold that same model year.

YearRelative standingClass rankPctl
2013#3 /2290th
2014#3 /2190th
2015#7 /2271thAvoid
2016#7 /2474th
2018#3 /2391th
2019#1 /21100th
2021#3 /1687thBest year
2022#4 /1781th

Across all 8 model years on record, the line has held a strong position in its class. Recent years have been slipping.

What tends to break

All 12 systems, measured against the class average for each model year.

Every ES Hybrid model year is scored across 12 separate systems — engine, transmission, brakes, electrical, steering and suspension, structure, interior, and five more. Each system is compared against how often that same system fails on the average Executive Passenger Car of the same year, so a common failure is judged against how common it is everywhere else.

Across the last three model years (2019–2022), no single system stands out. All measured systems draw issue reports less often than the same systems on the average Executive Passenger Car of their year — a cleaner sheet than most of this class manages.

Full Dashboard Preview

Real charts, sample vehicle. Open the lookup to see these for your ES Hybrid.

Reliability Matrix Sample Chart

2018 Mid-Size SUVs

Your ES Hybrid is plotted against 17 rivals from 2022.

Look up your ES Hybrid →
better than classtypicalworsebubble = units sold

System Breakdown Sample Chart

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander

Your ES Hybrid is scored the same way, for every model year.

Look up your ES Hybrid →
below class averageabove class average

Common questions

What is the best year for a used Lexus ES Hybrid?

2021 is the strongest ES Hybrid model year on record, ranking #3 of 16 Executive Passenger Cars that year.

Which Lexus ES Hybrid years should I avoid?

2015 is the weakest year in the model's history, ranking #7 of 22.

Is the latest ES Hybrid reliable?

The 2022 ES Hybrid ranks #4 of 17 Executive Passenger Cars — the upper quarter of its class.

Where does this data come from?

Failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes so a high-volume model is not penalised for selling well, then benchmarked within segment and model year.

See the full picture for your ES Hybrid

All 12 systems scored, the whole class plotted, and a downloadable Full Model Report for any year — 6,000+ vehicles in the dashboard.

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How this was built. Scores derive from failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes and benchmarked within segment and model year. We measure two separate things: Fix Frequency — how often a vehicle needs fixing — and Fix Severity — how costly those fixes are. These figures describe a model line, not the specific vehicle in front of you; trim, mileage and service history still decide an individual car.