2025 Lexus UX 300h – A More Luxurious Toyota Prius?
Both the 2025 Lexus UX 300h and Toyota Prius share a powertrain, which begs the question – which one is the better buy?
Since it originally launched years ago, the Lexus UX has quickly found its foothold as the least expensive model in the luxury brand’s lineup, competing in a very heated space among many other subcompact luxury crossovers. The small model is more like a hatchback than an SUV, however, and it’s coming off some updates that included the addition of a notable powertrain for the 2025 Lexus UX 300h – a standard hybrid that consists of an Atkinson-cycle naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder gas engine paired with an electric motor (or two, in all-wheel drive guise) and a 1.4 kWh battery.
If that particular powertrain sounds familiar, well, it should – because it’s the same one used in the newest version of the Toyota Prius. In fact, output is exactly the same in both models, too – 194 horsepower in front-wheel-drive guise and 196 for all-wheel-drive models, mated to a CVT gearbox. However, the Prius does weigh anywhere from 235 to 358 pounds less than its more luxurious counterpart, which helps it post better acceleration times of around 7.1 seconds in all-wheel drive guise, compared to the UX’s 7.9 clicks.
As one might imagine, the lower curb weight of the Prius also gives it an advantage in terms of efficiency as well. In base guise, the Prius is EPA-rated to return 49 miles-per-gallon in the city and 50 mpg on the highway, while UX tops out at 44 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway. With a slightly bigger (0.7 additional gallons of capacity) gas tank, the Prius also returns more range on each fill up, which is notable because the UX and it’s rather small 10.6 gallon unit can only muster up around 315 miles before it needs refilling.
Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the 2025 Lexus UX 300h is physically smaller than the Prius, which gives is less interior space for occupants and less cargo space, to boot. This is most obvious in the cramped back seat, which doesn’t provide much legroom for adults, and is best suited for younger folks.
Thus, on paper, it certainly seems like the Toyota Prius is the better bet when compared to the 2025 Lexus UX 300h, but there are more factors to consider aside from performance, efficiency, and utility. The UX has a more conventional interior with a traditional instrument cluster and easy-to-use controls, along with some nicer materials – things that will certainly appeal to a lot of folks who aren’t fans of the somewhat unconventional layout in the Prius.
Aside from the fact that the Lexus badge is more desirable than a Toyota one – not to mention the stigma that comes with owning a Prius, which may bother some – the UX doesn’t actually cost significantly more, either. Sans destination, one can get behind the wheel of a new Prius for as little as $27,950, but stepping up to the fancier Limited AWD model will set you back at least $36,365 – which is right at the base price of the 2025 Lexus UX 300h at $37,515. Thus, it’s relatively easy to see why someone might want to spend slightly more and opt for the fancier, more luxurious, and perhaps more desirable alternative, in spite of its disadvantages.
Photos: Toyota, Lexus
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