Compare the2023 Toyota Camry HybridVS 2022 Lexus ES

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Camry Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ES doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Camry Hybrid has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The ES doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Camry Hybrid and the ES have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Camry Hybrid is safer than the Lexus ES:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Camry Hybrid is safer than the Lexus ES:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Camry Hybrid for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the ES (2/25000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Camry Hybrid’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Lexus is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Lexus vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Lexus is ranked third.

The Camry Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 5 more horsepower (208 vs. 203) than the ES 250 AWD’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Camry Hybrid is faster than the ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the Camry Hybrid gets better mileage than the ES:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Camry Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus ES (5 to 7). This means the Camry Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the ES every 15,000 miles.

The Camry Hybrid stops much shorter than the ES:

The Camry Hybrid has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The ES’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Camry Hybrid LE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the ES 300h (27.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Camry Hybrid LE’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the ES’ (37.4 feet vs. 38 feet). The Camry Hybrid SE/XLE/XSE’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the ES w/18-19” wheels’ (38 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

The Toyota Camry Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 pounds less than the Lexus ES.

The Camry Hybrid LE/XLE is 3.8 inches shorter than the ES, making the Camry Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Camry Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ES doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Camry Hybrid has .8 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the ES.

The Camry Hybrid has a much larger trunk than the ES (15.1 vs. 13.9 cubic feet).

The Camry Hybrid’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

The Camry Hybrid’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The ES’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Camry Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Camry outsold the Lexus ES by over seven to one during the 2021 model year.