The 2025 Lexus ES starts from $43,215Buyers looking for a brand new ES have a wide range of trims to choose from, with the cheapest trim being the ES 250 AWD. It starts from $43,215 for the 2025 model year, including Lexus' compulsory delivery and handling fee. The ES 350, with a more potent engine but a mandatory front-wheel drive layout, starts at the same price. From there, buyers can step up to one of two Luxury trims, one of which offers the 250 powertrain and the other offers the 350 powertrain. Further details on those powertrains can be found below.The Ultra Luxury trims are the next step up in the range, adding features like a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen display and parking assist, while the F Sport Design trims are the most luxurious trims that are offered in both 250 and 350 guise. The non-hybrid ES range is topped by the ES 350 F Sport Handling and the ES 350 Black Line Special Edition, the latter of which starts from $53,640. The F Sport Handling adds unique seats and adaptive suspension, while the Black Line Special Edition adds special black trim and a standard 10.2-inch head-up display.Also available for the 2025 model year is the ES 300h, which is available in the same range of standard trim levels as its non-hybrid counterpart. The base-spec ES 300h trim starts from $44,615 while the ES 300h F Sport Handling tops the range, at $50,910 without any added extras.The first-generation ES arrived in 1990Thanks to its long-standing reputation for build quality and reliability, the ES is just as appealing as a used pick as it is new. The ES was first introduced alongside the LS for the 1990 model year, giving buyers a cheaper alternative to the flagship sedan. The first generation was short-lived, replaced in the 1992 model year with a revised model that shared a platform with the Toyota Camry.A third generation arrived in 1997, followed by a fourth generation in 2002 and a fifth in 2007. The sixth generation ES (pictured) rolled out for 2013, offering either a V6 or a hybrid powertrain and the same comfortable interior and smooth ride as earlier models. It remained in production until 2019, when the current, seventh generation car was launched.Since the start of the current generation, Lexus has made various tweaks, such as the addition of the F Sport Handling trim and a revised infotainment system for 2023. However, at its core, the 2025 car remains much the same as it was at launch in 2019.The 2007 and 2008 model years are worth avoidingMost model years of the ES live up to the reputation for reliability that Lexus has earned over the decades, but a handful of years aren't quite so trouble-free. In particular, the 2007 model year has a far larger number of complaints filed with the NHTSA than other model years, with more than 650 on file as of this writing. Hundreds of those complaints concern the car's airbags, and the 2007 ES is currently subject to an open NHTSA investigation involving Takata-supplied airbag components.Another common area of complaint is that the car suffers from occasional unintended acceleration or a sticking throttle. A wide-ranging recall was issued for a range of Toyota and Lexus models in 2009 to solve issues with pedal entrapment, but given the significant number of complaints that have been lodged with the NHTSA half a decade or more after that recall, it seems that the problem persists with some examples of the 2007 ES.While it's not as frequently complained about as the 2007 model, the 2008 model also suffers from a much higher number of complaints than other ES model years. Again, airbag and throttle issues are most commonly reported.