After winding down production of the top-line Toyota Avalon in 2022, a new, high-riding flagship sedan arrived to take its place and resurrect the Toyota Crown nameplate in the process. The latest Crown arrived for the 2023 model year with striking new looks and an all-hybrid powertrain approach that would soon begin to roll out elsewhere in the automaker's range.Being Toyota's top sedan model means automatic scrutiny against the Lexus ES, a well-established sedan nameplate from the automaker's luxury division. A major conundrum faced by many shoppers plays out as follows. Is it better to choose the top-dog Toyota or a lower-level Lexus? Read on for a closer look at how the 2026 Lexus ES stacks up against the 2026 Toyota Crown, and why you should also be considering the 2026 Honda Accord Hybrid if you're shopping in this segment. Lexus Is Pushing ES Shoppers Towards The All-Electric Option LexusThe Lexus brand first arrived in North America in 1989. Back then, just two cars kicked off the new automaker's initial introduction: the LS and the ES. Today, the Lexus ES just underwent a complete overhaul, arriving as the 8th generation for the 2026 model year, when it hits dealer lots in the near future.For the first time, the ES will be available in both a gas-hybrid and fully electric configurations. Though some details on the latest ES are still being finalized as of this writing, we have enough information to make some meaningful comparisons between the 2026 Toyota Crown and 2026 Lexus ES for shoppers who might be on the fence.Let's start by looking at the pricing. For shoppers who intend to spend $50,000 or less, there are a few choices. The entry-level Crown XLE or Limited grades, both of which come standard with AWD, are available for that budget. At the higher end of this price limit, there are the Crown's Nightshade and the entry-level electric ES 350e, which are separated by a whopping $30.The front-wheel-drive hybrid ES 350h starts at $50,995, and the higher-spec electric ES 500e Premium goes for $51,795. Adding AWD to the gas-hybrid ES 350h brings the price to $52,395. Scrounge up a few more bucks, and you're into the top-dog Crown, the Platinum Hybrid Max for $54,990. The fully-loaded Luxury and Premium trims of the ES model range make up the rest of the list, topping out at $60,195 for the all-electric ES 500e Luxury AWD.It's worth noting that the entry-level Lexus ES is the all-electric ES 350e ($48,795), while the gas-hybrid powered ES 350h ($50,995) costs $2,200 more. The pricing strategy could be a move by Lexus to push more curious shoppers toward a fully electric model. Also, note that while every Crown includes AWD, you'd need to spend nearly $10,000 more, at minimum, for an AWD-equipped ES. What About The Honda Accord Hybrid? HondaThe Honda Accord Hybrid is another contender worth considering in this space. It's virtually the same physical size as the Toyota Crown, but has more cargo space. Like the Crown, it's Honda's top sedan. This Accord also has a particularly engaging hybrid engine, and its fully loaded variant, the Touring Hybrid, is priced from $39,495 – undercutting all other options on the page. It's $9,300 cheaper than the least-expensive Lexus ES, if you're counting.Though most test-driving shoppers would find a quieter, smoother, and more refined overall drive from the Toyota Crown, the Accord holds its own on these measures. After extensive seat time in both machines, I'd happily tell readers that the Accord rides like a Honda and that the Crown rides like a Lexus.HondaThe thing is, if you can do without AWD, the Accord offers a more responsive, entertaining engine at a lower price point. Simulated gearshifts are fast, crisp, and highly convincing. The Accord feels and sounds eager in spirited driving, and its hybrid powertrain is a joy to work hard in Sport mode. The Toyota Crown Platinum Hybrid Max brings more power and fun to the mix, but the top-line Crown engine requires selecting the top trim grade, spiking the price by thousands. Here's How They Compare ToyotaHere's how your choices stack up in terms of key dimensions and metrics available at this writing. Note the physical dimensions of the Accord and Toyota Crown here, as less than an inch separates these machines across all major dimensions, though the Crown sits notably higher from the road. Despite the same footprint, the Accord delivers more cargo capacity and is considerably lighter. The Lexus ES is notably larger in most dimensions compared to the Crown and Accord. Note the wheelbase in particular, where the ES leads the other models by 4 or 5 inches, which should help deliver the smoothest overall drive among the three.The ES is also the tallest machine on your page, sitting even higher than the Crown with its lifted-sedan stance. If you're considering upgrading from an earlier 7th-generation ES to the new 8th-generation model, you'd find that theoverall length has grown by 6.5 inches. The wheelbase has been stretched primarily to accommodate a more spacious cabin. Though we don't have full interior measurements for the ES just yet, the data suggests the ES would likely be the easiest to enter and exit, based on the overall height of these three sedans.ToyotaIf you're a fan of conventional transmissions with stepped gears, note that the Toyota Crown Platinum's six-speed automatic is the only such unit on your page. In this configuration, you'd do 0-60 in around the same time as the ES 500e. Both the ES hybrid and the entry ES 350e will do 0-60 in the mid-7-second range, with the Accord Hybrid at 6.7 seconds, roughly mid-pack.Cruising range metrics are notable here as well. Note that the figures above are approximate, based on driving in ideal conditions at room temperature, and that your results would vary in real life, sometimes considerably. All-electric power requires taking a hit in the range department, with the electric Lexus duo able to cover 250 or 300 miles on a charge. Both electric Lexus ES variants use an NACS charging port and can DC fast-charge their batteries from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 30 minutes, according to Lexus data.Lexus With gas hybrid power, that range roughly doubles, and there's no plugging in required. The Accord Hybrid nearly matches the ES Hybrid on range, with 560 miles. This puts the top-dog Toyota Crown Platinum roughly mid-pack at 435 miles.