Survey based on real ownership experience of buyers in the past year

Rankings reflect product quality, initial defects and cost-to-value ratio

NX finishes second overall and claims first-ever SUV category win

Lexus leads initial and long-term quality rankings for second straight year

Lexus Korea announced Wednesday that the ES 300h has been named the overall Car of the Year in the 2026 Annual Automotive Survey consumer experience evaluation conducted by automotive research firm Consumer Insight. [Provided by Lexus]
Lexus Korea announced Wednesday that the ES 300h has been named the overall Car of the Year in the 2026 Annual Automotive Survey consumer experience evaluation conducted by automotive research firm Consumer Insight. [Provided by Lexus]

The Lexus ES 300h hybrid sedan has claimed the top spot in an overall "Car of the Year" survey based on real new-car buyer evaluations for the second consecutive year. The crossover SUV NX also performed strongly, finishing second overall and winning the SUV category.

Lexus Korea announced Wednesday that the ES 300h had been named the overall Car of the Year in the consumer experience evaluation of the 2026 Annual Automotive Survey conducted by automotive research firm Consumer Insight.

The evaluation drew on the actual ownership experiences of consumers who had purchased a new vehicle within the past year. Rather than measuring simple brand preference, it assessed product satisfaction, quality and cost burden as experienced through real-world driving.

The rankings were determined by combining scores across three categories: product and satisfaction — covering design, performance and features — initial quality, which tallies defects and malfunctions reported shortly after purchase, and cost-to-value, a composite of purchase price, running costs and resale depreciation.

The ES 300h received the highest score among all domestic and imported vehicles evaluated, claiming the overall top spot for the second consecutive year.

The ES 300h has long been Lexus's flagship model in South Korea. Since its domestic launch in 2012, it has sustained strong sales in the premium sedan segment on the strength of its hybrid system's quietness, fuel efficiency and ride comfort.

The model has consistently ranked near the top in past surveys. The ES 300h held the overall No. 1 position for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023, reclaimed the top spot last year and has now extended that run through this year.

In the SUV segment, the NX stood out. It finished second overall across all vehicle categories and, for the first time, claimed the No. 1 position in the SUV segment.

The NX is offered with electrified powertrains including hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. Lexus also sells an F Sport variant with enhanced driving performance and design elements.

"It is especially meaningful that our flagship sedan, the ES, and our SUV, the NX, have both received strong recognition — because it reflects the trust our customers have placed in us through their actual ownership experience," said Kang Dae-hwan, vice president of Lexus Korea. "We will continue to listen closely to our customers' diverse feedback and work tirelessly to deliver vehicles of outstanding quality and product excellence, as well as the differentiated brand experience that is uniquely Lexus."

Lexus also maintained its standing in brand-level quality evaluations. In the Consumer Insight survey, Lexus ranked first for the second consecutive year in both initial quality — measuring problems reported early after purchase — and long-term durability quality, which tracks issues that emerge after extended ownership.

Meanwhile, Lexus Korea will hold a customer experience event for the all-new ES this month. From Oct. 14 through Oct. 16 at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, the company will host developer talks and a vehicle exhibition, and from Oct. 22 it will run test-drive programs for the ES 350e and ES 500e electric vehicles at Connect Two in Jamsil, Seoul.


kwater@heraldcorp.com