Safety experts Euro NCAP are yet to put the Lexus RZ through a crash test, but they have tested the very similar Toyota bZ4X upon which the RZ is based, so we anticipate this Lexus will score an identical five-star rating as that car. That should mean it’ll outperform the Nissan Ariya in adult protection and safety assistance tech, but it’ll likely fall short in all disciplines compared with the Tesla Model Y.
Every version of RZ has lots of standard safety tech, including adaptive cruise control, lane keep assistance, front and rear cross-traffic alert (it warns you of vehicles that’ll cross your path), and traffic sign recognition. Like the Subaru Soltera and bZ4X, the RZ has a driver monitor system to ensure you’re paying attention to the road. If it thinks you are falling asleep or your attention wanders, it’ll ping up a warning.
Lexus builds some of the best interiors in the business, and the quality of the RZ certainly feels right up to the standards we’ve come to expect from the brand.
While this is a new car for Lexus (and, as such, isn’t in the latest Driver Power survey), we expect reliability to live up to the brand’s usual heights. Lexus as a brand usually scores well, as the eighth place finish out of 32 best car manufacturers in this year’s survey will attest.
Warranty
Like a Toyota, the Lexus RZ has a standard manufacturer’s warranty of three years/60,000 miles, which seems rather stingy next to the five-year/100,000 miles policy provided by Hyundai, or the Kia warranty of seven years/100,000 miles. However, you can extend this up to 10 years/100,000 miles if your Lexus is serviced annually at a franchised dealer.
The battery warranty of eight years/100,000 can be extended to ten years or 600,000 miles, which is unmatched in the EV world. Three years’ roadside assistance is also included in this generous package.
Servicing
The servicing schedule for the Lexus RZ is relatively short for an electric car. You need to book it for a check-up annually or every 10,000 miles, whereas many rivals – including the Kia EV6 – only require servicing bi-annually.
The upside is that you can preserve the ten-year warranty mentioned in the previous selection if you stick to this service regime.
