Review: 2020 Lexus UX250h AWD

Text and photos by Emily Chung

Lexus presented a luxury subcompact crossover in the market "for the urban explorer" over a year ago with the UX250 Hybrid. The vehicle maneuvered very well in the city, and provided enough power to reach cruising speed comfortably. When paired with good quality tires, the all-wheel drive system (which comes standard on the Hybrid version) provides additional peace of mind while driving in inclement weather. Hit jump for our review.

Exterior Design

The 2020 Lexus UX250 Hybrid features the signature grille with the front collision sensor located behind the logo. The sharply angled front headlamps are bi-LED and instructions on how to adjust and aim the headlights properly are in the owner’s manual.

The rear hands-free power liftgate incorporates the angled design, with the exterior lighting continuing across the liftgate.

The vehicle may be locked prior to closing the liftgate with the touch of a button – a convenient feature for the moments you may have your hands full after unloading the trunk.

As we’re in the great white north, it’s appreciated that the 2020 Lexus UX250 Hybrid has power adjustable heated mirrors! Lastly, our road test included 18” run flat tires mounted on alloy wheels.

Interior Design & Technology

Our road test exterior was Nori Green Pearl and it was beautifully paired with the Nuluxe Birch seating colour. The front seats have heated and ventilated options, which is a great benefit for the leather material.

The dashboard is minimalist in design and the controls are slightly turned towards the driver making it more ergonomic.

Dual zone automatic climate controls were appreciated, along with the CD player! Having the parking brake switch on the right side of the driver is also a nice touch and consistent with where the parking brake was traditionally placed.

The 2020 Lexus UX250 Hybrid has a futuristic instrument panel, with indicators to let you know when the engine is using power, in eco mode, or when the hybrid battery is charging. With so much information available to drivers, Lexus has kept it simple to display what’s most important. Another feature that is appreciated especially with younger children – there is a rear seatbelt indicator on the instrument panel that notifies you when rear passengers are buckled in.

While the majority of the vehicle is well designed, the knobs for traction control and driving mode are oddly placed above the instrument panel, protruding outwards for the driver to access.

The 2020 Lexus UX250 Hybrid has a wireless phone charger that you can manually turn on/off. This is convenient if you want to place your phone there and are choosing not to have it wirelessly charge just yet.

A 10.3” touchscreen display provides the expected information and has the ability to split the screen, depending on what you’d like to have it display.

For safety reasons, it’s recommended that you use the touchpad and audio controls located close to the centre console. This way, you won’t need to take your eyes off the road to navigate the display.

Lastly, the power slide/tilt moonroof was a welcomed addition and the vehicle felt more spacious with the natural light shining in.

Under The Hood / Basic Maintenance

When you open the hood, you’ll see right away that the 2020 Lexus UX250H engine bay is quite compact. Covers, reservoirs and plumbing fill the bay with most basic maintenance items easily seen at a glance. The vehicle requires full synthetic 0W-16 engine oil, and has multiple coolant reservoirs (for the engine and hybrid system).

All fluid reservoirs are up top, and you may want to use a permanent marker to trace the minimum/maximum lines so that the fluid levels are easier to discern.

Our test model came with run flat tires so there wasn’t a spare tire available. Having said that, the tire jack and tools were located under the trunk floor panel in a multiple storage tray.

The vehicle requires unleaded regular fuel, and a note about refuelling – it should be completed within 30 minutes. After this time an internal valve closes and there is a chance of fuel spilling out. To fuel up after the initial 30 minutes of pressing the fuel door release button, you’ll need to press it again to open up the internal valve.

Child Car Seat

The child lock for the rear doors are easy to enable, just push the protruding lever located in the rear door.

If you are installing a rear-facing child car seat, you may lose some space for the front seats in the 2020 Lexus UX250 Hybrid depending on the recline angle and size of your child car seat. The rear seat bench is relatively flat and the cushion is sturdy so you may not need to use have a slight bucket shape so you may need to use pool noodles or a rolled towel during a rear-facing child car seat installation in order to get the correct recline angle.

The rear headrests lean slightly forward and you’ll want to remove them when installing a child car seat forward-facing so that the back of the child car seat will sit flush with the rear seatback. You’ll also want to remove the headrest to make it easier to install the tether strap. The tether anchors are located just behind the seat. Lastly, the UAS anchors are clearly marked and they are located at the edge of the cushion behind the caps.

The seatbelts also start just above the rear seats and this will allow the belt to lie flat and over the shoulder of a child in a booster seat. Of note, the rear centre seat belt buckle has a dedicated recess to store it in while not in use and this keeps it out of the way when installing the rear passenger outboard child car seat.

Please keep in mind that there are side airbags in the 2020 Lexus UX250 Hybrid. In the owner’s manual, Lexus asks that children not be allowed to lean their head or body against the door or any area that the SRS (safety restraint system) airbags may deploy.

Storage / Trunk

The trunk space is more than adequate for daily errands, and its size is as expected from a subcompact crossover. The rear seats are a 60/40 split, providing you with extra cargo space when you need it.

There are a few storage cubbies under the trunk floor panel/carpet as well. This is useful when keeping smaller items from rolling around in the trunk! A hook is also provided in the trunk for bagged items.

Note that a hybrid module is underneath the trunk storage tray so remember to keep the area free from moisture.

Starting price for the 2020 Lexus UX250 Hybrid is reasonably set at $40,000CAD. No major changes are planned for the 2021 release. The subcompact hybrid crossover was fun to drive and a great option for those who are considering an all-wheel drive alternative to conventional sedans.

Model tested:

2020 Lexus UX 250h

2.0L 4-Cylinder Hybrid

Electronically controlled CVT

All-wheel drive

Seating Capacity: 5 people

Road Test Terrain: 60% city, 40% highway

Tested MSRP: $47,501 CAD