Lexus ES Electric vs Tesla Model 3
Compare range, price, 0-60 mph, charging speed, and full specs side by side.
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Resale, warranty & insurance — side by side
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Base against base, the Tesla Model 3 leads on price, range, acceleration, fast-charging time, efficiency and cargo space: it costs $10,620 less ($36,990 against $47,610 before destination), goes farther (321 miles against an estimated 307), reaches 60 mph sooner (5.8 seconds against Lexus's estimated 7.4), fast-charges quicker and carries more cargo. Match the prices and the picture holds: the $47,490 Model 3 Premium AWD costs $120 less than the ES 350e Premium and is rated at 346 miles and 3.8 seconds. The ES Electric makes a different case. It's Lexus's first battery-electric ES, a size class up (midsize against the compact Model 3 in our catalogue), with a native NACS port plus CCS1 and J1772 adapters in the box, and a quicker full charge at home than the base Model 3 in our data. Its ranges are EPA's 2026 ratings carried to the 2027 car, so we mark them as estimates. Buy the Model 3 for the numbers; buy the ES if you specifically want a Lexus sedan.
Price and lineup
Lexus sells the 2027 ES Electric in four versions: ES 350e Premium ($47,610) and Luxury ($56,010) with front-wheel drive and 221 hp, and ES 500e Premium AWD ($50,610) and Luxury AWD ($59,010) with 338 hp, all before a $1,395 destination charge. Lexus says its first battery-electric ES models carry over unchanged from 2026, and it expected the 2027 ES 350e at dealers in September. Tesla's 2026 Model 3 runs from the $36,990 Standard RWD through the Premium RWD ($42,490) and Premium AWD ($47,490) to the $54,990 Performance, before $1,640 in destination and order fees. Every ES costs more than the Model 3 Premium AWD, and the top ES 500e Luxury AWD costs $4,020 more than the Model 3 Performance.
Range, performance and charging
EPA's 2026 ratings, which Lexus's 2027 specifications carry over, put the ES 350e at 292 to 307 miles and the ES 500e at 272 to 276, the lower figures on optional 21-inch wheels; no 2027 rating is published yet, so we treat them as estimates. The Model 3 runs from 316 miles (Performance) to 363 (Premium RWD), all EPA-rated. On acceleration, Lexus estimates 7.4 seconds to 60 mph for the ES 350e and 5.1 for the ES 500e; the Model 3 runs from 5.8 seconds (Standard) to 2.9 (Performance). Fast charging is close: 28 minutes from 10 to 80% for every ES, against 25 to 30 minutes across the Model 3 trims in our table. At home, the ES's 11 kW onboard charger takes about 7 hours on Level 2, against about 9 to 11 hours for the Model 3 Standard and 7 to 8 for the other trims in our data.
Ports, space and ownership
Both have native NACS ports. Lexus includes a CCS1-to-NACS DC adapter and a J1772-to-NACS AC adapter with every 2027 ES; our NACS data lists a J1772 adapter with the Model 3. The Model 3 lists 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seats against 13.3 for the ES. On safety, NHTSA rates the 2026 Model 3 five stars overall, and IIHS named it a 2025 Top Safety Pick but gave it no 2026 award; NHTSA lists the ES 350e and ES 500e as not rated, and we found no IIHS rating for them. Our resale, warranty and insurance data cover only the Tesla so far: 84.9% of MSRP retained by a two-year-old 2024 Model 3, an 8-year battery warranty of 100,000 to 120,000 miles by version, and published insurance averages of $3,268 to $3,871 a year.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Lexus ES Electric or Tesla Model 3 cheaper?
Which has more range, the Lexus ES Electric or Tesla Model 3?
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Does the Lexus ES Electric have a Tesla (NACS) charging port like the Model 3?
Is the Lexus ES Electric bigger than the Tesla Model 3?
Lexus ES Electric vs Tesla Model 3: Which EV Should You Buy?
Choosing between the Lexus ES Electric and Tesla Model 3? Use the interactive comparison above to see how they stack up on range, price, performance, and charging speed. Whether you searched "Lexus ES Electric vs Tesla Model 3" or "Tesla Model 3 vs Lexus ES Electric" — same comparison, picked apart trim-by-trim. Select different trims to compare specific configurations.
Quick reference: this page covers the head-to-head between the Lexus ES Electric and the Tesla Model 3 (the reverse "Tesla Model 3 vs Lexus ES Electric" matchup is the same comparison from the opposite vehicle's perspective). Both directions land here.