The Lexus UX300h flies a little bit under the radar. It’s one of the only small luxury hybrid crossovers available, it looks race-ready, and has a pleasing balance of tech features and comfort features. It has a few hiccups, too, but it’s so dang easy to be in, I wondered if that specific pro would outweigh any cons.
The 2025 Lexus UX 300h F Sport Handling is upscale in its look and feel. As important as the good fuel economy is (45 mpg city, 41 highway, 43 combined), a must-have for a hybrid driver. Does the Lexus UX300h F Sport Handling set track records? No. Does it need to? Also no. But, for $49,545, I would like a little more oomph.
With other hybrids out there, like the Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid, the Kia Sportage hybrid, or the Honda CR-V, the Lexus has a lot of stiff competition as a compact hybrid SUV. But is the styling and legacy enough? Almost.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
For the Lexus UX 300h, Looks Are Decieving in the Best of Ways
The Lexus UX300h F Sport Handling trim does have a distinctive, creased exterior look that is a little out of character for fuel-efficient cars. It’s a sporty hatchback, and I happen to think the rear of the car is what makes it stand out. The UX300h has angular, sculpted LED taillights and a light bar that extends across the rear hatch.
This lighting setup, combined with the roofline’s spoiler, creates a modern look to the rear of the car. The metal around the license plate is creased and sculpted, adding a bit of motorsport ethos. The lower bumper does the same, with angled shapes on both corners adding a welcome design detail.
The UX300h F-Sport has Lexus’s trademark spindle grille in the front; this iteration is in gloss black. It takes up a large amount of the visual space on the front of the car. There are also gloss black lower vents and pointy LED headlights, creating a creased, pointy effect.
The Interior is Just as Handsome as the Exterior
The F Sport Handling version of the Lexus UX300h also gets you a ton of cool F Sport interior details. To begin with, it has a 12.3-inch multimedia display, a 10-speaker sound system, F Sport embroidered seats, a shift knob, aluminum pedals, and a heated steering wheel.
The Lexus UX 300h didn’t present itself like a sleepy hybrid, with red contrast stitching and pretty black synthetic leather seating. Interestingly, the black upholstery had a subtle red treatment on the inserts of the seats. The seats were comfortable to sit in, and I didn’t get any fatigue while out on the road. I liked that all the controls were in reach and everything felt accessible and easy.
My test car had a wireless charger, so that was handy, and it also had the optional head-up display that, once I got dialed in, was so great. Of course, I loved the heated and ventilated seats, and the nifty gearshift that is the same one the Prius has. It’s got a nice futuristic feel to it.
It Was Efficient, but it Could Use More Power
Because of the look of it, I had anticipated a bit of kick with the drive of the UX300h. The new Lexus UX 300h has a powertrain with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder gas engine and two electric motors, and these combine to produce 196 horsepower. Though it’s a bigger engine and it is faster than its predecessor, it’s still not blowing your hair back.
The F Sport Handling designation refers to the special suspension on the UX300h and extra drive modes than the other trims. The F Sport Handling Sport S, Sport S+, and Custom drive modes enable the driver to engage in a more sport-focused experience. The drove mode knob was actually located on the top right corner of the instrument cluster.
I liked that it was located there as it reminded me to use it. No out-of-sight-out-of-mind syndrome here. The cluster would change colors depending on the mode being engaged, and the drive felt a little different in each.
The Driving Dynamic Was Unexpected, But Welcome
What else did I like? The digital driver information display was crisp and clean, and customizable. The buttons on the steering wheel were easy to use and memorize. I was glad that they were hard buttons and not touch-sensitive. The 12.3-inch multimedia display was also easy to use, and Lexus’s native system was less complicated than I thought it would be.
All the main menus are on the left side of the screen, and the icons are clear and easy to read. It was easy to toggle between Lexus’s native system and Apple CarPlay, which is standard. Android Auto is also standard. As always, I love that the Lexus hybrids will always show you how the car is powering itself. The UX300h showed me in the driver display and also on the multimedia display if I wanted it to.
Also, I liked that the UX 300h had a knob for volume control for the stereo, and buttons for the climate controls. No need to fumble around on the screen to change the volume or temperature. The UX also has a voice assistant to adjust those settings and more, either by a button on the steering wheel or by saying “Hey Lexus,” but I preferred the button.
The Technology is Intunitive and Functional
Not surprisingly, the 2025 Lexus UX 300h F Sport Handling comes with a bunch of advanced driver safety features, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, and emergency automatic braking.
The rear seat was a little tight for taller passengers, but at 5-feet-5-inches tall, I was happy back there. That said, double-check your child-safety seats, as the space felt more vertically spacious than horizontally. There are two USB-C chargers in the rear seat and a folding armrest with two cupholders. The UX 300h has two lower tether anchors and three top ones.
The Cargo Space is Fairly Impressive for its Size
The cargo area is accessed by a hands-free kick-operated power lift gate. The cargo floor is quite high, as that’s where the and it’s odd because I thought it might be because that’s where the batteries are stored. I discovered that the cargo floor actually has two additional “lower levels” for storage. There is a shallow tray under a lid in the trunk floor to store skinny items.
You can move that lid lower and make better use of that space. And there is yet another level below that has a shallow space with dividers and trays in it. It’s frustrating as the UX has the option for more cargo space, and Lexus decided to chop it up. The usable space is smaller than you’d think for a hatchback.
Anyway, when putting groceries in the UX, the top of the grocery bags is level with the top of the rear seat, so if you want your vision unobstructed, the highest parcel can only be as tall as a grocery bag. That said, it will fit several small suitcases. If you need more space, the rear seats fold 60/40.
Overall, It’s a Great Value—That Could be Better
For the price, the Lexus UX 300h has a lot going for it. It has fairly advanced technology, a surprising amount of cargo space, and a beautifully laid-out interior. But the one drawback for me was the lack of power under the pedal. If it had just that little bit of extra power, it would be the perfect all-wheel drive, compact luxury hybrid SUV.
