The Lexus ES has, for generations, been the answer to a specific question: what’s the most comfortable thing I can buy with a Lexus badge that isn’t an LS? It’s been front-wheel drive, often hybrid, and gently sprung. The 2026 ES is the eighth generation of the car, and it’s the first one available as a battery-electric vehicle. There are two BEVs — the ES 350e in front-wheel drive, and the ES 500e in Direct4 all-wheel drive — and a new ES 350h hybrid is coming later this year.