Seriously thinking of buying 300e long range

[Dealkent]

Test drove a UX 300e Takumi this week , nearly bought it but ….. very concerned about the rapid or Not so rapid charge . What is the reality ? . 1 hour 20 mins ???? . What if you add 50 mile range, how long will that take ??? . Would love to hear any views on the 300 e , good and bad , the range is supposed to be 274 miles , how accurate is that ?? 

[ColinBarber]

EV database normally has good estimated range figures. They give it a real range of 210 miles but look at either their combined cold weather or highway mild weather figures for worst case.

https://ev-database.org/uk/car/1943/Lexus-UX-300e

 

[saz318]

Going full e depends on your usage and ability to plug it in every night at your home. I had considered (the Volvo EX 30) but I'm so glad I went for the UX 300h!! OMG. It was a good choice. Of course I am in Greece where the public charging infrastructure is still insufficient. 

If you don't want anxiety, maybe consider for the 300h. 

[Dealkent]

7 hours ago, saz318 said:

Going full e depends on your usage and ability to plug it in every night at your home. I had considered (the Volvo EX 30) but I'm so glad I went for the UX 300h!! OMG. It was a good choice. Of course I am in Greece where the public charging infrastructure is still insufficient. 

If you don't want anxiety, maybe consider for the 300h. 

I have the NX300 hybrid now , which I love , but we are getting solar panels so want to go fully electric. I like Lexus and Toyota very much but very poor choice of EV s at the moment 

[PaulWhitt20]

Hi,  I am interested in the reasoning for the link between Solar Panels and an EV.

We had solar panels fitted in June and it seems to have been cloudy ever since. Maybe Kent gets more sun than Cheshire. I have just got £18 back from the smart export guarantee for June to mid October, after an investment on £7000 for the panels. Five solar panels and two batteries. We charge the cars once a week at night on the cheap rate. 100 mile range for about £3.
What seems to happen is the solar Battery starts the day at 20%, the minimum, then during the day the power produced by the panels chargers the batteries up, if it’s sunny the batteries are fully charged by mid afternoon and I can export electric back to the grid. Then in the evening the oven and other electric usage drains the Battery back to 20%. During the day electricity usage is usually taken from the batteries and panels except for large current draw eg shower. So during the day I use less grid electricity. However I haven’t seen a drop in my monthly direct debit. I am just now in credit of £300 on my electric bill. 
I assume you are thinking of drip charging the cars from the panels during the day when it’s sunny. I haven’t done this as the cheap rate electric used overnight is 8.95p a unit and day time 31.31 p per unit on British Gas EV 5 tariff (newer Tarifs are different) Any electric I send back to the grid is 15p per unit. So it makes sense to charge the cars at night, use solar in the day to charge the solar batteries and power the house. Any excess is earning 15p rather than saving 8.95p as I’m not charging the car night. 
Oh, and we seem to have attracted the pigeons who like to go under the panels. Consider a bird guard for the panels. 
I am not trying to put you off solar panels but the cost payback for my installation in a very long time. Of course there are other benefits to solar in terms of climate and novelty value. 
I hope this helps

Paul. 

[Slucky]

I had the same dilemma, and was tempted to move to the larger Battery as I had the 54Kwh. But even with the larger Battery it still had the chademo charger which was an issue for me. I had the UX 300e on the lower 54Kw Battery. Mixed driving without AC or heating saw realistic 140 miles average. With AC on minus 20 miles off it.
I have driven to France and on the motorway if you drive above 70mph you can kiss 100Km of range goodbye.
And using the Chademo charger is a pain as it has a very low charging speed, so I was waiting around 40-1 hour to top up at charge stations.
This is good and comfortable city car but not one to venture out outside its comfort zone. 

I have since then sold it as the chademo charger was a big issue for me, as many charge stations I came across either do not have the charger or its not working.
With more support for CCS and faster charge, I cannot understand why Lexus did not make the newer UX 300e with a CCS.
The prices for these have dropped quite a lot, so yes it might be a bargain to buy one now, but in a year or two, it would lose its value much more.
 

 

[levensnevel]

The 54kWh version is a perfect runaround. But, except during the summerseason, an absolute disaster for 300+km roundtrips

We decided to partexchange her for a Nx 300H after 5 months/ 5K km as Lexus in the Netherlands told us that a 23%drop in Energy efficiency is normal (even during mild temperatures in September)

[Dealkent]

On 10/15/2024 at 11:11 AM, Slucky said:

I had the same dilemma, and was tempted to move to the larger battery as I had the 54Kwh. But even with the larger battery it still had the chademo charger which was an issue for me. I had the UX 300e on the lower 54Kw battery. Mixed driving without AC or heating saw realistic 140 miles average. With AC on minus 20 miles off it.
I have driven to France and on the motorway if you drive above 70mph you can kiss 100Km of range goodbye.
And using the Chademo charger is a pain as it has a very low charging speed, so I was waiting around 40-1 hour to top up at charge stations.
This is good and comfortable city car but not one to venture out outside its comfort zone. 

I have since then sold it as the chademo charger was a big issue for me, as many charge stations I came across either do not have the charger or its not working.
With more support for CCS and faster charge, I cannot understand why Lexus did not make the newer UX 300e with a CCS.
The prices for these have dropped quite a lot, so yes it might be a bargain to buy one now, but in a year or two, it would lose its value much more.
 

 

I have watched many YouTube videos of the new UX 300e and I was under the impression there are two charge portals and one of them is CCS ? . Can anyone clarify the charging type and speed? 

[ColinBarber]

35 minutes ago, Dealkent said:

I have watched many YouTube videos of the new UX 300e and I was under the impression there are two charge portals and one of them is CCS ? . Can anyone clarify the charging type and speed? 

There is a type 2 connector for destination based AC chargers (wall charger at home) which will charge at 6.6 kWh - around 11.5 hours for 0-100%.

Then there is a CHAdeMO connector for 'higher' speed DC charging, which is limited up to 50 kWh and will charge 10-80% in around 80 minutes.

There is no CCS2 connector, which is the most common DC charging connector.

[javadude]

You'll find that pretty much every other EV on the market has a CCS connector and faster charge speed. 

[Dealkent]

On 10/23/2024 at 8:09 PM, javadude said:

You'll find that pretty much every other EV on the market has a CCS connector and faster charge speed. 

Thanks for the info . After looking into the UX 300e more I have to admit I have been put off by the slow charging and short range . I am now looking at getting the new Tesla Model 3 Highland . Bit concerned about reliability and build quality with the Tesla but all the videos I have seen on YouTube say it has improved remarkably. 

[javadude]

6 hours ago, Dealkent said:

Thanks for the info . After looking into the UX 300e more I have to admit I have been put off by the slow charging and short range . I am now looking at getting the new Tesla Model 3 Highland . Bit concerned about reliability and build quality with the Tesla but all the videos I have seen on YouTube say it has improved remarkably. 

They are meant to be better built these days, although quality and comfort is not on Lexus level. I've not heard so many issues on the Tesla FB group. Since they've been built in China they've been better quality (than the US ones).

Some things to be aware of:

They no longer come with indicator stalks. These have been replaced with buttons and I've heard mix reviews from owners from "not as good as stalks but you get used to them" to " my wife hates them and won't drive the car". The buttons aren't so great on roundabouts as they obviously move with the steering wheel. Some people have complained that they need a firm push or pushing in the right place. Best have a test drive and see what you think.

Parking sensors have been removed and now the cameras are used to give a rough idea of obstacles. The front camera is at the top of the windscreen so accuracy at the front is not great.

Auto-windscreen wipers can be a bit hit and miss as they use the cameras again instead of proper sensors. I've found mine work pretty well recently. The over the air updates do mean things like this should improve over time, although you get the occasional bug.

Auto-steer on the motorway is great, when it works which is most of the time. Occassionally it will try to steer you off a slip road if the road markings are worn. You can just use adaptive cruise control without it though.

Customer service is variable and nothing like Lexus standard. eg Rangers fixing the car on your drive is great but I've had an issue where it took multiple appointments because they didn't have the part, had the wrong part etc.

Efficiency, range, performance and charge speed are all excellent as is the charging network and the cars have a CCS plug like every other modern EV except for the UX 300e. Dog mode is very useful if you have a dog (or child)

[Dealkent]

18 hours ago, javadude said:

They are meant to be better built these days, although quality and comfort is not on Lexus level. I've not heard so many issues on the Tesla FB group. Since they've been built in China they've been better quality (than the US ones).

Some things to be aware of:

They no longer come with indicator stalks. These have been replaced with buttons and I've heard mix reviews from owners from "not as good as stalks but you get used to them" to " my wife hates them and won't drive the car". The buttons aren't so great on roundabouts as they obviously move with the steering wheel. Some people have complained that they need a firm push or pushing in the right place. Best have a test drive and see what you think.

Parking sensors have been removed and now the cameras are used to give a rough idea of obstacles. The front camera is at the top of the windscreen so accuracy at the front is not great.

Auto-windscreen wipers can be a bit hit and miss as they use the cameras again instead of proper sensors. I've found mine work pretty well recently. The over the air updates do mean things like this should improve over time, although you get the occasional bug.

Auto-steer on the motorway is great, when it works which is most of the time. Occassionally it will try to steer you off a slip road if the road markings are worn. You can just use adaptive cruise control without it though.

Customer service is variable and nothing like Lexus standard. eg Rangers fixing the car on your drive is great but I've had an issue where it took multiple appointments because they didn't have the part, had the wrong part etc.

Efficiency, range, performance and charge speed are all excellent as is the charging network and the cars have a CCS plug like every other modern EV except for the UX 300e. Dog mode is very useful if you have a dog (or child)

Thanks for the reply . You have highlighted what I have learnt from watching literally dozens of YouTube reviews ! they all mention the buttons for indicators , no parking sensors , no heads up display, improved build quality, and auto wipers being hit and miss . Are you keen to get the new Model 3 Highland or are you ready to go to another make / brand ? . Do you wish you had the Lexus ? I have had 2 Lexus cars with zero problems and overall good service.