New Hybrid Lexus GS 300h Leads the Field on Company Car Tax

Key Points

• Lexus extends the reach of its full hybrid technology with new GS 300h, the first time it has offered two different hybrid powertrains in a single body style
• New GS 300h SE promises best-in-class benefit-in-kind rates for company car drivers, potentially saving customers up to more than £2,000 on their annual tax bill
• 2.5-litre Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain delivers CO₂ emissions from 109g/km* and combined cycle fuel consumption of up to 60.1mpg*
• Four equipment grades – SE, Luxury, F Sport and Premier – with on-the-road prices from £31,495
• Available to order now, first customer deliveries from January 2014

Lexus is strengthening the appeal of its GS range for company/business car users with the introduction of the new GS 300h. It will join the established GS 450h in the range early next year, promising class-leading benefit-in-kind tax rates of 13 per cent, thanks to segment leading CO₂ emissions of 109g/km from its 2.5-litre full hybrid powertrain.

Compared to its key premium market diesel and hybrid competitors, the GS 300h SE delivers compelling annual tax figures that can save customers up to more than £2,000 a year.

Here’s how the figures stack up, with pricing including leather upholstery and satellite navigation options added to the GS 300h SE specification to bring it in line with the competition: –

Figures apply to 40 per cent rate tax payers. Data supplied by Kwikcarcost.

For customers willing to forego the options of leather and sat-nav (combined cost £3,990), the tax outlook is even better: –

Figures apply to 40 per cent rate tax payers. Data supplied by Kiwkcarcost.

The significant tax savings enjoyed by company car drivers apart, all GS 300h SE customers will also be saving money on fuel and road tax. Combined cycle consumption of 60.1mpg is expected for the SE model, with 57.6mpg for the Luxury and Premier versions and 56.5mpg for the F Sport. The SE’s 109g/km CO₂ emissions place it in band B for annual Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax), while the Luxury and Premier at 113g/km and F Sport at 115g/km, all fall within band C (all figures provisional prior to official homologation).

Model range

The exterior and interior styling for the new GS 300h mirror those of the more powerful GS 450h. The grade structure adds a new entry level SE trim to the established Luxury, F Sport and Premier designations.

Full equipment specifications will be released later in the year, but the new GS 300h SE will come with a raft of luxury features, including 17-inch alloys, 10 airbags, electric steering wheel adjustment, 12-speaker sounds system with DAB radio and DVD player, cruise control, push button start, parking sensors HID (xenon) headlamps, and electrically adjustable, heated front seats. Leading options will be Lexus Premium Navigation, with a 12.3-inch display, and leather upholstery (including heating/ventilation front seat functions).

Extra items in the Luxury trim include leather upholstery, navigation, 18-inch alloys and a Blind Spot Monitor pack with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, while the F Sport adds features such as exterior and interior styling elements, perforated leather sports seats, 10-spoke 19-inch wheels and Adaptive Variable Sports Suspension.

At the top of the range, the GS 300h Premier takes in a Mark Levinson 17-speaker hifi, system, 18-way electric front seat adjustment with memory, a new colour head-up display, AVS and LED fog lamps.

At the same time as Lexus adds the GS 300h to the range it also makes a new design shift lever and the colour head-up display available for the GS 450h.

The GS range’s comprehensive array of active, passive and preventive safety features is being further extended, with addition of a Rear Cross Traffic Alert, which uses the same radar technology as the Blind Spot Monitor to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from either side when reversing out of a parking space.

Prices and VED

The on-the-road prices and VED bands for the new GS 300h are as follows: –

With the introduction of the new GS 300h, Lexus is withdrawing the petrol V6-powered GS 250 from the UK market.

GS 300h SE technical specifications

*Fuel consumption and emissions figures remain provisional prior to homologation.