Lexus IS

Lexus IS generations at a glance

The name stands for "Intelligent Sport". Until the CT hatchback arrived in 2011, the IS was the smallest Lexus. More on the brand is in our Lexus history.

How the Altezza became the first IS (XE10)

The first car went on sale in Japan in October 1998 as the Toyota Altezza, an Italian word for "height" or "highness". Europe received it as the Lexus IS 200 in 1999 and North America as the IS 300 in 2000. Tomoyasu Nishi drew the exterior in 1995, and chief engineer Nobuaki Katayama ran the programme from 1994. It was built on a shortened mid-size platform and was 4,400 mm long, and in Japan it was named Car of the Year for 1998–1999.

The European IS 200 reached 100 km/h in 9.3 seconds and 216 km/h flat out. The SportCross estate (the Altezza Gita in Japan) joined the XE10 range in 2001. North American IS sales peaked at 22,486 cars in 2001 and fell below 10,000 in 2004.

XE20: diesel, V6 power and the IS F

The second generation was previewed at Geneva in March 2005 and went on sale that autumn. With the Altezza name gone, it was sold as a Lexus in Japan as well. Its saloon body had a drag coefficient of 0.28, and European buyers could choose a 2.2-litre diesel, the IS 220d. The pre-collision system, which tightens the belts and prepares the brakes before an impact, was a first among entry-luxury sports saloons.

The IS F, unveiled in Detroit in January 2007, was the first model of the Lexus F performance line. It reached 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.2 seconds and was limited to 274 km/h. In 2008 Lexus added the IS C, a convertible with a folding metal roof, shown at the Paris show in October 2008. The best year for this generation was 2007, with 54,933 sales in the figures quoted by Wikipedia.

XE30: the long-running third generation

The XE30 premiered at the Detroit show in January 2013, and production at Tahara began on 25 April 2013. It grew to 4,665 mm and introduced the IS 300h, which became the main version in Europe and Japan. In Japan, about 5,500 of the first 7,600 orders were for the hybrid.

An April 2016 update brought new lamps and a 10.3-inch screen, and for 2018 the IS 200t became the IS 300. The hybrid pairs a 131 kW petrol engine with an electric motor through an e-CVT. The IS 500 used the old IS F engine, revving to 7,100 rpm, but kept the standard body width and brakes: Lexus called it the first "F Sport Performance" model, a step below a full F car. A run of 500 IS 500 Ultimate Edition cars with red six-piston Brembo calipers closed its production in 2025.

By our calculation, an IS 300h at 1,620–1,780 kg carries about 10–11 kg per kW, while the IS 500 has roughly twice the power for a similar body. Our power-to-weight calculator lets you check any version against its rivals.

What changed in the 2020 and 2025 facelifts

Lexus revealed the first big update of the XE30 on 16 June 2020, for the 2021 model year. Several older articles called it a fourth generation, but it keeps the 2013 structure. The body grew to 4,710 mm long and 1,840 mm wide, with a larger spindle grille and a full-width light bar at the rear. Underneath, the shell gained weld points, reinforced C-pillars and dampers with new swing valves. Lexus also quoted an 18 per cent weight saving from aluminium front control arms that replaced steel ones, plus lighter springs and anti-roll bars.

Inside, the IS gained Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an electric parking brake with brake hold and standard blind-spot monitoring. The Lexus Safety System+ package, standard on the facelifted car, includes automatic emergency braking that detects pedestrians and cyclists, lane tracing and adaptive cruise control that can restart from a stop.

The second update, shown on 9 September 2025, brought a 12.3-inch display, digital instruments and variable-ratio steering, and the car grew to 4,720 mm. By then the range had shrunk: the US kept only the IS 350 in rear- and all-wheel-drive form, and Japan only the IS 300h.

Why the IS left Europe

Lexus stopped selling the IS in Europe in 2020, together with the CT and the RC coupé, because sales were weak against German rivals and buyers had moved to SUVs. In Australia the car was withdrawn in November 2021 after crash rules were tightened. Elsewhere IS sales held: 51,358 cars in 2014, a low of 13,600 in 2020 and 19,000–22,500 a year from 2021 to 2025.

In crash tests, ANCAP gave the second- and third-generation IS five stars, with 16 of 16 points in the side impact, and the first IS earned "Good" in all six IIHS frontal measurements.

Lexus IS against its rivals

The IS has fewer body styles than the German cars. Its strengths are naturally aspirated V6 and V8 engines and a self-charging hybrid that needs no plug; the size comparison tool shows how its length and width compare. Our pages on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the BMW 3 Series F30 and the Audi A4 generations cover the alternatives, and the Lexus GS was the larger rear-drive saloon in the same showrooms.

For reference, the 2021 model-year IS 300 started at about 39,000 US dollars in the United States (roughly €33,000 at the time).