Lexus LC

Lexus LC at a glance

Lexus says the letters stand for "Luxury Coupe". The car sits at the top of the brand's two-door range, above the RC, and you can browse the rest of the line-up in our Lexus catalogue.

From LF-LC concept to production

The LC began as the LF-LC concept, drawn at Calty Design Research in Newport Beach, California, and shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2012. Unusually for a show car, it was approved for production with few visual changes. Development moved to Toyota's technical centre in Aichi in January 2013, and the production design was frozen in the first half of 2014. Tadao Mori served as chief designer.

The production LC 500 was revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2016, and the first customer car was completed on 23 April 2017. It was the first Lexus built on the GA-L (Global Architecture Luxury) platform, which the fifth-generation LS saloon also uses. The body mixes high-strength steel, aluminium and carbon fibre, the 12-volt battery lives in the boot to help weight distribution, and the car runs on run-flat tyres with no spare wheel. The front suspension is a double-joint multi-link design with forged aluminium upper arms.

Generations and versions

The LC has had a single generation. Lexus updated equipment and prices several times, and ADAC's catalogue shows the European V8 dropping from 351 kW (477 PS) to 341 kW (464 PS) from mid-2019, but there has been no new body or platform.

LC 500 Convertible

Lexus previewed the open car with the LC Convertible Concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and unveiled the production LC 500 Convertible at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 20 November 2019. It has a four-layer fabric roof that opens or closes at speeds up to 50 km/h (30 mph), a transparent polycarbonate wind deflector, neck-level heaters in the seats and Active Noise Control. The convertible was offered only with the V8. In Germany, ADAC lists it from 2020 to 2025.

Engines, transmissions and performance

The LC 500 uses the 2UR-GSE V8 with direct and port injection and variable valve timing. It produces its peak power at 7,100 rpm and drives the rear wheels through an Aisin 10-speed automatic. Lexus quoted 4.4 seconds from 0 to 60 mph for the early car; ADAC's data for the 341 kW European version gives 4.7 seconds to 100 km/h and a 270 km/h top speed.

The LC 500h pairs a 220 kW (299 PS) 3.5-litre V6 with a 132 kW electric motor and a 310.8-volt lithium-ion battery of about 1.1 kWh. The Multi Stage Hybrid System places a four-speed automatic behind the hybrid unit's continuously variable gearing, so the driver gets ten simulated ratios. Combined output is 264 kW (359 PS). The hybrid can run on electricity alone for short distances (around 6 km according to the Wikipedia figures) and up to 140 km/h according to ADAC. Both versions are rear-wheel drive only.

Dimensions, weight and boot

The LC is a wide, low car: 1,920 mm across the body and 2,168 mm including mirrors, according to ADAC. The rear seats are suitable for occasional use only, and the boot is small for a car of this length. The hybrid loses 25 litres because its battery sits behind the rear seats. The size comparison tool puts those numbers next to other coupes.

Fuel economy and running costs

ADAC lists WLTP combined consumption of 11.6 l/100 km and 262 g/km CO2 for the European LC 500, and 8.1 l/100 km and 184 g/km for the LC 500h. The hybrid therefore uses about 30 percent less fuel on paper, though the gap in real use depends heavily on driving style. Both run on premium unleaded (Super). With an 82-litre tank, the V8's official figure gives a theoretical range of a little over 700 km.

Prices and equipment

ADAC's German list prices show how the LC moved up the market over its life. Both versions started at EUR 99,200 in 2017. The price rose to EUR 101,400 in mid-2019, EUR 111,800 from July 2020 and EUR 122,950 from May 2023 for the standard coupe. Lexus also sold numbered and themed versions in Germany:

• Club Edition (2019-2020): EUR 114,000 for either LC 500 or LC 500h.
• Bespoke Build (2022-2023): EUR 118,500.
• Hokkaido Edition (2022-2023): EUR 121,500 (LC 500h) and EUR 122,000 (LC 500).
• Ultimate Edition (2023-2025): EUR 134,000, LC 500 only.

Two one-off Black Panther Edition cars were built after an LC 500 appeared in the car chase of the 2018 Marvel film.

Safety

We found no Euro NCAP crash test of the LC, which is typical for low-volume luxury coupes, so there is no independent European crash rating to quote. Our safety ratings section covers the Lexus models that Euro NCAP has tested.

Reliability and ownership

We have found no published breakdown statistics or recall pattern specific to the LC in the sources used for this article, and the car's European volumes are too small for ADAC's breakdown survey. What is documented is volume: Lexus sold 548 LCs in Europe in 2017, 810 in 2018 and only 262 in 2022. In the United States the best year was 2021 with 2,782 cars, and 1,286 were sold in 2025. That rarity matters for used buyers, because the choice of cars and specialist experience will be limited.

Motorsport

A racing LC 500 competed in Japan's Super GT GT500 class from 2017 to 2019, and the Keeper TOM'S car was the 2017 champion. The cars took 14 wins from 24 races before the Toyota GR Supra replaced them in 2020. A Toyota Gazoo Racing LC ran at the 2018 Nürburgring 24 Hours, and an LC 500h has competed in Super GT's GT300 class since 2023.

Rivals

In Europe the LC's natural rivals are the BMW 8 Series Coupe and Convertible, the Mercedes-Benz SL and the Porsche 911. The German cars offer turbocharged engines, all-wheel drive on some versions and more practical boots; the LC answers with a naturally aspirated V8, Japanese build quality and a design that still looks like a concept car. A hybrid grand tourer of this size has no direct equivalent. Line them up with our comparison tool.

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