Lexus vs. Acura: Battle of the Brands
Luxury cars are not always the most value-centric purchases. But this is not true of all luxury brands. Both Acura and Lexus offer lineups of reliable and value-oriented luxury vehicles.
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Edited by Rachel Shuster and Cody Trotter
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Oct. 22, 2024, at 9:25 a.m.SaveMore
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Choosing Between Two Cornerstone Luxury Brands
In the luxury car marketplace, there are some brands that always come to mind. There are American names, German names and British names. They all have different identities, but if you are looking for comfortable, reliable luxury, brands like Acura and Lexus are among the top choices.
Value is not always associated with luxury, but when looking at the offerings from Acura and Lexus, it’s what sets them apart from other premium brands. Acura has a small but highly competent lineup, specializing in several popular segments. Lexus goes about things a bit differently; they have many models, with multiple classes of sedans and SUVs for different budgets and purposes.
So which is the better brand? To help sort it out, U.S. News & World Report has stacked up the entire lineups from the Lexus and Acura lineup in areas such as reliability, safety performance and much more.
Keep in mind that the scores on our site are updated constantly as new expert reviews and data become available. Therefore, the scores mentioned in this slideshow may not match the scores in our reviews.
Luxury Small Cars
Winner: Acura
With U.S. News overall score of 8.3 out of 10, the Lexus IS is a highly competent small car from a performance standpoint. It offers a lineup of potent engines and has taut handling. It’s also available with a V8 engine in the IS 500.
But Acura has an ace in the hole in the form of the revived Integra (9.3). It’s a well-known name among performance enthusiasts. It has outstanding handling and a modern, user-friendly infotainment system. In addition, the Integra boasts terrific fuel economy ratings.
Luxury Midsize Cars
Winner: Lexus
The Lexus ES (8.8) is one of the top midsize luxury cars on the market today, and it has been since it arrived on the scene in the 1990s. A couple of years ago, Lexus updated the infotainment system, addressing one of the car’s few weak points. This touch-screen system has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This is also true of the ES Hybrid (8.9).
The Acura TLX (8.4) has many standard features and competitive pricing. However, tight rear seats and a distracting infotainment system place it behind the Lexus models in this category.
