Compare the2022 Toyota CamryVS 2021 Lexus IS Series

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Camry are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The IS Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Camry has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The IS Series doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Camry and the IS Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Lexus IS Series:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Lexus IS Series:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Camry for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the IS Series (2/25000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Camry’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Camry’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the IS Series’ camshafts. If the IS Series’ belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Camry’s reliability 33 points higher than the IS Series.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Lexus vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Lexus is ranked third.

On the EPA test cycle the Camry gets better mileage than the IS Series:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Camry uses regular unleaded gasoline. The IS Series requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Camry stops shorter than the IS Series:

The Toyota Camry may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Lexus IS Series.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Camry a Mid-size car, while the IS Series is rated a Compact.

The Camry has 10.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the IS Series (100.4 vs. 90.2).

The Camry has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 5.8 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the IS Series.

The Camry has a much larger trunk than the IS Series (15.1 vs. 10.8 cubic feet).

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The IS Series doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Camry and the IS Series have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Camry is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The IS Series prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Camry’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The IS Series’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Camry has standard extendable sun visors. The IS Series doesn’t offer extendable visors.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Camry (except Nightshade/TRD) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The IS Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the Camry owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Camry will cost $1950 to $6955 less than the IS Series over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Camry is less expensive to operate than the IS Series because typical repairs cost much less on the Camry than the IS Series, including $94 less for a water pump, $59 less for a muffler, $444 less for a starter, $199 less for fuel injection, $28 less for front struts and $396 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Camry will be $15533 to $23630 less than for the Lexus IS Series.

The Toyota Camry has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Camry first among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The IS Series isn’t in the top three in its category.