Compare the2023 Lexus RXVS 2022 Tesla Model X

The RX Premium/Luxury/500h F Sport offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model X only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the RX’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model X doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The RX has standard Safety Connect®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the RX and the Model X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

There are over 59 percent more Lexus dealers than there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the RX’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 69 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus third in overall reliability. Tesla is ranked 25th.

For better stopping power the RX F Sport/500h’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Model X:

The RX F Sport’s has front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Model X’s suspension doesn’t offer front gas-charged shocks.

For better maneuverability, the RX 500h F Sport Performance’s turning circle is 5.4 feet tighter than the Model X’s (35.4 feet vs. 40.8 feet). The RX’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Model X’s (38.8 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the RX 350h has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Model X (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the RX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Lexus RX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 1050 pounds less than the Tesla Model X.

The RX is 6.6 inches shorter than the Model X, making the RX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The RX has a much larger cargo volume than the Model X with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 15 cubic feet).

The RX’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers or raises the RX’s optional rear seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Model X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the RX Premium/Luxury/500h F Sport’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model X doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The RX’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

The RX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Model X doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The RX Premium+/Luxury/500h F Sport offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Model X doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The RX Premium/Luxury/F Sport has standard front air conditioned seats and the RX Premium+/Luxury/500h F Sport offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Model X doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The RX has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Model X doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The RX 350h/500h offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Model X doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The RX is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Model X doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Lexus RX outsold the Tesla Model X by almost five to one during the 2021 model year.