Compare the2025 Toyota GR CorollaVS 2024 Lexus IS

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 GR Corolla are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The IS doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the GR Corolla. But it costs extra on the IS.

The GR Corolla’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The IS doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the GR Corolla and the IS have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available rear parking sensors.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the GR Corolla for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the IS (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 GR Corolla’s warranty.

The battery on the GR Corolla is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the GR Corolla’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The IS’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

The GR Corolla’s 1.6 turbo 3-cylinder produces 59 more horsepower (300 vs. 241) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 258) than the IS 300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The GR Corolla’s 1.6 turbo 3-cylinder produces 40 more horsepower (300 vs. 260) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 236) than the IS 300 AWD’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The GR Corolla’s 1.6 turbo 3-cylinder produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 280) than the IS 350 F Sport’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the GR Corolla gets better mileage than the IS:

The GR Corolla offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and fuel economy. The IS doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The GR Corolla Premium Plus’ launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The IS doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the GR Corolla’s brake rotors are larger than those on the IS:

The GR Corolla stops shorter than the IS:

The GR Corolla’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the IS 300’s standard 45 series tires.

The GR Corolla handles at 1.02 G’s, while the IS 500 Performance pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GR Corolla executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the IS 300 AWD (24.9 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 25.9 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

The Toyota GR Corolla may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 550 pounds less than the Lexus IS.

The GR Corolla is 11.8 inches shorter than the IS, making the GR Corolla easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The GR Corolla has .2 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more rear headroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the IS.

The GR Corolla Premium Plus has a standard 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 IS doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the GR Corolla has a standard rear wiper. The IS doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota GR Corolla Premium/Circuit Edition has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The IS doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the GR Corolla owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the GR Corolla will cost $2095 less than the IS over a five-year period.

The GR Corolla was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023. The IS has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.