2024 Lexus UX follows Toyota's lead by dropping petrol grades and becoming a hybrid and electric car as it ramps up battle against BMW X1 and Volvo XC40 SUVs

Lexus has followed the lead of its mainstream sibling brand Toyota by dropping the petrol grades of one of its most popular models.

The UX small SUV will now be offered with petrol-electric hybrid and battery electric powertrains only, with Lexus discontinuing the petrol-powered UX200 grades. These versions use a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit delivering 126kW/250Nm.

Lexus Australia said most buyers were opting for the hybrid anyway, with the petrol grade being outsold almost 2:1, so it’s unlikely to be a big loss.

Lexus already has a number of hybrid-only models in its line-up, including the LM people mover and the LBX crossover which is set to launch this month.

Sibling brand Toyota announced earlier this week that the Yaris light hatch, the Yaris Cross small SUV and the Corolla hatch (but not the sedan) would go hybrid only as well.

Other changes to the UX include some tech upgrades, a power boost and a name change, and it all comes as part of the model year 2024 update. But that includes a price increase, too.

The UX small SUV will now be offered with hybrid and all-electric powertrains only.

The UX250h is now rebadged to the UX300h, which Lexus says is due to the power increase. It gets an additional 11kW so it now pumps out 146kW, which now matches the output of the Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid.

The electric motors also get a boost to 83kW (+3kW) for the front motor and the rear for all-wheel-drive versions is up by 25kW/29Nm.

Fuel efficiency has also improved and for the front-wheel-drive UX300h grades it’s now at 4.2 litres per 100 kilometres (down by 0.1L), and 4.4L (down by 0.2L) for the AWD grades.

The UX250h is now rebadged to the UX300h, which Lexus says is due to the power increase.

Inside, the UX300h Luxury grade swaps out the small 7.0-inch multimedia screen for the bigger 12.3-inch unit found in higher grades, and it gains a colour head-up display. There’s also a shift-by-wire gear selector now.

Safety features get a boost with a safe exit assists system and a new driver monitor, while the ‘Pre-Collision System’ now detects motorcycles in the daytime and cyclists at all hours, and it gains intersection assistance.

The UX300h AWD Sports Luxury and F Sport gain new features including a sunroof and a smart card, while the F-Sport also adds a heated steering wheel, panoramic view monitor and a 13-speaker Mark Levinson audio system.

Inside, the UX300h Luxury grade swaps out the small 7.0-inch multimedia screen for the bigger 12.3-inch unit found in higher grades.

All of these changes also come with a price increase. Every grade has gone up in price, with the new entry point, the UX300h FWD Luxury, kicking off at $55,370 before on-road costs, or $1050 more than the pre-update model.

The biggest price hike is for the UX300h AWD F Sport that gets the most new gear - it is up by $6715 to $73,210.

The all-electric UX300e which was updated late last year also gets a smaller price increase. See the table below for the full range of new prices.

2024 Lexus UX pricing before on-road costs