Before You Buy a Lexus LC 500: V8, Hybrid, and the Checks That Matter

Lexus's flagship grand tourer comes as a V8 coupe, a hybrid, and a convertible. A clear-eyed guide to choosing and inspecting one.

The Lexus LC 500 is the rare flagship that makes sense used. It is a grand tourer built to Lexus’s highest standard — assembled at Toyota’s Motomachi plant, the same facility that produced the LFA supercar, using master craftsmen from that program^[1] — and its production run from 2017 into 2026^[1] gives buyers nearly a decade of cars to choose from.

V8 or hybrid

The choice splits cleanly. The LC 500 carries a 5.0-liter 2UR-GSE V8 producing 471 hp and 540 N⋅m, paired with a 10-speed automatic, and reaches 60 mph in 4.4 seconds^[1]. The LC 500h pairs a 3.5-liter 8GR-FXS V6 with electric motors for a combined 354 hp and 500 N⋅m, using a 10-speed Multi Stage Hybrid transmission that combines a four-speed automatic with a continuously variable unit^[1]. Both are front-engine, rear-wheel drive^[1], and the body comes as a coupé or convertible^[1].

The V8 is the character car and the one most buyers seek; the hybrid is the quieter, more technically unusual choice. Neither is wrong — but they are different cars to live with, and you should drive both before deciding.

Buying well

• Service history, complete and boring. The best LC is the one with unremarkable, fully documented dealer maintenance.
• A pre-purchase inspection by a Lexus-familiar shop — less to find horror stories than to confirm the car matches its paperwork.
• Convertible-specific checks: top operation, seals, and any water traces if you are shopping the open car.
• Hybrid-specific checks: on an LC 500h, ask for the hybrid system’s health to be verified rather than assumed.
• Options and condition over year. With a long, stable production run, a well-kept earlier car often beats a rougher later one.

The timing

Production is set to conclude in August 2026^[1], which puts the LC in its final stretch. End-of-run flagships tend to clarify in value once the last car is built; buying carefully now means choosing from the widest selection the model will ever have.

Compare both drivetrains on the full Lexus LC 500 database page, then see current LC 500 inventory to find out what the coupe-versus-convertible and V8-versus-hybrid mix looks like right now.