Compare the2026 Cadillac CT4VS 2025 Lexus ES

Both the CT4 and ES have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The CT4 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The ES’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The CT4’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The ES doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the CT4 and the ES have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

There are over 2 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CT4’s warranty.

The battery on the CT4 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the CT4’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The ES’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

The CT4 has more powerful engines than the ES:

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac CT4 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Lexus ES:

On the EPA test cycle the CT4 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder RWD gets better fuel mileage than the ES 350 F Sport (22 city/32 hwy vs. 22 city/31 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CT4’s fuel efficiency. The ES doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regardless of its engine, the CT4’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the ES Hybrid, and doesn’t offer a disable button.

The CT4 has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The CT4 has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES’ standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 15.9 gallons).

The CT4 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The ES doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Cadillac CT4 higher (5 to 6 out of 10) than the Lexus ES (4 to 6). This means the CT4 produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the ES every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac CT4 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the ES.

For better stopping power the CT4’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ES:

The CT4’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the ES are solid, not vented.

The CT4 stops much shorter than the ES:

For better traction, the CT4 has larger standard tires than the ES (225/45R17 vs. 215/55R17).

The CT4 Luxury’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the ES’ standard 55 series tires. The CT4’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the ES F Sport’s 40 series tires.

The CT4 has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The ES doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the CT4 can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The ES doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

The CT4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54% to 46%) than the ES’ (57.4% to 42.6%). This gives the CT4 more stable handling and braking.

The CT4 Premium Luxury AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the ES 300h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CT4 Premium Luxury AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the ES 300h (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CT4’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the ES’ (37.1 feet vs. 38 feet).

The Cadillac CT4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Lexus ES.

The CT4 is 8.7 inches shorter than the ES, making the CT4 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the CT4 Premium Luxury uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The ES doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the CT4’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the ES’ useful trunk space.

The CT4’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

The CT4 has a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The ES has no towing capacity.

The engine in the CT4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the ES. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Consumer Reports rated the CT4’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the ES’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The CT4 Sport has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the ES.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Cadillac CT4 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the ES.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Cadillac CT4 and the Lexus ES, based on reliability, safety and performance.