USED Lexus CT200h - The common problems and should you buy one? | ReDriven used car review

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There’s so much to like about the Lexus CT200 - Classy exterior, Lexus reliability and Toyota-developed hybrid tech. This could be a great alternative if you want to be more fuel-conscious but aren’t ready to jump head-first into EV world. But what should you be mindful of if you’re in the market for one? Watch to find out.
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Skip ahead:
00:00​​​​​​​ - Intro
00:14 - What is it?
02:58 - How's the interior?
07:20 - What's it like to drive?
09:08 - Safety
10:06 - What goes wrong?
14:30 - Should you buy it?
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Used car buyer's guide here 👉 • ULTIMATE used car buye...
Cheat Sheet here 👉 redriven.com/cheat-sheets/use...
CT200h Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Guide: / how_to_add_wired_wirel...
#lexus #lexusct #ct200 #lexusct200 #hybrid #electric #ev #electriccar #evreview #carexpert #carreview #australiancars
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[@ReDriven]

Need finance for your next car? Get personalised deals and pre-approval in MINUTES! PLUS, get a $150 fuel voucher when you settle your loan bit.ly/3EX7yh7

[@Aaron1875]

Bought one for my wife nearly 2 years ago and it's been faultless. While it's no sports car it has enough get up and go for daily driving.

[@davidarter9670]

Got one for your wife, did you? Sounds like a fair swap to me!!!

[@dj78productions]

I double that. Exact same story here

[@hunterrr3032]

If you want a sports car go buy Lexus LFA if you can afford one.

[@RiddlerG3]

You knew I was looking at these as the next daily didn't you? It is uncanny how last night I started researching them and this morning I woke up with the video😅 thanks a lot for the info, the forums are filled with people loving them for quality and reliability but who don't mention the driving fun factor which for me means : keep looking this is not the car for you!

[@codeninja1823]

Lol true, I was looking for a Alfa Giulia and the next day they posted a review of it

[@nismo007]

My wife loves these. Please review the 4th gen GS450h very underrated car.

[@JohnFrumFromAmerica]

The gs450h will be very similar to the hydbrid toyota crown

[@nbagoats4819]

Sound like a little boy talking about what his mommy love.

[@dhurpo]

Been waiting for this review for such a long time. Thanks ReDriven, much appreciated!

[@om4313284]

It is amazing car I bought a 2012 with 220.000 and it is performing better than most under 20.000 in the market

[@andrenunesantos]

Not concerned about the batery failure? since people say the bateries should be good for 15 yrs?

[@fvelazquez659]

A decent 2012 with under 125k in Texas run about $7-8k

[@zonykel]

I own a 2012 CT 200h and do not recommend it. Bought it used with about 140K miles. Within a couple of weeks, the engine started shaking upon start up. Turned out to be a blown head gasket, which is a very common issue in 3rd generation Priuses (which the CT is). Then within 3 months, they hybrid battery gave me a code that it needed to be replaced. I replaced some modules, reconditioned the battery, and it was good for a little less than a year, then the code to replace the hybrid battery appeared again. I ended up getting new modules this time. Look up all of the problems for the 3rd generation Prius. There are other potentially expensive repairs. If I had to do it all over again, I would have spent more money on an internal combustion engine vehicle and not a hybrid this old with this many potential problems. Watch the Care Care Nut channel for his opinion on the 3rd generation Prius. He ranks the 3rd generation Prius as one of the worst Toyotas precisely because of these head gastket/EGR issues.

[@jackl8915]

Well you did buy it with 140k miles…

[@prizzy56]

Im currently on the search for a CT200h post 2018 and fell in love with the ReDriven videos the last day. Now I searched for „ReDriven Lexus“ to see whether they already reviewed the CT200h. The video popped up being uploaded 4 hours ago. Great timing 😂

[@raydin]

I have a 2014 example of this car here in Texas in the US that I use for my job, putting in quite a few miles virtually every day, and I am now at over 900,000 miles (1,448,410 km). I can confirm that all of the issues brought up are true. The EGR system can clog up or the water pump can fail, both of which lead to head gasket failure. I've had it happen two times already. Definitely the biggest issue with this car long-term. But beyond that, parts for the most part took forever to wear out, making it easily one of the most reliable cars I think you can find on the road, along with very inexpensive maintenance.

[@mishham6388]

Retired and kids have left the nest perfect vehicle

[@AnontheGOAT]

I picked a 2014 F-Sport up this past November. It's been a fantastic daily.

[@harritaylor5254]

Had my 2012 CT for 2 years now and I just absolutely love it . Just clocked 110k miles and the most expensive thing to fix has been changing the brake discs. Things seriously bullet proof and costs nothing to run. I would say though if your roads are crap then get the 2014 facelift model - the first gen had a really firm suspension which makes pot holes something to be feared. Totally agree with everything in the video.

[@AMM8D0DGER]

should definitely buy. just keep an eye on the head gasket and do all your fluids. I paid $1200 to replace head gasket around 140k miles and expect to get another 100k out if it easy. Also I could turn around and sell it for same price I got it for 5 years ago

[@TheArvinM]

I was literally about to ask for a review for this!

[@joshsmanyventures]

Great idea on doing podcast style on the safety features! Definitely helped make it entertaining

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Good mobility tool but geez... the yawn factor... 😴 A.K in the A.M. nailed it. 😆

[@ollie5958]

I'm honestly kinda surprised you haven't reviewed a standard Ford Fiesta yet, not the ST, great video as always!

[@Froge69]

Its not the greatest car ever made but i remebe back in 2014 my dad got a facelift one and i was blown away as before this my family had mondeos. Ill always love these cars

[@ninjadust77]

@ReDriven - Been watching Ur vidz for awhile now... I like the format, the variety of the cars you have on review and it's entertaining... You should do a motorbike version of ReDriven... ReRidden, maybe?!?!

[@phatpanda3805]

man i been drooling over that n14 SSS pulsar in the back, oh baby ! i can hardly find a good one these days without paying a fortune.

[@reisen1932]

I had a 2011 CT200h, and it definitely was an awesome car to own. The Power was enough, the seats were comfortable, zero issues. And, the ride was surprisingly more comfortable than VW Golf GTE. I sold it with regrets, but 2 cars are too much for me. I decided that 05 RX400h will stay with me, it's more practical and powerful. 27 MPG is solid, hybrid battery still original!

[@kamilianos]

early engines had head gasket issues at high mileage (120k +)

[@RichieRouge206]

The Safety Tech ditties get funnier all the time! I like the CT because it’s just different from all the yawn worthy Audis and BMWs that litter the roads. And Lexus customer service is amazing. Great video

[@williamstewart3469]

You guys always put so much effort in to your reviews, bloody good job. 👍

[@ReDriven]

Thanks so much mate. Glad you like them!

[@marquegibson-dhcd-7478]

Bought a 2012 back in September 2023 in pristine condition with 117,000 miles on it and has been nothing short of perfect. Ran into a couple of owners who share the sentiment clocking close to 200k miles and higher. Treat it well and it will treat you well. It is not made for speed but short to moderate commuting.

[@backtoback3697]

One of my biggest car regrets is selling my 2017 CT200h F-Sport. That car was perfect for me. Perfect city car, great for long drives, highly fuel efficient. Sturdy as Lexus comes.

[@murrieteacher]

I think I have said it quite a few times, get the Lexus. They really do look the business with bigger wheels and a lowering kit. But then I am 78 years old and maybe what I think looks good is not what you think looks good. But you are wrong. Thanks guys, another informative entertaining video. Legend!

[@ancientplays7828]

Just bought one in Sydney yesterday 😊

[@robovac3557]

How has the reliability been? Any major issues? How do you find the ride quality? Getting good mpg? What's it like on long journeys? You any regrets?

[@zeroyon4562]

My condolences.

[@davidbusch8912]

@@robovac3557laugh😂

[@operandexpanse]

@@robovac3557he bought it yesterday dude 😂 how can he answer those questions?

[@VH-gw3qi]

You should have a great motoring journey in it, I owned one quite a few years ago, gave / sold it to a family member .. still going brilliantly! Have been driving Lexus cars since 2008 after years of problematic German ones, best decision I ever made … you enjoy your CT ! 👍

[@hydbozubw]

bought one couple months ago. really love it!

[@truetierra]

sunday arvo redriven episode weekend now complete cheers gents 👍

[@customregina9383]

Would you please review a current gen Mazda 3!! Its beautiful to look at, especially how the red colour, when the sun reflects on!! Gorgeous car, planning to buy one!

[@wyatthurts1729]

I’m thinking a tutor vid from Jim on basic maintenance and classic car reviews, a challenge to bring to you the registered car with the most mileage on original everything!! 😮 so much scope to this channel tell Everyone about it, carewow is watched after a redriven repeat now😂😂

[@nqobilemahlaba2230]

Wow Adam.... Mate you should see yourself in that driving seat! Dude that car looks like it was designed around you!! 😊

[@zhandostursynov1897]

I want to thank the authors of this channel. I was inspired by watching your videos for few weeks until one day (Today) I decided to buy used Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid 2021y using your video guide. You made the process of buying used car an exciting journey. Before I was considering only new cars since I am absolute null when in comes to car. However, by choosing used car I could actually afford better car. Greetings from Kazakh guy in Dubai!

[@deanchur]

Was looking at one of these as my next car as I'd like something a bit more premium but still cheap to run and easy to park...if it had ventilated seats to make Aussie summers a bit more bearable it'd be a no-brainer.

[@kylejoseph9939]

I'm still waiting to hear from you guys about my 2015 Lexus RC 350 F sport and my 2016 lexus RX 450h f sport. Both brilliant cars.

[@paulhodgskin5443]

Hi redriven car you please do a review on the rx500 if possible, or a long term in a rx variant would be great, thanks

[@XLTripleTriple]

You guys are absolute champs. The fact that you not only provide free info on your cheatsheets, you also did the research AND provided a Reddit link? Legends.

[@laureus31]

Back in the day the trade marks of "CT300h" and "CT400h" was also registerd. The engine bay should be more or less the same as E15/E18 Corolla hatches. Comparing these to the Blade/Blade Master, you will realise the CT300h will be the 2.4 2AZ and the CT400h will be the 3.5 2GR.

[@Mark-jz5ye]

Them AirMax 90s are fire son

[@IIDEADZONE]

Wake up babe, CT200h vid is up!

[@daweigo6851]

😅😅😅

[@petrolpoodle6617]

This genuinely made me fully laugh out loud 😂. Best comment!

[@patrickcash2672]

Where is the reddit link for the head unit upgrade?

[@benny5529]

I have one ’14 in red. It is not fast but it is comfortable for long distance trips.. its quite rare so there are definitely more boring options out there :)

[@williamstewart3469]

They do require frequent engine oil changes to live long trouble free lives. If you love yours, double the oil change intervals.

[@patrickflaherty336]

I know it sounds weird, but can you review the AC of each vehicle? Very important with our hot oz summers!

[@Catherinzsl]

I test drove one of these yesterday, and checked out the AC. I was impressed by how powerful and yet quiet the AC was. It wasn't a super hot day (autumn here now), but the air came out cold, fast, and quiet.

[@B33ond]

Cheers AK

[@Pohkey]

It’s a really good looking car, reminds me of their sport back is300

[@TwistedDonners]

If I was going to buy a hybrid this is a car I'd consider providing it ticks all the boxes for me. I have to admit the slightly bigger grill looks better on it with standard wheels compared to the smaller grill. Overall it was a suprise car to be reviewed today buy a pleasant one at that and gives people plenty to mull over. Great work as always guys, keep up the good work and look forward to next week's videos as per usual 👍.

[@lesklower7281]

You brought up a good point about the Hybrids they are good for the environment and been from Toyota they will last a very long time and the longer a car lasts either petrol or hybrid it is so much better for the environment than a brand knew EV

[@claudiadavies5110]

Love the classical safety system and Jim talking Bach, the car looks good too 😊

[@buddys-gaming]

You guys should review the d22 nissan navara since it's the most common first tradie ute most young buyers can afford !

[@naumanzakir8005]

Our lexus dealer replaced our 2013’s wiper blades for £15! In bolton uk

[@djsangre]

I own a 2015 F Sport as my daily and I'm very satisfied. It's not fast, but it's quick and super responsive, the chassis is great and it handles very good. But I suggest Japanese tires to have a bit of fun. When I got it she was wearing Yokohama touring tires, I didn't like ti so I put on some Continental and the car became super boring, predictable...great tires but not fun at all. I want to put some Toyo like I had on my previous car to see if it becomes livelier. I installed Apple CarPlay and Android Auto kit on mine and it works pretty good.

[@Ford_TImelord]

I really tried to get my ex to buy an early one of these instead of a mk6 golf but she got her way in the end and its been a nightmare for her since but she had to have euro.

[@PieterBreda]

I bought one 4 years ago and hasn't had any trouble. I am not a sporty driver and never in a hurry and this car suits me fine. If you have any sporty ambitions, forget this car. It wasn't made for it. Mine has 140.000 kms and so far doesn't consume any oil. It is a great comfy car and economical. I choose the Lexus because the interior was better made than the Toyota.

[@sinphus]

yes the toyota interiour is pretty cheap, sadly we needed a station wagon design and only the auris is available as a station wagon. sometimes I wish it had more power especialy on the autobahn were im sometimes getting bullied by BMW or Audi drivers.😅

[@PieterBreda]

@@sinphus In the Netherlands, the max speed between 06:00 and 19:00 is 100 kph. Outside of the times, it is 130kph.

[@sinphus]

@@PieterBreda so perfect for the hybrid system

[@PieterBreda]

@@sinphus Indeed

[@VinceAnity]

Can you do a review of a suzuki swace ? Corolla TS clone

[@SkydexFPS]

Damn these in blue and f sport trim looks so good. Saddly for its lacking little bit of power... Only if they had more "hot hatchback motor" in it...

[@karlborbelj7206]

Guys please Camry SL hybrid what do you reckon?

[@renegerritsen6178]

It's not really based on a Prius, but on an Auris. The engine is all that it has in common with the Prius, as far as I know. Nevertheless, thanks for the excellent review, as always!

[@harrier1830]

Any idea where I could get a steering wheel wrap like that?

[@Zlin0035]

I was thinking of this but I baught a Honda CRZ Phase 2 instead. more fun due to manual gearbox and I can still get 60mpg. and I got a deep hatred of CVT gearboxes.

[@gabrielfraser2109]

I just want to say, I feel like Jim gave the impression that the eCVT is similar to a regular CVT, when mechanically they are a completely different beast, it's completely different from both CVTs and traditional automatic transmissions.

[@ryanhomesca]

Where's the apple carplay reddit link?

[@PriitKaru]

Not in the description :D

[@sparkylarry9999]

Bloody lovely 😂👍🏼

[@koffeeblack]

Have had one for the wife for a few years now. Great cars handle great but it is under powered. The door trim scrunchieness is a common issue but other than that faultless!

[@driveforsanity]

Be good if you guys could get your hands on an is300h, been interested in one of those for a little while.

[@milosza1384]

I have one since I bought it new in 2021 and it’s been bloody great. I also have NX300h but I very much prefer driving my IS300h.

[@driveforsanity]

They do seem like a pretty good package all round really. How do you find the pick-up and handling?

[@milosza1384]

@@driveforsanity pick-up is very good, especially in city driving thanks to electric motors transferring torque to the wheels immediately. Handling is great for me as well, not worse than BMW 3 F30, thanks to RWD, long wheelbase, responsive steering and 50/50 weight split between rear and front due to batteries in the rear. I also like low sitting position which is very comfortable on longer trips and short turning radius, which is useful in city driving. It’s also very economical for its power, my average fuel consumption is 6,5L/100km and I’m not a slow driver, in that case it would be lower. All in all, great package and very underrated car for what it offers.

[@driveforsanity]

Thanks for the reply, very helpful.

[@BuddhaSunn]

I’ve had one for 4 years. Done 80k miles no issues. Only changed tyres, brakes, recharged aircon once and one annual oil change. Also get well over 40 mpg.

[@jelen319]

Got a Toyota rukus in Vic that you should look at

[@OverG88]

12:07 - the material on those doors. What the hell man...💀

[@nellythedog8443]

i bought one last week and it's just a beatiful car

[@PrimeKeroHS]

You still enjoying the car? Been looking into picking one up myself

[@nellythedog8443]

@PrimeKeroHS let's put it this way you if you just want a cruiser save bit on fuel it's not roomey enough! For 4 people it's a small car which I can't seem to get use to I'm going to upgrade to a tesla soon

[@thomastalex5667]

How do you fix the damn shock and suspension on a Toyota. Could you do a video on better options for shocks suitable for popular Toyota models. I hate the OEM shocks on a Toyota. They money you save with its reliability goes to the physio and chiros.

[@robertthurman1336]

The headgasket issue is not isolated. It is one of the biggest problems with older prius and CT models. Almost guaranteed your headgasket will blow at some point but usually its already past 100k+.

[@hightimesfriday]

Lexus UX review??

[@zeroyon4562]

That shift knob, wth is that thing? It’s horrible!

[@Hypnot47]

the hybrid battery might go bad ( it did for my brother's CT200h, (under warranty) and for my cousin's Toyota Auris as well)

[@one_mega_ohm9139]

Head gasket failure isn't isolated. It's bound to happen, it just might take over 200k miles. The fact that they ALL fail the same exact same way (the crappy coating wears away on cylinder 1) proves this. A CT200h with an original head gasket past 250k is a unicorn.

[@davidv5510]

But isn't that the case for every modern car with over 200k miles? If they even make it

[@robertthurman1336]

The violent shaking in cold climates is a sign that the engine is shuttering from a blown head gasket. Almost can guarantee that's what it is if there is shutter from a cold start. Just happened to our CT.

[@sparkylarry9999]

What year is yours?

[@robertthurman1336]

@@sparkylarry9999 2013. Notorious for those problems.

[@MJM703]

With this power and size of the booth is mostly for city driving. But for the same price, you can get a bigger, more powerful car, that you drive on the highway as well.

[@VH-gw3qi]

It’s not , I had one , it’s great on long country drives … and that fuel economy is 👍👍👍👍

[@fredypineda57]

Idk why I like this car so much .

[@haydenchills]

Can u do a 2017 Acura tlx sh awd

[@ReDriven]

We don’t receive them here in Australia sorry mate.

[@rockraphlegal]

I like the classical music radio bit, that means am in the demographic?

[@profwiggley]

Mad Valiant Charger parked on the road at 8.30...!!

[@raycambridge8950]

I was wondering about this car. My 2019 Hyundai (less than 30,000kms) is starting to squeek & rattle quite a bit. It's been driven on country roads, though, but I probably wouldn't buy another Hyundai.

[@csjrogerson2377]

For good reliable cars only ever buy Honda, Mazda and Lexus. Some of the Hondas or Lexi can be a little lacking in the engaging driving arena, but they do have more enthusiast orientated models.

[@arokh72]

Went to Driva for a quote, and they don't do loans for people on pensions etc, I also didn't get a fuel voucher.

[@ReDriven]

The fuel vouchers come following a settled loan

[@willhooke]

I've often wondered about engine longevity in hybrid cars Does the engine get up to temperature enough compared to a regular car? 🤔

[@davidv5510]

Not if you only drive in the city to the supermarket for example. If you mix in highway driving or longer trips yes it does

[@samward6322]

How nice is the N14 SSS in the background during the what goes wrong segment

[@frog-spit-182]

It pisses me off how much better the international version of this car is than the US one. Idk why they cheaped out. We never got the ML sound system and a handful of other nice to have features.

[@fohatadri]

gen3 engines have a very big tendency to blow the headgasket. This repair is being done by hundreds throughout the world everyday. Personally I would avoid anything with gen3 engine and just go with gen4.

[@fredypineda57]

What year does gen 4 start ?

[@monirmualla]

What is battery lifetime on one of those?

[@user-bz5oj5qj7l]

Roughly 10 years. Mine already started signaling a battery issue. Occasionally, all warning lights come on, and it only uses the gasoline engine... but so far, just resetting everything using OBD is enough...

[@simphiwenyathi7923]

Wish they could bring it back with a better design and power to match the germans

[@omarabbas25]

Just replace the bulbs with LEDs and you won’t have any issues with headlights.

[@andyh5666]

Love the content guys, and have from day one. Maybe lose the pointer, with the continuity loss. Just my 2 cents.

[@ravipeiris4388]

I think it's a sexy looking design ❤. Imagine how comfortable it must be to drive through rush hour traffic after work in this car.

[@nj0377]

It looks like if a Lexus was stung by a bee

[@afzalarif7316]

Hi CT200h community. I am concerned about my 16-17 kmpl (highway) 2012. Is this efficiency correct? I have recently replaced my battery.. plz share your cars urban/highway efficiency.

[@aldogomez8095]

Hi @hafzalarif. My wife has a 2012 CT200h and when I get it to the highway and keep it a 100 Km/h I get 22+ km/l. If I drive at 120 Km/h it will get close to 20 km/l (~47 mpg).

[@afzalarif7316]

@@aldogomez8095 thanks so much for your. Response. I'm not sure if I have an old battery problem or anything wrong with my engine

[@afzalarif7316]

@@aldogomez8095 I was thinking and I came up with an experiment to really learn what's the issue with my car. I think it's not so much to do with the hybrid system (EV mode), I think the EV MODE is just fine and my doubt has really gone towards the engine's efficiency. 1) when I switch display to RPM (Sports mode), I observed that the engine gives me 10kmpl or less on 1000 revs/min which seems ridiculously low. Please do me a favour. Can u observed the efficiency of ur wife's car while it's on 1000revs/min?

[@torquendirty2186]

I considered getting one of these about 6 months ago for my commute every example I went to see they were in absolutely dogshit condition. I think the boy racer looks brought some less than typical Lexus owners. Might have been the examples I saw and my budget lol, but all 5? Decided to catch public transport, probably quicker, cheaper, and better for the environment. Forgot to mention, saw two ads where the previous owners had to replace the battery for thousands. Turned me right off, at least Audi's have some go in return for a water pump every now and again.

[@ln5747]

The head gasket issues are bigger than Jim alleged.

[@fccl1]

They should repackage the new Prius and remake the CT200h, would be a hit.

[@deanchur]

Lexus just released a vehicle based on I believe Corolla Cross, the LBX. It comes as a 3cyl hybrid. Not quite CT sized but that's about as small as the luxury segment goes nowadays unless you want an Audi A1

[@shakke52]

Lexus UX

[@Dn30383]

IS 300 h :)

[@msimomi]

I have one. It does 5.5L/100km in city driving and is built like a tank. It has 220bhp! I don't know how they do it.

[@Dn30383]

@@msimomi need 8l but like the sport mode and the sound generator too much. In addition, I drive at least once a month (included in consumption) at full throttle on the highway for at least 30 km to free up the brakes. Blow the engine free

[@JediToad11]

Thoughts on Paul Maric death and the allegations?