Compare the2027 Kia TellurideVS 2026 Lexus LX

Both the Telluride and LX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride 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 LX’s 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 Telluride has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The LX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Telluride uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The LX uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Telluride and the LX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The LX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the LX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the LX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the LX:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The LX requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

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

The Telluride LX/EX Hybrid’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the LX 700h Overtrail’s standard 70 series tires. The Telluride X-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the LX’s optional 50 series tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Telluride has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus LX has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Telluride has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Telluride flat and controlled during cornering. The LX base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the LX (116.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the LX.

For greater off-road capability the Telluride X-Pro has a greater minimum ground clearance than the LX Luxury/Ultra Luxury/F Sport (9.1 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 900 to 1300 pounds less than the Lexus LX.

Unibody construction lowers the Telluride’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The LX doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

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

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the LX.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the LX 700h Overtrail.

The Telluride’s available rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The LX Ultra Luxury doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

The Kia Telluride stands out above the Lexus LX by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers in the front seat. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and one of them provide more flexibility.

The Telluride is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The LX doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The LX has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The LX has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Lexus LX by almost 17 to one during 2025.