Compare the2027 Kia Telluride VS 2026 Lexus TX

Both the Telluride and TX 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 TX’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 TX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia Telluride achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Lexus TX has not been tested.

The Kia Telluride’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Lexus TX does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Telluride and the TX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Kia Telluride is safer than the TX:

	Telluride	TX
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	99	112
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	5 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	1.8/.4 kN	3.5/1.3 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.38/.4	.69/.57

The Kia Telluride (built after June 2026) has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and a “Good” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The TX is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

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 TX’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 TX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the TX 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.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Telluride 4 cyl. hybrid gas is faster than the TX 350 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Telluride	TX
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96 MPH	88.8 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the TX running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Telluride
	FWD	EX 2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	34 city/36 hwy
		EX 2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	32 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	30 city/32 hwy
TX
	FWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 V6 Hybrid	29 city/28 hwy
		2.4 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	27 city/28 hwy
		2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

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

The Telluride Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the TX 550h+’s standard fuel tank (18.2 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Telluride Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the TX 500h’s standard fuel tank (18.2 vs. 17.1 gallons). The Telluride’s standard fuel tank has 1.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the TX 350’s standard fuel tank (19 vs. 17.8 gallons).

For better stopping power the Telluride’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the TX:

	Telluride	TX
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13.3 inches

The Telluride stops shorter than the TX:

	Telluride	TX
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	177 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Telluride X-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the TX (265/45R21 vs. 255/55R20).

The Telluride offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The TX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For greater off-road capability the Telluride X-Pro has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the TX 500h F Sport Performance Premium (9.1 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Telluride is 3.9 inches shorter than the TX, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 TX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Telluride offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the TX can only carry up to 7.

The Telluride has 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom, 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room and .2 inches more third row headroom than the TX.

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

	Telluride	TX
Behind Third Seat	22.3 cubic feet	20.2 cubic feet

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

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

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

The Kia Telluride outsold the Lexus TX by over two to one during 2025.