Not considered the Camry before, booked in for a test drive. Seems to have a very attractive interior looking at the pictures online

I had been thinking about the Superb, specifically the plugin hybrid as I suspect the electric motor makes the DSG's job easier. Even without the electric motor though, the DSG can be reliable if driven with a bit of mechanical sympathy.

But, 10-12 years and 200k+ miles reliable?, I'm not convinced.

Looking on Autotrader, Lexus ES's start around £27-28k, so you are not far short. As has been said, the IS isn't that spacious in the rear. I too would favour the Camry, but while I'm not sure about broker prices, those on Autotrader suggest you won't get into a new one for £26k. You'd be looking at a 2019/2020 car with a few thousand miles.

For your requirements, especially longevity, the Lexus or Toyota options are really the best bet.

Mmmm...read the t&c here, seems like in most cases this price is hardly achievable, never the less a good starting point.

I acutally prefer the simplier styling of the Camry - Lexuses in my view are often overly fussy styling wise, especially their interiors. Both the current cars don't have that great of a nose with those prominent grilles, but of the two, the Camry is, I think, the nicer looking.

I would suspect the OP could get a newer example for their budget, assuming they could find one - not many of either about these days, though I did see a Camry (latest model) locally about a year ago. Not seen any ESes around, a few runout GSes now and then.

I think that the SUV Lexuses are now far more popular (though not compared to other comparable makes in the UK) than their saloons. Plus both their IS and LS are now very long in the tooth.

Thought I would update, did up the budget and ordered a Lexus ES300H in the end brand new. Was about the same cost as a used one at two years of age approx! Using CarWow and further negotiation managed to get 15.2% off the list price. Playing two dealers off against each other seems to have done the job. Vehicle to be delivered in April 2022 so will be the new revised model with touchscreen etc. Thanks for all the input, only drawback is no spare wheel as standard!

Thanks Engineer Andy, dealer unable to source a spare and Lexus UK have confirmed in this country there is no part number. There is clearly space in the boot for one to be fitted and secured. Reading the forums the GS300H spare does fit so will look to acquire one of these. Interestingly the tyre repair kit includes a jack and wheel brace but no actual spare wheel.

In the end did test drive the following vehicles before deciding:

Lexus NX300H

Lexus ES300H

Toyota Camry

Toyota Rav4

Toyota C-HR

The ES was by far the most refined, at 70mph there was a notable difference in my opinion between the soundproofing of the ES and Camry. The most disappointing overall was the NX with what felt like a second class cramped cabin compared to the cheaper ES. Going to be a major shock going from an old Ford to a Lexus with heated steering wheel that even has electric adjustment.