
12Pictorial index
Windshield wipers .................................................................................................. P.142
Precautions for winter season ...................................................................................... P.198
To prevent freezing (windshield wiper de-icer)
*.................................................... P.211
Precautions against car wash ...................................................................................... P.235
Fuel filler door .......................................................................................................... P.149
Refueling method .............................................................................................................. P .149
Fuel type/fuel tank capacity ...... ...................................................................................P.320
Tires.......................................................................................................................... .. P.257
Tire size/inflation pressure ........................................................................................... P.324
Winter tires/tire chain ..................................................................................................... P.1 98
Checking/rotation/tire pressure warning system.............................................. P.257
Coping with flat tires........................................................................................................ P .296
Hood .......................................................................................................................... P.247
Opening ........................................................................................................................ ....... P.247
Engine oil ..................................................................................................................... .........P.320
Coping with overheating .................................................................................................. P.311
Warning messages .......................................................................................................... P.292
Headlights ................................................................................................................. P.13 7
Parking lights/daytime running lights............................................................... P.137
Turn signal lights ...................................................................................................... P.134
Cornering lights ...................................................................................................... P.137
Side marker lights ................................................................................................... P.137
Tail lights .................................................................................................................... P.137
Stop lights
Back up light
Shifting the shift lever to R .............................................................................................. P.13 0
License plate lights ................................................................................................. P.137
*:If equipped
Light bulbs of the exterior lights for driving
(Replacing method: P.272, Watts: P.328)
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O 
![LEXUS RC300 2020  Owners Manual 682-1. Instrument cluster
outside temperature may not be dis-
played, or the display may take longer 
than normal to change:
• When stopped, or driving at low speeds  (less than 12 mph [20 km/h])
 LEXUS RC300 2020  Owners Manual 682-1. Instrument cluster
outside temperature may not be dis-
played, or the display may take longer 
than normal to change:
• When stopped, or driving at low speeds  (less than 12 mph [20 km/h])](/manual-img/36/58950/w960_58950-67.png)
682-1. Instrument cluster
outside temperature may not be dis-
played, or the display may take longer 
than normal to change:
• When stopped, or driving at low speeds  (less than 12 mph [20 km/h])
• When the outside temperature has 
changed suddenly (at the entrance/exit of 
a garage, tunnel, etc.)
●When “_ _”or “E” is displayed, the system 
may be malfunctioning.
Take your vehicle to your Lexus dealer.
■Pop-up display
●In some situations, su ch as when a switch 
operation is performed, a pop-up display 
will be temporarily displayed on the 
multi-information display or the odome-
ter/trip meter screen (F SPORT models).
●Some pop-up displays can be set on/off. 
(  P.74)
■Customization
The meter display can be customized on 
the multi-information display. ( P.341)
■Display items
 Odometer
Displays the total distance the vehicle has 
been driven.
Trip meter A/trip meter B
Displays the distance the vehicle has been 
driven since the meter was last reset. Trip 
meters A and B can be used to record and 
display different distances independently.
Distance until next engine oil 
change
Displays the distance the vehicle can be 
driven until an oil change is necessary.
■Changing the display
Each time the “ODO TRIP” switch is 
pressed, the displayed item will be 
changed. When the trip meter is dis-
played, pressing and holding the switch 
will reset the trip meter.
WARNING
■The information display at low tem-
peratures
Allow the interior of the vehicle to warm 
up before using the liquid crystal infor-
mation display. At extremely low tem-
peratures, the information display 
monitor may respond slowly, and display 
changes may be delayed.
For example, there is a lag between the 
driver’s shifting and the new gear number 
appearing on the display. This lag could 
cause the driver to downshift again, 
causing rapid and excessive engine brak-
ing and possibly an accident resulting in 
death or injury.
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the engine and 
its components
●Do not let the indicator needle of the 
tachometer enter the red zone, which 
indicates the maximum engine speed.
●The engine may be overheating if the 
engine coolant temperature gauge is 
in the red zone (H).  In this case, imme-
diately stop the vehicle in a safe place, 
and check the engine after it has 
cooled completely. ( P.311)
Odometer and trip meter dis-
play 

1204-1. Before driving
WARNING
●Do not leave a door or window open if 
the curved glass is coated with a met-
allized film such as a silver-colored 
one. Reflected sunlight may cause the 
glass to act as a lens, causing a fire.
●Always apply the parking brake, shift 
the shift lever to P, stop the engine and 
lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended 
while the engine is running.
If the vehicle is parked with the shift 
lever in P but the parking brake is not 
set, the vehicle may start to move, pos-
sibly leading to an accident.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipes while 
the engine is running or immediately 
after turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine  off. Otherwise, if 
you accidentally move the shift lever or 
depress the accelerator pedal, this could 
cause an accident or fire due to engine 
overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is 
parked in a poorly ventilated area, 
exhaust gases may collect and enter the 
vehicle, leading to death or a serious 
health hazard.
■When braking
●When the brakes are wet, drive more 
cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the 
brakes are wet, and this may cause one 
side of the vehicle to brake differently 
than the other side. Also, the parking 
brake may not securely hold the vehi-
cle.
●If the brake booster device does not 
operate, do not follow other vehicles 
closely and avoid hills or sharp turns 
that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but 
the brake pedal should be depressed 
more firmly than usual. Also, the brak-
ing distance will increase. Have your 
brakes fixed immediately.
●Do not pump the brake pedal if the 
engine stalls. 
Each push on the brake pedal uses up 
the reserve for the power-assisted 
brakes.
●The brake system consists of 2 individ-
ual hydraulic systems; if one of the sys-
tems fails, the other w ill still operate. In 
this case, the brake pedal should be 
depressed more firmly than usual and 
the braking distance will increase. 
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
■If the vehicle becomes stuck
Do not spin the wheels excessively when 
any of the tires is up in the air, or the vehi-
cle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may 
damage the driveline components or 
propel the vehicle forward or backward, 
causing an accident.
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not depress the accelerator and 
brake pedals at th e same time while 
driving, as this may restrain the engine 
output.
●Do not use the accelerator pedal or 
depress the accelerator and brake 
pedals at the same time to hold the 
vehicle on a hill.
■When parking the vehicle
Always set the parking brake and shift 
the shift lever to P. Failure to do so may 
cause the vehicle to move or the vehicle 
may accelerate suddenly if the accelera-
tor pedal is accidentally depressed.
■Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel fully in 
either direction and hold it there for an 
extended period of time. Doing so may 
damage the power steering motor.
●When driving over bumps in the road, 
drive as slowly as possible to avoid 
damaging the wheels, underside of the 
vehicle, etc. 

1254-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
4-2.Driving procedures
1Check that the parking brake is set.
2 Check that the shift lever is in P.
3 Firmly depress the brake pedal.
 and a message will be displayed on 
the multi-information display. 
If it is not displayed, the engine cannot be 
started.
4 Press the engine switch shortly and 
firmly.
When operating the engine switch, one 
short, firm press is enough.
It is not necessary to press and hold the 
switch.
The engine will crank until it starts or for up 
to 30 seconds, whichever is less.
Continue depressing the brake pedal until 
the engine is completely started.
The engine can be started from any engine 
switch mode.
■If the engine does not start
●The engine immobilizer system may not  have been deactivated. (
P.56) 
Contact your Lexus dealer.
●Check that the shift leve r is securely set in 
P. The engine may not start if the shift 
lever is displaced out of P. “To Start Vehi-
cle. Put Shift Lever into P” will be dis-
played on the multi-information display.
■Electronic key battery depletion
 P.82
■Conditions affecting operation
 P.94
■Notes for the entry function
 P.95
■Steering lock function
●After turning the engine switch off and 
opening and closing the doors, the steer-
ing wheel will be lock ed due to the steer-
ing lock function. Operating the engine 
switch again automatically cancels the 
steering lock.
●When the steering lock cannot be 
released, “Steering Wheel Lock Press 
Engine Switch while  Turning Wheel” will 
be displayed on the  multi-information dis-
play.
Check that the shift lever is in P. Press the 
engine switch while turning the steering 
wheel left and right.
●To prevent the steering lock motor from 
overheating, operation of the motor may 
be suspended if the engine is turned on 
and off repeatedly in a short period of 
time. In this case, refrain from operating 
the engine switch. After about 10 sec-
onds, the steering lock  motor will resume 
functioning.
Engine (ignition) switch
Performing the following opera-
tions when carryin g the electronic 
key on your person starts the 
engine or changes engine switch 
modes.
Starting the engine 

1354-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
To set the parking brake, fully depress 
the parking brake pedal with your left 
foot while depressing the brake pedal 
with your right foot. 
(Depressing the pedal again releases 
the parking brake.)U.S.A.
Canada
■Parking the vehicle
 P.116
■Parking brake engaged warning buzzer
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven 
with the parking brake engaged. “Release 
Parking Brake” is displayed on the 
multi-information display.
■Usage in winter time
 P.199
*: If equipped
1Louder
2
Lower
The indicator comes on when the ASC 
system is on.
When the dial is turned to the lowest 
volume, the ASC system will be turned 
off and the indicator will go off.
Parking brake
Operating instructions
NOTICE
■Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking 
brake set will lead to brake components 
overheating, which may affect braking 
performance and increase brake wear.
A
B
ASC (Active Sound Con-
trol)*
The ASC system is an electronic 
sound system that generates 
engine sound, conveying the 
kinetic situations of the vehicle’s 
acceleration and deceleration to 
the driver through the speakers 
inside the instrument panel.
The vehicle’s response to the 
driver’s acceleration behavior and 
shift operations are also conveyed 
in sound.
When sport mode is selected, the 
sound conveyed to the driver will be 
louder.
Controlling volume 

1934-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
Custom mode settings can only be 
changed on the drive mode customization 
display of the Center Display. (P.204)
2 Eco drive mode
Helps the driver accelerate in an 
eco-friendly manner and improve fuel 
economy through moderate throttle char-
acteristics and by controlling the operation 
of the air conditioning system (heat-
ing/cooling).
When not in Eco drive mode, if the driving 
mode select switch is turned to the left, the 
Eco drive mode indicator will come on.
3Sport mode
•SPORT S mode
Controls the transmission and engine to 
provide quick, powerful acceleration. Also, 
gear shift timing is co ntrolled to suit sporty 
driving, making this mode is suitable for 
when agile driving response is desired, 
such as when driving on roads with many 
curves.
When not in SPORT S  mode, if the driving 
mode select switch is turned to the right, 
the “SPORT S” indicator will come on.
•SPORT S+ mode
Provides earlier down shift timing than 
SPORT S mode in order to maintain a high 
engine speed and provides faster gear 
changes. This mode also changes the  steering feel, susp
ension control and 
VDIM control, making it suitable for pow-
erful sporty driving.
When in SPORT S mode, if the driving 
mode select switch is turned to the right, 
the “SPORT S+” indicator will come on.
■Operation of the air conditioning sys-
tem in Eco drive mode
Eco drive mode controls the heating/cool-
ing operations and fan speed of the air con-
ditioning system to enhance fuel efficiency 
(  P.207). To improve air conditioning per-
formance, adjust the fan speed or turn off 
Eco drive mode.
■Automatic deactivation of sport mode 
and custom mode
If the engine switch is turned off after driv-
ing in sport mode or custom mode, the 
drive mode will be changed to normal 
mode.
■Driving mode pop-up display (vehicles 
with a 10.3-inch display)
When the driving mode is changed, the 
selected driving mode  will be temporarily 
displayed on the side display. ( P.204)
FunctionSetting
Powertrain
Normal
Power
Eco
ChassisNormal
Sport
Air conditioning sys-
temNormal
Eco 

1964-5. Using the driving support systems
■When the message is displayed on the 
multi-information display showing that 
TRAC has been disabled even if the  switch has not been pressed
TRAC cannot be operated. Contact your 
Lexus dealer.
■Operating conditions of hill-start assist 
control
When the following four conditions are met, 
the hill-start assist control will operate:
●The shift lever is in a  position other than P 
or N (when starting off forward/back-
ward on an upward incline).
●The vehicle is stopped.
●The accelerator pedal is not depressed.
●The parking brake is not engaged.
■Automatic system cancelation of 
hill-start assist control
The hill-start assist control will turn off in any 
of the following situations:
●The shift lever is moved to P or N.
●The accelerator pedal is depressed.
●The parking brake is engaged.
●Approximately 2 seconds elapse after 
the brake pedal is released.
■VGRS is disabled when
VGRS may stop operating in the following 
situations.
In this event, the steering wheel may move 
from its straight forward position, but it will 
return when the system restarts.
●When the steering wheel is operated for 
an extended period  of time while the 
vehicle is stopped or is moving very 
slowly 
(on vehicles with LDH, DRS is disabled 
together with VGRS)
●When the steering wheel has been held 
fully to the left or right
The center position of the steering wheel 
may change when VGRS is disabled. How-
ever, the position will return to normal after 
VGRS is reactivated.
■When the battery is disconnected (vehi-
cles with VGRS)
The steering wheel may move from its 
straight forward position, but this will be 
corrected automatically when driving.
■Sounds and vibrations caused by the 
ABS, brake assist, VSC, TRAC, hill-start 
assist control and VGRS systems
●A sound may be heard from the engine 
compartment when the brake pedal is 
depressed repeatedly, when the engine is 
started or just after the vehicle begins to 
move. This sound does not indicate that a 
malfunction has occurred in any of these 
systems.
●Any of the following conditions may 
occur when the above systems are oper-
ating. None of these indicates that a mal-
function has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle  body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the 
vehicle comes to a stop.
• The brake pedal may pulsate slightly after  the ABS is activated.
• The brake pedal may move down slightly  after the ABS is activated.
■EPS, VGRS and DRS operation sound
When the steering wheel is operated, a 
motor sound (whirring sound) may be 
heard. This does not indicate a malfunction.
■Reactivation of the TRAC/VSC systems
Even after the TRAC /VSC systems have 
been turned off, turning the engine off and 
then on again will automatically reactivate 
the TRAC/VSC systems.
■Reactivation of the TRAC system linked 
to vehicle speed
When only the TRAC system is turned off, 
the TRAC system will turn on when vehicle 
speed increases. Ho wever, when both 
TRAC/VSC systems are turned off, the sys-
tems will not turn on even when vehicle 
speed increases.
■Reduced effectiveness of the EPS sys-
tem
The effectiveness of the EPS system is 
reduced to prevent the system from over-
heating when there is frequent steering  

2125-2. Using the air conditioning system
your Lexus dealer.
*: The doors that can recall the driving position memory are changed at the 
same time.
■Using automatic mode
Fan speed is adjusted automatically accord-
ing to the temperature setting and the 
ambient conditions.
Therefore, the fan may stop for a while until 
warm or cool air is ready to flow immedi-
ately after   is pressed or “AUTO” is 
selected.
■Using the voice command system
Air conditioning system can be operated 
using voice commands. Fo r details, refer to 
the “NAVIGATION AND MULTIMEDIA 
SYSTEM OWNER’S MANUAL”.
■Fogging up of the windows
The windows will easily fog up when the 
humidity in the vehicle is high. Turning   (“A/C”) on will dehumidify the air 
from the outlets and defog the windshield 
effectively.
●If you turn   (“A/C”) off, the win-
dows may fog up more easily.
●The windows may fog  up if the recircu-
lated air mode is used.
■When driving on dusty roads
Close all windows. If dust thrown up by the 
vehicle is still drawn into the vehicle after 
closing the windows, it is recommended 
that the air intake mode be set to outside air 
mode and the fan speed to any setting 
except off.
■Outside/recirculated air mode
●Setting to the recirculated air mode tem-
porarily is recommended in preventing 
dirty air from entering the vehicle interior 
and helping to cool the vehicle when the 
outside air temperature is high.
●Outside/recirculated air mode may auto-
matically switch de pending on the tem-
perature setting or the inside 
temperature.
■When the outside temperature exceeds 
75°F (24°C) and the air conditioning 
system is on
●In order to reduce the air conditioning 
power consumption, the air conditioning 
system may switch to recirculated air 
mode automatically. This may also 
reduce fuel consumption.
●Recirculated air mode is selected as a 
default mode when the engine switch is 
turned to IGNITION ON mode.
●It is possible to switch to outside air mode 
at any time by pressing 
.
■Automatic mode for air intake control
In automatic mode, the system detects 
exhaust gas and other pollutants and auto-
matically switches between outside air and 
recirculated air modes.
When the dehumidification function is off, 
and the fan is operating, turning automatic 
mode on will activate the dehumidification 
function.
■Operation of the air conditioning sys-
tem in Eco drive mode
In Eco drive mode, the air conditioning sys-
tem is controlled as follows to prioritize fuel 
efficiency:
●Engine speed and compressor operation 
controlled to restrict heating/cooling 
capacity
●Fan speed restricted when automatic 
mode is selected
To improve air condit ioning performance, 
perform the following operations:
●Adjust the fan speed
●Turn off Eco drive mode
■When the outside temperature falls to 
nearly 32°F (0°C)
The dehumidification function may not 
operate even when   is pressed or 
“A/C” is selected.
■Ventilation and air conditioning odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air conditioning 
system to the outside air mode.