Lexus Australia expands its ownership incentive scheme even further

Lexus is further sweetening its already-generous customer experience program in Australia, extending its complimentary Encore suite of incentives from three to five years.

It’s part of a shake-up of Lexus’ aftersales ownership program, which also sees Lexus’ capped-price service program, vehicle warranties, and Lexus Connected Services subscriptions rolled under the Encore banner.

There remain three tiers: Lexus Encore Signature, Lexus Encore Platinum, and Lexus Encore Elevate. The perks offered under each of these programs remain largely the same.

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Buyers of the LBX, UX, NX, RX, GX, ES and RZ get a five-year complimentary subscription to Lexus Encore Signature. This includes:

• A free loan car while your Lexus is being serviced
• A free wash and vacuum while your Lexus is being serviced
• Lexus DriveCare 24-hour roadside assistance
• VIP treatment at select luxury hotels across Australia and New Zealand, including welcome amenities, complimentary transfers and benefits such as late checkout
• Access to exclusive dining and events
• Airport lounge access on a pay-per-use basis at over 800 lounges worldwide
• Five cents off per litre of premium fuel at participating Ampol service stations

It also includes five years of complimentary access to the wider Lexus Connected+ suite of connected services, which includes the ability to use the Lexus Connected smartphone app to remotely control the lights, locks, climate control, and windows, plus track your stolen vehicle.

This is over and above the standard suite of Lexus Connected services, which are free for the life of the vehicle or until the sunset of the 4G or 5G network, and include functions like SOS emergency calling and automatic collision notification.

Encore Platinum is for free for five years to buyers of the LC, LS, LX and LM. It includes all the Encore Signature elements, plus:

• Eight hands-free valet parking passes at select shopping centres in Australia
• Four complimentary passes to over 800 airport lounges worldwide
• 'Priority Access', which Lexus says includes exclusive dining and cultural events

There’s also Lexus On Demand, which allows owners to borrow another Lexus product for up to four times over the five-year period, for up to eight days at a time.

If you don’t have an active Lexus Encore subscription, you can also pay for a one-year subscription to Encore Elevate for $1899 regardless of which Lexus model you have or how old it is.

This gives you the same perks as under Lexus Encore Platinum, although you get only two Lexus On Demand passes for up to five days at a time, as well as four valet parking passes and two airport lounge passes.

"With the evolution of Encore, we’re continuing to redefine what luxury ownership can feel like, creating a more connected, more thoughtful and more human-centred experience,” said Lexus Australia chief executive Jack Hobbs in a press release.

“It’s about designing ownership around the lifestyles of our customers, so every interaction feels effortless, and every moment with Lexus feels exceptional.”

Lexus says its Encore program is grounded in omotenashi, which translates to the anticipation of needs before they arise.

It’s not the only luxury auto brand to offer a suite of perks to owners.

Genesis, for example, offers five years of free scheduled servicing, while if you live within 50km (driving distance) of one of its dealers, a concierge will collect your vehicle for servicing and leave you with a Genesis loan car.

Cadillac also offers Lyriq buyers five years of free servicing plus up to three years of complimentary public charging, while another premium brand new to the Australian market – Denza – offers access to House of Denza lounges, and has previously said it plans to add perks such as concierge pickup and drop-off, and off-roading adventures.

Just as Lexus is Toyota's luxury brand and Genesis is Nissan's, Denza is BYD's premium auto marque.

MORE: Explore the Lexus showroom