Lexus RZ 500e software upgrade: 280 kW, 4.6 seconds and eight virtual gears

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This is not an upgrade for “old Lexus RZs”, but only for RZ 500e vehicles built from December 2025. That restriction is stated on the official LEXUS UPGRADE FACTORY page, even though several US publications described the 220,000-yen package as a way to add power to earlier electric crossovers from the brand.

The upgrade is called Performance Upgrade Boost + Interactive Manual Drive and has been offered since December 2025. It changes the powertrain control software: maximum system output of the RZ 500e rises from 250 to 280 kW, roughly from 340 to 381 hp. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h improves from 5.3 to 4.6 seconds, while Lexus says the driving range is unchanged.

The second half of the package has nothing to do with extra kilowatts. Interactive Manual Drive creates eight virtual ratios, changes drive force according to the selected “gear”, reproduces sound and adds a tachometer, selected-gear indicator and shift prompts to the instrument display. In effect, the EV uses software to imitate part of the experience of a car with a conventional transmission.

In Japan, the price is 220,000 yen including tax, parts and installation. Lexus gives the upgrade a warranty of five years or 100,000 km.

Two different RZ versions are easy to confuse here. In Japan, the updated RZ 500e uses a 250 kW system before this upgrade. In the United States, the RZ 450e remains a separate version, and Lexus has announced a different dealer-installed performance upgrade for it to 280 kW.

So this should not be presented as a new way to “rejuvenate” 2023–2025 electric crossovers. The Japanese package applies to the updated RZ 500e, and its real distinction is that owners can officially unlock extra power and a virtual gearbox after buying the car.