Woman Buys A New Lexus. Then She Realizes It Only Has A 14-Gallon Gas Tank: 'If I Had To Drive It On A Daily Commute...'

“Let me tell y’all something about the Lexus GX 550."

Woman buys a new Lexus. Then she realizes it only has a 14-gallon gas tank

Photo by: sam_joness_ & Anbinh Pho

Nina Hernandez

By: Nina Hernandez

Jun 28, at 8:00am ET

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A woman is enamored with her new Lexus GX 550. But there are a few things she thinks prospective buyers should be aware of before they take one home.

The issue TikTok creator Sam Jones (@sam_joness_) has with the car might seem minor to some. Others may find it routinely irritating.

It's the size of the gas tank.

“Let me tell y’all something about the Lexus GX 550,” she says to start the video. “I love this car. I’ve had it for about three months now. It has been my dream car for about two years.”

What Doesn't She Like About The Lexus GX 550?

Jones says she can’t remember the exact number of gallons the tank holds, but she thinks it’s between 14-16. (The 2025 GX-550 actually has a 21-gallon tank.)

“If I had to drive it on a daily commute, I think I would probably hate how often I have to go to the gas station to fill it up, because it just has such a small tank and it does not have efficient gas mileage,” Jones says.

“It only gets 14-16 miles per gallon. So keep in mind if you have a daily commute to work or something,” she says. “Luckily, I do work from home, so I don’t have to drive it far every day. But I’m just telling you, if you want this car, consider the fact that you’re going to be getting gas a lot.”

J&R Photography commented to say they agree. "Yeah I had one 5 years ago and I sold it because of the gas!!! It’s crazy," they wrote.

The Actual Tank Size In A Lexus GX 550

According to Car and Driver, the gas tank on a 2026 Lexus GX550 holds 21 gallons of gas. Edmunds reports that GX 550s get 15 mpg in city conditions and 21 mpg on highways. Based on a 21-gallon tank, that's roughly 300-440 miles per tank.

Several people in the comments section of the video noted that the tank holds more than Jones believes. In response, Jones told one, “OK. Doesn’t change the fact that you gotta get gas often because of low gas mileage. So my point still stands.”

However, other GX 550 owners have complained about the vehicle’s gas tank. One owner posted to Reddit’s r/LexusGX a year ago to ask what others thought of the “dinky 21-gallon tank that seems to average between 240-270 total range on a full tank.”

Responses in the thread varied. Some commenters said their GX 550 regularly gets 300+ miles on a full tank. Others agreed and said the difference was particularly noticeable when going from an electric vehicle to a GX 550. Others noted that aftermarket long-range auxiliary fuel tanks are also an option.

Is The GX 550 A Good Family Car?

Another thing Jones thinks buyers should be aware of is the third row and cargo storage space proportion.

“A lot of people say it’s not really suitable for a family, which I would tend to agree. I think if you had more than two kids, especially in a car seat, this would not be your car,” she says. “If you depend on the third row, this would not be your car. Because when the third row is up, you only have about six inches of trunk space and I’m not exaggerating. It’s just me 90% of the time, so I keep the third row down so I can have all the cargo space.”

One commenter also mentioned the third row, though they had a different take. "The third row trunk space wasn’t the problem for me, it was how the third row is made, it was uncomfortable and the seating was just weird," they said.

What do you think?

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To conclude the video, Jones says, “All in all, I love this car so much. You cannot make me hate it.’”

Motor1 contacted Jones and Lexus via email for comment. We'll update this if either responds.

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