Compare the2026 Dodge ChargerVS 2025 Lexus RC

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Dodge Charger Four-Door are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Lexus RC doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Charger are reminded to check the back seat. The RC doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Charger has standard Rear Park Assist with Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The RC doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Charger. But it costs extra on the RC.

The Charger offers an optional 360° Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The RC only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Charger and the RC have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Dodge Charger weighs 925 to 2091 pounds more than the Lexus RC. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

There are almost 10 times as many Dodge dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Charger’s warranty.

The Charger has more powerful engines than the RC:

As tested in Car and Driver the Charger Daytona Scat Pack electric motors is faster than the RC 350 3.5 DOHC V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Charger running on electricity gets better mileage than the RC:

The Charger can travel with zero emissions for 223 to 267 miles (dependent on model). The RC can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Charger Daytona’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The RC doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Charger has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The RC doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Charger Scat Pack’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The RC doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Charger’s brake rotors are larger than those on the RC:

The Charger stops much shorter than the RC:

For better traction, the Charger has larger standard tires than the RC (275/40R20 vs. 235/40R19). The Charger’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RC (F:305/35R20 & R:325/35R20 vs. F:235/40R19 & R:265/35R19).

The Charger Scat Pack’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RC’s standard 45 series tires. The Charger’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the RC F Sport’s 40 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Charger has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the RC. The RC’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Charger has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The RC doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Charger’s wheelbase is 13.5 inches longer than on the RC (121 inches vs. 107.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Charger is 5.9 inches wider in the front and 6.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the RC.

The Charger Daytona Scat Pack Two-Door handles at .96 G’s, while the RC 350 AWD pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The front grille of the Charger uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The RC doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Charger Two-Door a Large car, while the RC is rated a Subcompact.

The Charger has standard seating for 5 passengers; the RC can only carry 4.

The Charger has 19.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the RC (103.1 vs. 83.8).

The Charger has .1 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 4.8 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear headroom, 9.9 inches more rear legroom, 11.2 inches more rear hip room and 6.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the RC.

The Charger has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the RC (22.7 vs. 10.4 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Charger offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The RC doesn’t offer a power trunk.

The Charger offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The RC doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Charger’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The RC’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Charger’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The RC’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Charger to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The RC doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Charger has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the RC. The Charger also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the RC.

The Charger has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the RC.

The Charger has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The RC doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Dodge Charger offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The RC doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Dodge Charger comes in coupe and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Lexus RC isn’t available as a four door.

The Dodge Charger outsold the Lexus RC by over 16 to one during 2024.