2016 Lexus RX350 Air Filter Comparison (OEM vs Aftermarket, Cabin & Engine)

Lexus wants $51 for an OEM cabin air filter — a comparable aftermarket one runs about $16 for the pair with the engine filter. Is the price gap worth it? Here’s a side-by-side look at both filters on a 2016 RX350, plus how easy it actually is to swap them yourself.

Comparing the filters

1. Cabin filter, side by side: the OEM version has a carbon layer built in (helps pull odors out of the cabin air) and is noticeably thicker and heavier than the aftermarket one. The tradeoff: that extra material restricts airflow more than the thinner aftermarket filter does — similar to how a higher-MERV home air filter can create more back-pressure on a system that wasn’t designed for it.
2. Engine filter, side by side: both use the same corrugated paper design, but the OEM filter adds a wire mesh backing for rigidity — noticeably less flex than the aftermarket filter when you flex it by hand. The creator calls this one close to a tie, but leans OEM.

Pro tip: a more restrictive engine air filter isn’t just a performance question — it can also affect fuel mixture and mileage over time, since the engine needs a steady, unrestricted air supply to mix with fuel properly.

Replace the engine air filter

1. Open the airbox. It’s held by a couple of clips — release them and the top pops open, then release a couple of sliders to fully open it.
2. Pull the old filter out. Expect it to be dirtier than you think if it’s been a year — the creator was surprised by how dirty his was.
3. Seat the new filter. Note the tabs at the front and back of the housing — they need to go in first before the rest of the box seats and clips shut.

Replace the cabin air filter

1. Access it behind the glove box, on the passenger side.
2. Release the glove box. Bend the side pieces of the glove box in — both sides at roughly the same time — and it pops free, hanging down on its hinge. Empty it out first so nothing falls out.
3. Remove the access plate. Pull the retaining tabs to reveal the filter housing behind it.
4. Note the airflow direction. The new filter has an up/direction arrow printed on the filter media itself (not always molded into the frame) — match it before sliding the new one in.
5. Slide the new filter in, then reinstall the plate and glove box in reverse — the hinge tab goes in on the left side first.

That’s both filters done — a genuinely easy job either way. Whichever grade you buy, the bigger point the comparison makes is: don’t skip a year. Both filters here were visibly dirtier than expected, aftermarket or OEM.