LAZ-697E buses of the 1961-1963 edition did not differ in appearance from similar LAZ-697 buses of the same production period, but from the beginning of 1964 all Lviv buses received round arches of wheels, and directly from the tourist modifications the falling moldings on the body disappeared. Thus, the LAZ-697E buses of the 1964-1969 edition looked much more modern than their predecessors and easily recognized externally. In 1969, the LAZ-697E bus replaced the LAZ-697M bus.