2025 Ferrari 296 GTB Review: Flat-out in EV mode in a ballistic V6 hybrid Italian supercar
What’s a Ferrari like as an EV? Well, a partial EV, anyway.
That was my mission for 24 hours.
The Ferrari 296 GTB is the brand’s latest plug-in hybrid – and also the first Ferrari-badged car to use a V6.
It’s capable of big performance and the sort of pace that needs a race track to truly enjoy it.
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But it’s also designed to drive on electricity for up to 25km.
So is the 296 GTB the perfect solution for those who want the fun and fury of a highly strung Italian sports car powered by petrol, but with the dual persona of being able to soak up some EV silence?
Ferrari 296 GTB price and equipment
It’s the old story that if you have to ask…
Yep, the 296 ain’t cheap. The GTB starts at $604,000 plus on-road costs – and options. There’s also a GTS (convertible, or Spider) for $668,146.
On either it’s the options that can quickly step up the price. Ferraris dont exactly leave the factory as a blank canvas, but customisation and options are all part of the thrill.
By the time you tick a couple of boxes and get it on the road you’re looking at something like $700,000, more likely closer to $800,000.
For that you get two seats, a digital instrument cluster that nicely presents the classic yellow Ferrari tachometer and a digital speedo.
There’s no central infotainment screen – that functionality is packed into the instrument cluster – but you can get a passenger display that can present driving data and infotainment to the lucky person in the hot seat.
And, of course, you get one of the most gorgeous bodies on any car.
There’s also one helluva powertrain that teams a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 (Ferrari calls it a 2.9) with an electric motor.
The V6 makes a hefty 488kW and 740Nm (who needs a V8!?!) while the electric motor chimes in with 122kW and 315Nm.
Combined they can thump out 610kW, the same as Ferrari’s legendary V12.
Ferrari 296 GTB: What we think
The temptation is to use all 610kW (yep, I did!) but I wanted to see what the Ferrari 296 would be like as an EV.
So a chunk of my driving was done with the steering wheel mounted touch selector in eDrive mode, which only uses the electric motor.
That motor sits between the engine and gearbox and adds about the same grunt as your average four-cylinder family SUV puts out.
In the light-ish body of the 296 (it’s about 1.6 tonnes) it makes for zippy acceleration.
It’s not fast, but it’s brisk enough to get around town with some pep without being that person who makes loud noises in a snazzy car, even when trundling around.
From a marque known for making a lot of noise, it’s refreshing to be able to leave or arrive quietly, without waking the neighbourhood and without turning every head within a few hundred metres.
You still get all the crisp steering, all the wonderful agility and all the precision that makes the 296 a true Ferrari. It really is a brilliant supercar.
Ferrari claims about 25km on electricity from the 7.45kWh battery, so expect something like 20km in regular driving.
And when locked in eDrive it cuts out the petrol engine altogether, so you can floor the throttle without risking waking up the noisy bit.
Sure, there’s something missing with the near-silence of electricity, especially given the history of the marque.
But that can be solved very quickly at the press of a button.
And if you want a middle ground then Hybrid mode works nicely. EV-running on light throttle applications and added thrust from the V6 – and a sonorous accompaniment – when you push a bit harder.
In Performance and Qualify modes you get the full force of the engine and the sort of aural accompaniment that only Ferrari can do.
For anyone worried about the sound of a V6 versus the V8 Ferrari sports cars have had for decades, a few kilometres is all you need to realise Ferrari has nailed it.
It yelps and screams when you push it with snorts and sneezes as the turbos do their thing.
It’s a thoroughly satisfying soundtrack, even for those who yearn for a V8.
And with all the drive going to the rear wheels it’s a purebred supercar experience.
The traction control is often busy trying to contain so much grunt, but with torque limiting in lower gears it’s also nicely controllable.
Cruise around in fifth or sixth gears and there’s immense pull right down low in the rev range, making for an easy and effortless car. Sure, the turbos are playing their role, but so is the electric motor.
As for charging, the 296 can be plugged into a home powerpoint for a top-up in 3.5 to four hours.
Ferrari says it’ll charge from a wallbox in as little as 1.5 hours, but the challenge is finding a wallbox.
Ferrari has opted for a Type 1 charging plug, also known as J1772.
It makes it the only EV or PHEV in Australia we know of that can’t utilise the Type 2 AC chargers that have become the standard Down Under. Given the proliferation of Type 2 chargers – and the lack of Type 1/J1772 – it means you’re unlikely to be charging the Ferrari at a hotel or Airbnb.
And it would seem a backwards step installing a Type 1 wallbox at home because no other EV can use it.
The sooner Ferrari Australia fits the Type 2 charger available on the 296 in other markets the better.
Elsewhere, not all is perfect with the 296.
In trying to make the focus on the driving and the driver (it works) the infotainment has taken a back seat.
Working your way around the instrument cluster is clunky. The touchpad sensors need to be tapped to wake them up and can be slow to respond. It’s a lot of effort to do often simple tasks, which is a shame because there’s plenty packed into the cluster when you find the time to work your way around it.
Ferrari 296 GTB: Verdict
If you want the full Ferrari experience then the 296 needs to be running in Performance or Qualify modes, at which point that superb V6 makes itself known. It’s a phenomenal engine that benefits from the added pull of an electric motor.
It’s less of a Ferrari running in EV mode, but I still found myself strangely attracted to some occasional silence. Being able to glide through café strips without the yowl of an engine is sort of cool.
The longer you spend with the 296 the more you appreciate how beautifully integrated into the drivetrain the equation the electric motor is.
It adds to the traditional Ferrari experience, which is broadening the useability of the car.
And elsewhere the 296 is Italian engineering at its finest.
It’s the sort of car that thrills when you want it to and tingles the senses at every turn.
And it’s blisteringly quick with a chassis to match its immense talent.
That it’s vaguely practical – apart from the low nose that slows this beast to a crawl over speed humps – cements the 296 as one of the truly great Ferraris.
And one that can be driven as an EV.
Score: 4.5/5
2025 Ferrari 296 GTB specifications
Price: $604,000 plus options and on-road costs
Basics: PHEV, 2 seats, 2 doors, sports car, RWD
Range: 25km
Battery capacity: 7.45kWh
Drivetrain: 488kW/740Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbo and 122kW/315kW electric motor (610kW combined)
AC charging: 11kW, Type 1 (J1772) plug
DC charging: NA
0-100km/h: 2.9 seconds (it feels quicker!)
