Ferrari SF90 Stradale vs 296 GTB: Two Hybrids, Two Very Different Ferraris

Short answer: the SF90 is the flagship and the outright performance king, the most powerful Ferrari road car ever. The 296 GTB is lighter, more agile, more usable and far more affordable, and many keen drivers will genuinely prefer it on a real road. Bigger is not automatically better here: choose the SF90 for maximum capability, the 296 for involvement and value.

Ferrari now builds two hybrid sports cars that sit worlds apart in price and intent. The SF90 Stradale is the flagship, a technological showcase and the most powerful road-going Ferrari ever. The 296 is the smaller, lighter hybrid that replaced the V8 mid-range – and its predecessor, the F8 Tributo, is worth knowing too if you’re weighing up the whole family. Comparing the SF90 and 296 is really a question about how much car you actually need, and how you plan to use it.

The Numbers Side by Side

The Gap in Outright Performance

The SF90 pairs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors for 735 kW (1,000 hp), 800 Nm and 0-100 in 2.5 seconds, with four-wheel drive from its front electric axle. The 296 GTB uses a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with a single rear electric motor for 610 kW (830 CV), 740 Nm and 0-100 in 2.9 seconds, driving the rear wheels only. The SF90 is meaningfully faster and more powerful, and its all-wheel-drive traction makes that performance easier to deploy. On raw capability, it is the clear winner.

The SF90 Case

The SF90 is a halo car in the truest sense. Four driving modes, hypercar-rivalling acceleration, a pure-electric range of around 25 km, and the badge of being the most powerful Ferrari road car ever made. It lands in Australia at roughly $950,000 to over a million before options, and a fully specified example with the Assetto Fiorano package can push past $1.2 million on the road. For the collector or the driver who wants the absolute peak of the current range, nothing else in the Ferrari showroom competes.

The 296 Case

Here is the twist: many drivers will actually prefer the 296. It is lighter, more playful and far easier to exploit on a real Australian road, where the SF90’s 1,000 horsepower is often more than the tarmac can use. The 296’s V6 is arguably the more characterful engine, revving hard to 8,500 rpm with a deliberately theatrical note, and its rear-drive layout makes it the more involving car at sane speeds. It also costs substantially less to buy. For the keen driver who values agility and connection over sheer force, the 296 is the smarter, more usable Ferrari.

Ownership and Running Costs

Both carry plug-in hybrid systems, so both add battery complexity over a pure-combustion Ferrari, and both demand specialist servicing. The SF90’s higher value naturally pushes insurance and consumables upward, and its battery replacement cost remains an unpublished unknown in Australia. The 296 is the cheaper car to buy and, being lighter and simpler in drivetrain layout, is likely the more economical to run over time, though neither should be considered inexpensive.

Verdict

The SF90 Stradale is the flagship and the outright performance king, the right choice if maximum capability and halo status are what you want. The 296 GTB is the more agile, more usable, more affordable car that a great many keen drivers will genuinely prefer to live with. This is the rare comparison where the cheaper car is the better answer for most people, and only the buyer who truly wants the ultimate should reach past it for the SF90. Try the two side by side on our SF90 vs 296 GTB compare page.