Ferrari Luce Vs. Ferrari Purosangue: The EV Wins On Paper, But The V12 Wins Hearts
The Ferrari Purosangue's reign as the most controversial Prancing Horse is already over, with the introduction of the Luce EV giving the world something else to get agitated about. The former was Maranello's first so-called 'Ferrari Utility Vehicle,' or FUV, but it's a crossover of sorts. Ferrari hasn't explicitly said what segment the Luce falls into, but like the Purosangue, it has a second row of seats accessed via suicide doors, and like the Purosangue, it's got a relatively tall ride height compared to something like a GTC4Lusso. They're both relatively practical vehicles, and they're both available with either carbon fiber or glass roofs, but ultimately, they're entirely different propositions, so let's take a closer look at how they differ.
1. Ferrari Purosangue Vs. Luce: Styling and Design
The Purosangue, despite having been revealed in 2023, is arguably more in line with other current Ferrari models, with its design full of muscular curves complemented by large intakes, culminating in a pert rear end with a quad-exit exhaust. Both cars hide their headlight clusters, but the Purosangue mimics "regular" Ferraris by using negative space around the daytime running lights to create a face whose DNA can be traced to vehicles like the Amalfi. The Luce also uses negative space, but to a much larger extent, with the gaping front end creating a channel through which air can flow to the teardrop-shaped glasshouse. This mask-like front end calls to mind the F80 hypercar, but only slightly. Moving on, we see that while the Purosangue has a traditional roof spoiler, the Luce has a movable spoiler (more like an aero bridge) above the recess where the taillights live. And while the Purosangue has sleek, rectangular taillights, the LoveFrom-designed Luce has simple round LEDs.
Ferrari Purosangue | Ferrari Luce | |
Length | 195.8 inches | 197.9 inches |
Width | 79.8 inches | 78.7 inches |
Height | 62.6 inches | 60.8 inches |
Wheelbase | 118.8 | 116.6 inches |
Curb weight | 4,784 lbs | 4,982 lbs |
It's also worth noting that although the Luce is lower than the Purosangue, its wheels are bigger, measuring 23 inches in diameter up front and 24 inches at the rear (the Purosangue's wheels are an inch smaller on both axles, and those axles are further apart). While the idea of a four-door Ferrari is strange on any level, the Purosangue pulls its look off with more drama and emotion, at least in this writer's opinion. I'd go so far as to say it looks sexy (for an SUV), while the Luce looks too round in front, too generic in the middle, and too weird at the back. Futuristic? More like farcical. It seems to my eyes like a cheap caricature of itself, but I bet it looks absolutely gorgeous in a wind tunnel. If you think that's too harsh, Luca di Montezemolo, who helmed the company during the launch of the FF, the most controversial Ferrari of his time, is just as scathing.
2. Ferrari Luce Vs. Purosangue: Performance and Powertrains
The biggest difference between these two vehicles is also the most obvious: one has a 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine with no electrification (besides the obligatory 12-volt battery and the 48V active suspension), while the other causes no combustion whatsoever (besides the friction created by Enzo Ferrari spinning in his grave). The Purosangue's V12 generates 715 horsepower and 528 lb-ft of torque, delivered to all four wheels via a rear-mounted eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. 0-62 mph takes 3.3 seconds, and the top speed arrives at 193 mph. The Luce matches that top speed, but Ferrari's first EV has four independent, in-house-designed electric motors generating 1,035 hp through a single-speed reduction transmission, so despite the added weight, 0-62 mph takes only 2.5 seconds. The Purosangue debuted Maranello's first application of the Ferrari Active Suspension Technology, which uses Multimatic TrueActive Spool Valve dampers, a technology later found on the F80. The Luce uses a similar setup, but each Ferrari with the TASV suspension has its own custom configuration, so it would be unfair to label them as the same. Moreover, while the Purosangue is based on the same platform as the Roma (now Amalfi), the Luce's underpinnings are completely bespoke.
Which is better? We haven't experienced the Luce, but despite our faith in Ferrari's abilities and the excitement of torque vectoring, the allure and drama of a V12 can't be overstated, and for the engine alone, we'd give another point to the Purosangue. 2-0.
3. Ferrari Purosangue Vs. Ferrari Luce: Practicality
In terms of raw luggage capacity, the Luce wins with its 21.1-cubic-foot cargo area, which is all in the back of the EV. Ferrari didn't create a frunk because it used that area to channel air through the front end and because the rear was already big enough to make the Luce the most capacious Ferrari yet, but it did allow the rear seats to be folded (overall figure not listed). With the Purosangue, you get 16.7 cubic feet of cargo capacity, and these can also fold electronically to accommodate longer items. We should point out that when the rear seats fold, however, the trunk floor is lower than the seatbacks, so one has to be selective with what they're carrying. That's the price you have to pay for a real transaxle instead of a simulated gear system. The other area in which the Luce wins on paper is overall seating - this is the first five-seater Ferrari. However, this raises a problem.
Firstly, the Luce is only 1.1 inches wider than the four-seater Purosangue, which was already cosy, and that means fitting three full-sized adults won't be a dignified affair. Also, getting out of the Purosangue from the back feels like an event thanks to the reverse-opening rear doors, each of which feels specially designated to each rear passenger. But if you're the middle passenger in the Luce, you first have to do an awkward shuffle to an outboard seat to exit, and when you return, you must clamber through the aperture with your back bent and your butt in the air to get back to the middle of the vehicle. And don't forget, the Luce is two inches shorter than the so-called FUV with the shorter wheelbase, so legroom will be compromised, too. Still, for sheer capacity, the Luce claws back a point. 2-1.
4. Ferrari Luce Vs. Ferrari Purosangue: Interior Interfaces
The cabins of each cavilino rampante could not be more different. In the Purosangue, you have a layout that the 12Cilindri would eventually follow, with each side of the front row of the vehicle designed to feel like its own separate cockpit. On the passenger side, air vents frame a touch display so your passenger can see the frightening speeds you reach, and in the middle of the dashboard, there's a panel with a rotary knob for climate controls rising dramatically out of the console. This is repeated in the rear of the vehicle, with the knob sitting below the center armrest. On the driver's side of the front row, there's a flat-bottomed steering wheel that launched with capacitive touch pads instead of real buttons, but Ferrari is now putting real buttons in its cars and will retrofit the new, more tactile steering wheel for a price in the five-figure range. Behind the wheel, there's a large screen, and in the center console, the transmission selector mimics an open-gated shifter.
Related: Ferrari Luce Configurator Shows How Hard It Is To Make This EV Look Right
In the Luce, you get a cabin that, like the exterior, was designed in collaboration with Sir Jony Ive and Mark Newsom at LoveFrom. Here, there's no clear sign of cheap plastic or overplayed carbon fiber that makes no real dent in curb weights. Everything that looks like metal or glass is metal or glass, and on the driver's side, the rim of the wheel is much thinner. This wheel has physical buttons and knobs that are designed to feel engaging to use, and even the air vents are operated in a fun way. Behind the wheel is a rectangular display with other displays set into it, bordered by metal bezels. The same treatment applies to the center infotainment screen, which has a multi-function gauge in the top right corner, operated, again, by physical buttons. Physical switches control climate operations, and instead of another screen on the passenger side, the whole display moves on a ball joint, left to right and up and down. The center console houses the window switches, a glass shifter knob, and a recess for the E-Ink-infused car key, while the roof panel has the launch control pull lever, lighting, and other functions. For the second row, there's a similar screen with vents popping through it, and this also has metal rocker switches for controlling the regional climate settings.
While the Purosangue's cabin is perhaps more familiar (it doesn't use a unique typeface like the Luce), it's also likely to date quickly due to the abundance of gloss black and the era-typical dual-screen setup. The Luce feels like a breath of fresh air, and while I'm sure some won't like its attempt at feeling timeless, far more will appreciate it. Score another point for the EV, leaving the pair on an even keel for the final round.
5. Ferrari Purosangue Vs. Ferrari Luce: Price
When new three years ago, the Purosangue was priced at around $400,000 before options, and it's sitting around $430,000 in 2026. Since the Purosangue was destined to account for only around 20 percent of annual Ferrari sales, making it less common than a Lamborghini Urus, for example, some are selling the Ferrari Utility Vehicle for much more. Regardless, four hundred grand is a lot of money, but it seems like an absolute bargain compared to the Luce, which reportedly starts at a whopping $647,000 before numerous options. For that price, you could have a 12Cilindri with a similar V12 heart to the Purosangue for around $400k, buy a fully loaded Nissan Leaf for the space and looks of the Luce for less than 40 grand, and still have plenty of change. And let's not forget, EVs tend to depreciate like a wedding dress in a convent. Of course, a Ferrari EV could buck the trend, but we wouldn't bet on it.
Final Thoughts
I didn't expect the final verdict to be so close, and accounting for differences in taste, the win could go to either Ferrari, but while Maranello deserves respect for trying something new and for attempting to shift the perception of EVs, and despite the elegant interior, I just can't see the Luce as desirable, and that's what something with a Prancing Horse on the fender should be above all else. Lamborghini's now indefinitely canceled EV, the Lanzador, was conceptualized as a high-riding coupe because Sant'Agata knew it couldn't sell an electric SUV in the same way others do, not right now anyway. With that in mind, I can't help but wonder if the Luce would have been better off taking a different route, like a sedan. Or another three-box design with two doors. Or maybe it should have just held off until the day combustion engines are outlawed. Mate Rimac made an incredibly desirable EV with the Nevera, but the hypercar has struggled to find buyers, and with the rate at which electric vehicle technology is progressing, the Luce will become obsolete fast.
I understand that Ferrari wanted to produce an EV now rather than get left behind by the tech, and I applaud the Luce's numerous patented innovations. I also understand that an unconventional look has got the world talking, possibly even more than when Jaguar rebranded. But there was one thing Ferrari could have done to avoid the backlash and still grab international headlines, albeit fewer of them: show us a concept car. Ferrari never does this with cars it intends to produce, believing that it knows best, but in this case, testing the waters could have avoided a lot of vitriol and, for me as a Ferrari fan, a lot of disappointment.
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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 8:30 AM.