Ferrari 488 GTB (2015 - 2019) review, specs and buying guide

The Ferrari 488 GTB is a decade old in 2025, but offers performance and dynamic prowess that’s still absolutely phenomenal. It also lacks the added complication and weight of hybridisation and the digitisation of the cabin that its modern day equivalent, the 296 GTB, features for better or worse. Even with the uncharacteristic savings available on the 296 market at the moment, the 488 is still a bargain by comparison, too, being available on the used market from £120k.

Over its years, the 488 GTB was available in 488 Spider convertible form, with the more hardcore 488 Pista and 488 Pista Spider joining before too long, as the true Speciale successors. It was succeeded by the F8 Tributo and then the 296 GTB.

The 488 GTB was a big deal for Ferrari. The 458 Italia and 458 Speciale were so beloved and so successful, in part because of their incredible engines, and the Speciale was a former eCoty winner and no less than the most significant car we tested in our first 25 years. The 488 that succeeded them, marked a big change of philosophy for the company’s mid-engined supercar, dispensing as it did with the naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V8. In its place, a downsized, direct-injection 3902cc twin-turbocharged flat-plane-crank V8. More efficient and massively more potent it may have been, but was it more exciting?

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Ferrari could have dropped the ball by turbocharging the 488 GTB but happily, it turned out to be a masterpiece. What the engine lacks in character compared with the outgoing V8 it makes up for with outrageous performance. On top of that, such drivability that, no matter the gear you find yourself in or the speed you’re travelling, the 488 GTB suffers little to no latency when answering your call for its 661bhp and 560lb ft output. It does meter it out though, delivering the full wallop only in seventh and managing how much comes throughout the gears below, for a more fluid, almost naturally-aspirated crescendo.

Whatever you think about Ferrari's move to turbocharging – and after experiencing the 3.9-litre V8, we can't complain that much – the company has undoubtedly done a fantastic, award-winning job, with imperceptible lag and mighty performance. Among many other awards, the mill went on to take overall International Engine of the Year accolades for four straight years, from 2016 to 2019. It should come as no surprise, it's still a staggering bit of engineering.

Its chassis is sublime, melding unexpected levels of comfort with unflappable control and crystal-clear communication as the pace quickens and you start to build up to exploiting the phenomenal performance on offer.

The 458 went out on a high with the Speciale, but in the 488 GTB Ferrari showed us a brave new world of performance and poise, with a car that got us excited again for the cars to come from the mid-engined Ferrari lineage.

> Performance and 0-60 time – Thanks to incredible and relentless performance from the turbocharged V8 it nails the 0-62mph sprint in three seconds flat.

> Engine and gearbox – Pairs a 3.9-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 with a seven-speed dual-clutch 'box. Not as characterful as the old atmospheric engine, but technologically astounding.

> Ride and handling – Beautiful balance, huge grip, incredibly forgiving and miraculously comfortable in terms of ride quality.

> MPG and running costs – Economical... for a Ferrari. Probably less expensive to run than you expect. Examples with service plans will be most desirable.

> Interior and tech – Has a proper sports car driving position – low, with great forward visibility – but it's comfortable too. Ergonomics were derided when new, are a dream compared to the 296 GTB of the 2020s.

> Design – Sculpted in the wind tunnel it may be, but the 488 is an attractive car, arguably more classically pretty than the 458 Italia.

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Buying guide, rivals and successors

The 488 GTB started from £181,849 when new, though many buyers will have inflated that to comfortably over £200,000 with swathes of carbonfibre trim, aggressive seat options, elaborate trims and paints and more. In a perverse way, the £120k starting price of 488s today means they’re a bit of a bargain – you can easily spend more on a new 911 Carrera S.

Ferrari always argues its cars are beyond compare, but the McLaren 650S and latterly, the incredible 720S were its key rivals. Such were the hypercar-rivalling talents of the 720S, it arguably cast the 488 in a bit of a shadow at the time. The Lamborghini Huracán was the normally aspirated option, back when there was one, its 5.2-litre V10 producing the wildest, most scintillating and responsive 602bhp. The trade-off is it’s far from playful and doesn’t allow the driver to engage with it so confidentially as the 488 GTB.

The 488 GTB and 488 Pista gave way to the F8 Tributo in 2019, which itself served a very short stint before being replaced by today’s 296 GTB. The F8 was a car you could look at two ways. On the one hand, it was money for old rope – old rope being much of the hardcore 488 Pista’s phenomenal constitution, redressed in less racey, less specialised clothes and cabin. 

On the other, it was Ferrari at its best, refined to the Nth degree. The 296 is great but the simplicity of the F8 (and the 488) and that V8 engine, hold huge enduring appeal. The F8 today however, is real money. Prices start (at an absolute minimum) at £80k more than the cheapest 488s, reinforcing the idea that the 488 GTB is a bit of a bargain. Hopefully the F8s will drop, once they fall out of that seven-year servicing package window.

On the subject of maintenance, the 488 is generally considered to be a reliable, dependable supercar. Make sure all recalls have been carried out on your desired example and an immaculate MOT and service history should be a given. Also check for life left in the tyres and the brakes – the carbon ceramics are especially expensive to replace should the need arise. Ferrari’s fit and finish improved a lot over the decade between the F430’s introduction and the 488’s launch so in general, 488s should have worn well. If buying from a Ferrari dealer, or high-end specialist, you should have peace of mind that yours is a healthy example.

Ferrari 488 GTB specs