What do Americans think of Ferrari’s new electric car?

The Italian automaker Ferrari recently unveiled the Luce – its first all-electric vehicle – to a controversial online response.

Created in collaboration with ex-Apple creative Jony Ive, the new car has sparked debate among commentators, social media users, and even the Italian transport minister for deviating from the brand’s design principles. Some have also speculated that the negative reaction may be motivated by opposition to electric vehicles.

But what do Americans think? We showed U.S. adults a photo of the Ferrari Luce using YouGov Surveys, and our results show that Americans are more likely to like than dislike the car design. Close to half say they either love it or like it (47%), while just over a quarter say they dislike or hate it (27%). A further 24% neither like nor dislike it.

This marks a notable contrast with British opinion. In Britain, the design was more disliked than liked, with just over half saying they disliked it (51%) and three in ten saying they liked it (29%). Americans, by comparison, appear considerably more receptive to Ferrari’s new look.

Among Americans who are interested in cars, enthusiasm is even stronger. More than half say they like the Luce’s design (54%), compared to a quarter who dislike it (25%). Those who are not interested in cars are more muted, but still more likely to like than dislike the design (39% vs. 30%).

We also looked at whether attitudes toward electric vehicles more broadly are linked to opinions of the Luce. Americans with a positive view of EVs are especially likely to respond well to the design, with 59% saying they like it and 21% saying they dislike it.

Among those with a negative view of EVs, opinion is much more divided. Four in ten dislike the Luce’s design (40%), while 37% say they like it. This suggests that while general scepticism toward electric cars may dampen enthusiasm for Ferrari’s new model, it does not fully explain reactions to the car’s appearance.

Beyond the numbers, we asked respondents to describe the car in one sentence. Many of the most common descriptions were positive, with Americans frequently calling the Luce “sleek”, “futuristic”, “modern”, and “sporty”. Others highlighted its luxury cues, describing it as “fancy”, “classy”, or “expensive”. But not all reactions were favourable: some respondents called the design “ugly”, “weird”, or “odd looking”, while a few said it looked more like a Tesla or an Apple car than a Ferrari.

Asked about Ferrari’s decision to release an electric car, Americans are broadly approving. More than four in ten say they approve of the move (44%), including 25% who strongly approve, while 15% disapprove. Approval is similar among those interested in cars (46%) and those not interested in cars (41%).

Here, Americans are slightly less enthusiastic than Britons about the decision: Half of Brits polled said they supported Ferrari releasing an electric car (50%), while 12% were opposed. But when it comes to the Luce’s design, Americans are clearly more positive than British audiences.

Methodology: YouGov polled 1,205 U.S. adults online on 3-4 June. The survey was carried out through YouGov Surveys: Self-serve. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, race, and region. The margin of error is 3% for the overall sample.