Ferrari SF90 vs McLaren 720S — Which Is the Better Supercar?

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale and McLaren 720S represent two fundamentally different answers to the same question — what should the ultimate mid-engine supercar look like in the modern era? Both are mid-engine, both produce extraordinary performance figures, both cost roughly similar amounts of money, and both are regarded as among the finest driver's cars of their generation. But they are fundamentally different machines with different philosophies, different characters, and different strengths that make the comparison between them one of the most interesting in the current supercar landscape.

This guide covers every meaningful dimension of the SF90 versus 720S comparison — performance, technology, design, driving character, ownership, and aftermarket — to help owners and prospective buyers understand exactly what separates these two extraordinary cars.

The Numbers — Performance on Paper

The SF90 Stradale is the more powerful car by a significant margin. Its hybrid powertrain — a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 producing 769bhp combined with three electric motors adding 217bhp — delivers a total system output of 986bhp. Zero to 62mph takes 2.5 seconds. Zero to 124mph takes 6.7 seconds. The SF90 is, on paper, one of the fastest accelerating road cars ever produced.

The McLaren 720S produces 710bhp from its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 — no hybrid assistance, no electric motors, pure combustion power delivered through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to the rear wheels. Zero to 62mph takes 2.9 seconds. Zero to 124mph takes 7.8 seconds. On paper the 720S is slower than the SF90 — but the gap between 2.5 and 2.9 seconds to 62mph is largely academic in any real-world driving situation, and the character of how each car delivers its performance is as important as the numbers themselves.

The SF90's hybrid system gives it a specific performance character — enormous, immediate torque from the electric motors at low speeds that creates a launch acceleration that is genuinely shocking, combined with the V8's power as speed builds. The 720S delivers its performance more linearly — the twin-turbocharged V8's power builds with revs in a way that is more conventional but no less impressive, with a mid-range punch that is one of the most memorable aspects of driving this car.

Technology — Two Philosophies

This is where the SF90 and 720S differ most fundamentally — not in their performance outcomes but in the philosophy used to achieve them.

The SF90 is Ferrari's most technologically complex road car. Its hybrid system — with three electric motors, a high-voltage battery pack, a sophisticated energy management system, and all-wheel drive from the front electric motors — represents a level of engineering complexity that most manufacturers with ten times Ferrari's resources would struggle to produce. The SF90 is genuinely groundbreaking technology packaged in a road car, and driving it connects the owner to a level of engineering ambition that is unique in the current market.

The 720S is a more focused, less complex machine. Its twin-turbocharged V8, conventional rear-wheel drive, and McLaren's Proactive Chassis Control hydraulic suspension are sophisticated by any normal measure — but compared to the SF90's hybrid architecture they represent a more traditional high-performance car philosophy. The 720S achieves its extraordinary performance through refinement and engineering precision rather than through adding technological complexity.

For drivers who want to feel connected to cutting-edge automotive technology and who appreciate the engineering achievement the SF90 represents, it is the more interesting and more forward-looking of the two. For drivers who want the most direct, most analogue connection between their inputs and the car's responses, the 720S's relative simplicity is not a weakness — it is a deliberate character choice that many enthusiasts find more rewarding.

Design — Visual Identity

The SF90 and 720S are both visually extraordinary cars whose designs reflect their respective manufacturers' philosophies with complete clarity.

The SF90's design is Ferrari's most complex and most aerodynamically sophisticated road car exterior. Its active aerodynamic elements — the front flap system, the rear active wing — are integrated into the body design rather than visible additions, giving the SF90 a clean, resolved appearance that conceals its aerodynamic complexity behind beautifully executed surfaces. The SF90 is instantly recognisable as a Ferrari while being unlike any Ferrari that preceded it — a balance between heritage and forward-looking design that Ferrari's design team achieves more consistently than any other manufacturer.

The 720S's design is more overtly dramatic. Its dihedral doors with integrated front wing vents are unique in the automotive world — no other production car manages airflow through its door structure rather than around it, and the visual effect of this solution is immediately striking. The 720S's fighter-jet canopy glasshouse, its flying buttresses, and the way its body surfaces flow into each other create a visual drama that is different in character from the SF90's more refined elegance — more immediately aggressive, more openly technical.

Both designs are extraordinary achievements. The SF90 is the more elegant and more resolved of the two — a car that reveals its complexity gradually on closer inspection. The 720S is the more immediately dramatic — a car whose visual impact is apparent from across a car park. Personal preference between them is genuinely personal — there is no objectively correct answer.

Driving Character — Where They Really Differ

The driving experience is where the SF90 and 720S diverge most meaningfully — and where the choice between them becomes a matter of what kind of driver you are rather than which car is objectively better.

The SF90 is the most capable car in this comparison by most objective measures. Its all-wheel drive system — rear-wheel drive from the combustion engine, front-wheel drive from the electric motors — provides traction in all conditions that the rear-wheel-drive 720S cannot match. Its active aerodynamics provide consistent downforce management across a wider range of speeds. And its hybrid system's instant torque delivery creates a launch capability that no combustion-only car can replicate.

But the SF90's capability creates a specific driving character — one that is less immediately communicative than the 720S at the limit. The all-wheel drive traction means the car rarely approaches its grip limits in normal driving. The hybrid system's management of power delivery creates a slight layer of technology between the driver's inputs and the car's responses. The SF90 is an extraordinarily capable machine that rewards trust in its systems — but it is less adjustable, less tail-happy, and less overtly playful than the 720S when driven hard.

The 720S is the more communicative and more immediately rewarding car to drive at the limit. Its rear-wheel drive layout allows the adjustability and balance that driver-focused cars from McLaren have always offered — the ability to place the car precisely, to use the throttle to manage the car's attitude through corners, and to feel exactly what is happening at the contact patches through the steering, the chassis, and the seat. The 720S's Proactive Chassis Control hydraulic suspension is one of the most sophisticated road car suspension systems ever produced — it provides the dual character of a genuinely comfortable road car and a genuinely track-capable sports car in a single unit that no other manufacturer has replicated.

For drivers who want the most capable, most technologically sophisticated, and objectively fastest car, the SF90 makes the stronger case. For drivers who want the most communicative, most driver-focused, and most rewarding car to push to its limits, the 720S makes the stronger case.

Ownership Experience

The ownership experience of the SF90 and 720S differs in ways that are relevant to any prospective buyer.

The SF90's hybrid system creates ownership considerations that pure combustion supercars do not. The high-voltage battery pack has a finite lifespan and will eventually require replacement — a cost that needs to be factored into long-term ownership budgeting. The hybrid system's complexity means that servicing and repairs require Ferrari specialist knowledge and equipment that not all independent workshops can provide. And the SF90's technology-intensive nature means it is less easily maintained than a more mechanically conventional car.

The 720S is a more mechanically conventional supercar in ownership terms. McLaren's dealer network and specialist community have mature knowledge of the 720S platform — the car has been in production since 2017 and its maintenance requirements, common issues, and long-term ownership costs are well-understood. The 720S's hydraulic folding roof — if Spider specification — adds complexity that the hardtop coupe avoids entirely.

Both cars have relatively high running costs compared to conventional performance cars — as expected for machines of this calibre and complexity. Insurance, servicing, and tyre costs are significant for both. The SF90's hybrid system adds a layer of long-term ownership cost uncertainty that the 720S's more conventional powertrain avoids.

Aftermarket — Parts and Upgrades

The aftermarket for both cars is well-developed relative to their production volumes and price points — but the SF90's newer platform and greater mechanical complexity creates some differences in parts availability that are relevant for buyers who plan to modify their car.

The 720S has been in the market since 2017 and has an established and comprehensive aftermarket. Carbon fiber aero options, exhaust systems, suspension upgrades, and wheel choices are all widely available with validated fitment. The aftermarket knowledge around the 720S's twin-turbocharged V8 is mature — exhaust and tune packages are well-documented and the results are predictable.

The SF90's hybrid complexity creates specific challenges for the aftermarket. Exhaust modifications require hybrid-aware ECU calibration. Aero development is more demanding given the SF90's active aerodynamic architecture. And the platform's relative newness means the aftermarket is still developing around it compared to the more established 720S ecosystem.

For buyers who plan to modify their car significantly, the 720S's more mature aftermarket is a practical advantage. For buyers who want the cutting edge of factory technology and are less focused on aftermarket modification, the SF90's more limited but rapidly developing aftermarket is not a significant concern.

Browse our full McLaren 720S collection and Ferrari SF90 collection at Velocity Car Parts — all parts verified for fitment and backed by our guarantee.

Which Should You Choose?

The honest answer depends entirely on what you want from the car.

Choose the Ferrari SF90 if you want the most technologically advanced and objectively capable supercar currently available at this price point, if the hybrid powertrain's instant torque delivery and all-weather traction appeal to your driving style, and if you want a car that represents the absolute cutting edge of Ferrari's engineering ambition.

Choose the McLaren 720S if you want the most communicative, most driver-focused, and most immediately rewarding supercar to drive at the limit, if rear-wheel drive adjustability and mechanical directness are priorities, and if a more mature aftermarket and more straightforward ownership experience appeal alongside the extraordinary performance.

Both are exceptional cars. Both deserve their reputations. The choice between them is one of the most enjoyable decisions in the current supercar market — and whichever you choose, the aftermarket support to make it your own is available at velocitycarparts.shop.