The best Italian cars to buy in 2025

Fiat Grande Panda

The Fiat Grande Panda could have ended up looking like a generic Stellantis product, but instead we have a 2025 tribute to Giugiaro's 1980 original hellbent on turning itself into a one-car tribute to right angles. 'Panda' is stamped into the doors, and sprinkled around the exterior are other tributes to Fiat. All in all, it looks great.

Inside, the news is just as positive. The Grande Panda (a smaller 'Panda' model is on the way) has space for four adults, and the interior is a mix of sharp new colours – denim blue and luminous yellows – with throwback touches like the open storage bin on the passenger side of the dashboard. 

The Grande Panda isn't swift, but it's good enough in corners and surprisingly comfortable for a small EV. The Panda's 199-mile range should be perfect for the city and longer trips. As the cheapest full-sized EV on sale, you'll not find more charm for your pound anywhere else. 

Ferrari 12Cilindri

The Ferrari 12Cilindri is like Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà, a last great work for the V12 engine. The 12Cilindri's 6.5-litre V12 blows out 830PS (610kW) and 678Nm (500lb ft) of torque without the need for turbochargers as it rushes to a mesmerising 9,500rpm, all thanks to titanium conrods, alloy pistons and an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox with F1-fast changers.

Performance is as outrageous as you would expect, with 0-62mph taking 2.9seconds on the way to a top speed of over 211mph. This is an ideal car to cross continents, but it also weighs heavily towards the sporty end of the GT market with stiff suspension, powerful brakes and rear-wheel steering that works independently on each back wheel. The Ferrari is only too happy to get its tail out thanks to Side Slip Control 8.0. 

The 12Cilindri might have 30PS (22kW) up on the Superfast it replaces – and 41Nm (30lb ft) less torque – but the two cars reveal their differences in everyday driving. The 12-cylinder is the quieter and more relaxed car of the two.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

With the V8 Mercedes-AMG C63 gone, replaced by a 2.0-litre hybrid that's compromised in so many ways, there's arguably never been a better time to get your hands on an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Particularly after it's been facelifted.

The Quadrifoglio blew us away when it firrst launched in 2018, packing a free-revving 2.9-litre V6 engine with hefty punch and handling that was, for once, as good as the looks. The updated model improves in all areas. You get a fettled face, powerful matrix LED headlights, power up 10PS to 520PS (382kW) – for 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and a 191mph top speed – and tweaked suspension with a new mechanical LSD. 

Maturo Stradale

The Maturo Stradale is a restored Lancia Integrale that sings from the same hymn sheet as the Kimera EVO37, ironing out the foibles of a much-loved classic without diminishing its character.

To build it, Maturo Competition Cars (based in the Netherlands) takes a standard Delta Integrale, strengthens the shell and drops the steel body in favour of a carbon fibre replacement. The engine is also updated, ironing out known weak points with a steel head gasket, improved oil pump and stronger timing belt. New engine management means there's no need for balancer shafts, while the Garrett T3 turbo gets updated internals.

The result? A 406PS (298kW) rally raider that handles as the Integrale always should have.

Abarth 500e

It was inevitable that following the successful launch of the all-electric Fiat 500, that a spiced-up Abarth version of the brand’s compact EV would follow. This is the Abarth 500e – the first all-electric car to wear the Abarth badge – and it’s here to serve up the same urban tearabout thrills of the 595 and 695 ranges but (near) silently and emissions-free.

It’s less potent than its raucous petrol counterparts, with the electric motor system serving up 154PS (113kW), but Abarth claims it laps the Balocco test track used to develop all things in the Abarth universe quicker than the more powerful internal combustion cars.

That said, it does try to mimic the raucous soundtrack of its counterparts, with a new ‘Sound Generator’ feature reproducing an electronically composed version of the turbocharged 1.4-litre T-Jet engine. 

Ferrari 296 GTS

We’ve seen Ferrari’s stunning 120-degree 2.9-litre V6 engine coupled with hybrid power in the astonishing 296 GTB. The GTS takes that formula but removes the roof, creating the first ever convertible Ferrari-badged V6 road car.

With a thumping peak power output of 830PS (610kW) when engine and electric motor are working together in perfect harmony, Ferrari claims 0-62mph in only 2.9 seconds, and a top speed of 205mph. And thanks to the 7.45kWh on-board battery, this member of Ferrari’s ‘Spider’ lineage can drive silently on electric power only, for up to 16 miles.  

Maserati Ghibli 334 Ultima

So-called because it can hit 208mph (334km/h), the Maserati Ghibli 334 has an absurd top speed for any car, but it's particularly eye-widening in a sensible four-door saloon.

Exactly how it improves on the standard Trofeo's 203mph full whack, Maserati must not be at liberty to say. However, the 334 gets "performance" tyres, 21-inch Orione alloy wheels and a carbon fibre spoiler. Whatever the changes, the 334 gets from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, down from 3.9 in the Trofeo. Unique Scià di Persia paint and a carbon fibre body kit complete the look on the outside, while inside, you get a Senape leather interior.

To match the build numbers of the 5000 GT Scià di Persia – Maserati's first V8 sports car – just 103 Ultimas will be built.

Kimera EVO37 Martini 7

Like a remastered version of an all-time hit, the Kimera EVO37 Martini 7 is a Lancia 037 with the imperfections smoothed out and finished in a paint job that pays tribute to the original Group B rally cars.

Under its carbon-fibre body, you'll find a tubular steel chassis, with subframes welded on either side and forged double wishbone suspension held up by dual Ohlin dampers. Power comes from a new version of the 2.1-litre four-cylinder fitted to the original but with an electrically operated supercharger that doesn't scavenge energy from the motor.

The resulting 550PS (404kW) is a lot in isolation, but even more proming given the Martini's 1,100kg kerb weight. Just 37 examples of the Martini 7 will be built.

Pagani Utopia

When the company responsible for Zonda and Huayra builds a car called the Utopia, you know it will be good. The Utopia is Pagani's celebration of the internal combustion engine; there are no electric motors, no batteries and definitely no manufactured noises.

Instead, you get a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 that's good for 876PS (644kW), and while early cars got an Xtrac automatic gearbox, a seven-speed manual followed. Pagani's trademark titanium-intertwined carbon fibre tub underpins the Utopia, with CrMo alloy steel subframes and forged aluminium suspension wishbones. Braking comes from ventilated carbon-ceramic discs with six-pot front, four-pot rear brake callipers.

According to Horacio, the Utopia excels at "simplicity, lightness and the pleasure of driving" – you just need £2.2million to get your hands on one.  

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato

If you thought the Porsche 911 Dakar was as extreme as offroaders could get, you probably didn't reckon on Lamborghini building the Huracan Sterrato. Next to the standard Huracan, the Sterrato gets suspension that's raised 44mm and offers 35 per cent more wheel travel, with new bumpers that give better approach and departure angles.

Bridgestone Dueler tyres on relatively modest 19-inch wheels serve up plenty of all-terrain grip, and a roof-mounted air intake helps the engine gulp clean air on the kind of loose-surface rally stages it is designed for (while also – in the fine tradition of the brand – ruining rear visibility).

Power comes from the STO's 610PS (448kW) 5.2-litre V10 that's good for 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, and a Rally mode sends most of the AWD's power to the rear wheels for lairy handling.

Maserati MC20 Cielo

The Maserati MC20 Cielo, with its folding hard top roof that drops in 12 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph, brings a level of interaction absent in the surprisingly mild-mannered hard top. 

Power comes from the same twin-turbocharged 630PS (463kW) 3.0-litre V6 fitted to the coupé, which gets the Cielo – which weighs an extra 65kg thanks to its use of thicker carbon fibre tub – from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and onto a top speed 199mph.

Despite the performance on offer, the Cielo is a mild-mannered supercar that gives you the confidence to push it to its limit, while a comfortable ride and decent roof-down refinement mean it could double as a GT.