HV Battery State of Health (SoH) - what to ask before buying
Discussion
I am in the market to buy a pre-owned Ferrari Approved 296. I have visited eight UK authorized Ferrari Dealerships. After viewing over a dozen cars, I always ask the dealer to show me the State of Health (SoH) of the high-voltage (HV) battery. The HV lithium batteries degrade faster at first and then the degradation slows down all else being equal. I looked at cars that were 2-3 years old, all with 2-5k miles. The range of SoH was surprising. They range from 69% to nearly 100%. Many are in the 70s.
A low SoH means the cars EV-only range is reduced. It also means that the electric motor's ability to sustain peak horsepower output is reduced. A 70% car and a 100% car will both put out approximately the same peak bhp. However, the 100% SoH car will be able to sustain that peak horsepower for a longer period of time.
Ferrari’s hybrid batteries suffer greater stress than those in regular EVs or mainstream hybrids. The high performance hybrids constantly quickly deplete and then re-charge their HV battery. They also experience much higher temperatures when installed near high revving ICE. These all contribute to battery degradation.
Matters are made worse by cars being left for extended periods in storage. Also, improper care like leaving the car unplugged for extended periods of time or allowing the battery to reach very low charge status can accelerate degradation.
The battery’s SoH is something the BMS calculates rather than measures directly. It uses patterns from charging and discharging, voltage behavior, and temperature to come up with an estimate. Because of that, it’s normal to see small differences between different apps or even between checks done at different times.
So what level should a Ferrari 296 HV battery show? The simple answer is there is no magic number. Some argue that 70% is the point when a Ferrari dealer would consider replacing it if under warranty. However, simply having a SoH of 70% will not get your HV battery replaced unless it has a history of error codes and malfunctioning. A HV battery in the 90s SoH will show very little degradation and will seem good as new to the driver. SoH's in the 80's will show a small decrease in EV range and have a minor reduction in sustained full-power delivery. SoH in the 70s and the EV range is further reduced and hybrid boost is reduced.
As part of the Ferrari Approved inspection, all Ferrari dealers will check the SoH of both the HV and LV batteries. If the car has not yet gone thru Ferrari Approved inspection, a technician can sit in the car with his laptop and get the number in the showroom in less than five minutes.
My advice to buying any high performance hybrid (not just Ferrari) is to ask for the State of Health of the hybrid lithium battery before you buy the car.
Good luck!
A low SoH means the cars EV-only range is reduced. It also means that the electric motor's ability to sustain peak horsepower output is reduced. A 70% car and a 100% car will both put out approximately the same peak bhp. However, the 100% SoH car will be able to sustain that peak horsepower for a longer period of time.
Ferrari’s hybrid batteries suffer greater stress than those in regular EVs or mainstream hybrids. The high performance hybrids constantly quickly deplete and then re-charge their HV battery. They also experience much higher temperatures when installed near high revving ICE. These all contribute to battery degradation.
Matters are made worse by cars being left for extended periods in storage. Also, improper care like leaving the car unplugged for extended periods of time or allowing the battery to reach very low charge status can accelerate degradation.
The battery’s SoH is something the BMS calculates rather than measures directly. It uses patterns from charging and discharging, voltage behavior, and temperature to come up with an estimate. Because of that, it’s normal to see small differences between different apps or even between checks done at different times.
So what level should a Ferrari 296 HV battery show? The simple answer is there is no magic number. Some argue that 70% is the point when a Ferrari dealer would consider replacing it if under warranty. However, simply having a SoH of 70% will not get your HV battery replaced unless it has a history of error codes and malfunctioning. A HV battery in the 90s SoH will show very little degradation and will seem good as new to the driver. SoH's in the 80's will show a small decrease in EV range and have a minor reduction in sustained full-power delivery. SoH in the 70s and the EV range is further reduced and hybrid boost is reduced.
As part of the Ferrari Approved inspection, all Ferrari dealers will check the SoH of both the HV and LV batteries. If the car has not yet gone thru Ferrari Approved inspection, a technician can sit in the car with his laptop and get the number in the showroom in less than five minutes.
My advice to buying any high performance hybrid (not just Ferrari) is to ask for the State of Health of the hybrid lithium battery before you buy the car.
Good luck!
Really interesting stuff, thank you.
When I was considering a 296 earlier in the year had briefer discussions around this with my usual dealer.
They admitted that one of the problems is keeping the cars on the conditioner all of the time, means the HV battery is sitting fully charged for long periods of time, leading to degradation. It’s one of the reasons they say that my Taycan should not be charged to 100% unless going to be used within the next 24-48 hours. Supposedly the conditioner doesn’t really cycle the HV battery so I’ve no idea what the answer is other than make sure you put a lot of regular miles on the car.
Also why all approved cars will see a battery replacement at year 7 as long as the warranty has been maintained.
Just too much uncertainty for me despite it being such a capable car.
I’m sure the tech will get better on later models.
When I was considering a 296 earlier in the year had briefer discussions around this with my usual dealer.
They admitted that one of the problems is keeping the cars on the conditioner all of the time, means the HV battery is sitting fully charged for long periods of time, leading to degradation. It’s one of the reasons they say that my Taycan should not be charged to 100% unless going to be used within the next 24-48 hours. Supposedly the conditioner doesn’t really cycle the HV battery so I’ve no idea what the answer is other than make sure you put a lot of regular miles on the car.
Also why all approved cars will see a battery replacement at year 7 as long as the warranty has been maintained.
Just too much uncertainty for me despite it being such a capable car.
I’m sure the tech will get better on later models.
garystoybox said:
Really interesting stuff, thank you.
When I was considering a 296 earlier in the year had briefer discussions around this with my usual dealer.
They admitted that one of the problems is keeping the cars on the conditioner all of the time, means the HV battery is sitting fully charged for long periods of time, leading to degradation. It s one of the reasons they say that my Taycan should not be charged to 100% unless going to be used within the next 24-48 hours. Supposedly the conditioner doesn t really cycle the HV battery so I ve no idea what the answer is other than make sure you put a lot of regular miles on the car.
Also why all approved cars will see a battery replacement at year 7 as long as the warranty has been maintained.
Just too much uncertainty for me despite it being such a capable car.
I m sure the tech will get better on later models.
You raise an excellent point. HV batteries should not sit for an extended period at 100% charge. However, the Ferrari system does not allow you to select 80% or 85% unfortunately. The ideal thing would be to put the car away at 80% or so, and then only plug it in when it is like 70-75% and top it up to 80's again. The reality is few people are going to do that.When I was considering a 296 earlier in the year had briefer discussions around this with my usual dealer.
They admitted that one of the problems is keeping the cars on the conditioner all of the time, means the HV battery is sitting fully charged for long periods of time, leading to degradation. It s one of the reasons they say that my Taycan should not be charged to 100% unless going to be used within the next 24-48 hours. Supposedly the conditioner doesn t really cycle the HV battery so I ve no idea what the answer is other than make sure you put a lot of regular miles on the car.
Also why all approved cars will see a battery replacement at year 7 as long as the warranty has been maintained.
Just too much uncertainty for me despite it being such a capable car.
I m sure the tech will get better on later models.
Also, I was speaking to the manager of pre-owned vehicles at a Ferrari Dealer. He explained to me that even if a 296 is kept under continuous warranty, the HV battery is not automatically replaced when it's eight years old. He said that when the battery is eight years old, Ferrari will inspect it and if they determine that the battery is functioning to their satisfaction, then they will not automatically replace it. I asked if he was sure of that and he claims that comes directly from Ferrari Corporate. Now the reality is that by year eight most of these batteries will be in poor condition.
There is a new document/video which has appeared in the My Ferrari app and which I received by email which recommends that the car be set in maintenance mode keeping the battery at about 70% when not being used for a while. Mine has reset itself to maintenance mode after a couple of weeks on the charger (just checked, now at 74% and in maintenance).
I will be making sure to make this change manually any time I know it will be a few weeks before it is driven again.
I will be making sure to make this change manually any time I know it will be a few weeks before it is driven again.
MingtheMerciless said:
There is a new document/video which has appeared in the My Ferrari app and which I received by email which recommends that the car be set in maintenance mode keeping the battery at about 70% when not being used for a while. Mine has reset itself to maintenance mode after a couple of weeks on the charger (just checked, now at 74% and in maintenance).
I will be making sure to make this change manually any time I know it will be a few weeks before it is driven again.
Thanks for sharing that — really useful info. What you’re describing actually lines up with what a few owners have started noticing: the 296 seems to recognise when it’s been sitting unused for an extended period and then automatically drops itself into a lower‑SOC “maintenance” state. Seeing yours settle around 70–75% after a couple of weeks fits that pattern exactly.I will be making sure to make this change manually any time I know it will be a few weeks before it is driven again.
It also makes sense from a battery‑health perspective. Across EVs and hybrids, long‑term storage at 100% is known to accelerate degradation, so Ferrari shifting the logic to maintain the pack around ~70% is consistent with best practice. Given the wide SoH spread we’ve all seen on different cars, this kind of update would help standardise things going forward.
I’ll keep an eye out for the document/video you mentioned in the MyFerrari app — sounds like Ferrari is quietly refining the battery‑management behaviour through software updates. Good to see them taking steps to optimise how these cars are stored when they’re not being driven.
Ferrari has pushed out new guidance via the Ferrari Connect App. The latest campaign relates to battery maintenance.
There is still an inherent sensitivity of the charger to fluctuation on the domestic electrical supply. So they now advise not to trust the blue flashing light but check the charging status is the car as well.
What is the view of putting a UPS on the charger circuit. Would Ferrari ever approve one or at least a UPS specification ?
There is still an inherent sensitivity of the charger to fluctuation on the domestic electrical supply. So they now advise not to trust the blue flashing light but check the charging status is the car as well.
What is the view of putting a UPS on the charger circuit. Would Ferrari ever approve one or at least a UPS specification ?
Same set of errors as me. Dick Lovett queried the warranty on the 12V Battery today with Ferrari. It is only covered if you do a minimum number of miles per year, I think it is 6K pa? How crazy is that. I have asked for the details of Customer Services Ferrari North Europe, two other mates with 296's have had their LV battery go in the past 2-3 weeks. It looks like there are more out there.
You need to act promptly if you get the Hybrid Error, the charger will now not charge the 12V battery (even if the light is flashing), the system will drain down and create even more problems. Ferrari Recovery use local 3rd party recovery teams that are not guaranteed to have any experience. The chap who collected my car had never collected a 296 before. If you lose the 12V battery you enter with the metal key very cautiously, the gearbox release tool is in the frunk, however you will not be able to release the parking brake, you need to be careful with the door window, or you will damage the car or smash the glass.
You need to act promptly if you get the Hybrid Error, the charger will now not charge the 12V battery (even if the light is flashing), the system will drain down and create even more problems. Ferrari Recovery use local 3rd party recovery teams that are not guaranteed to have any experience. The chap who collected my car had never collected a 296 before. If you lose the 12V battery you enter with the metal key very cautiously, the gearbox release tool is in the frunk, however you will not be able to release the parking brake, you need to be careful with the door window, or you will damage the car or smash the glass.
oharedm said:
Same set of errors as me. Dick Lovett queried the warranty on the 12V Battery today with Ferrari. It is only covered if you do a minimum number of miles per year, I think it is 6K pa? How crazy is that. I have asked for the details of Customer Services Ferrari North Europe, two other mates with 296's have had their LV battery go in the past 2-3 weeks. It looks like there are more out there.
You need to act promptly if you get the Hybrid Error, the charger will now not charge the 12V battery (even if the light is flashing), the system will drain down and create even more problems. Ferrari Recovery use local 3rd party recovery teams that are not guaranteed to have any experience. The chap who collected my car had never collected a 296 before. If you lose the 12V battery you enter with the metal key very cautiously, the gearbox release tool is in the frunk, however you will not be able to release the parking brake, you need to be careful with the door window, or you will damage the car or smash the glass.
I’ve had a few warnings pop up, I just stop the car, get out, lock it then get back in and alls fine but when the above comes up, the car won’t start, the 12 volt side still works but it s a recovery job…….its happened twice now, just as I’ve arranged to go on a run…….it won’t happen a third time, it’s parked up at the main dealer waiting for it to be rejected and it’s parked outside, because they are not allowed to leave them inside overnight 😱You need to act promptly if you get the Hybrid Error, the charger will now not charge the 12V battery (even if the light is flashing), the system will drain down and create even more problems. Ferrari Recovery use local 3rd party recovery teams that are not guaranteed to have any experience. The chap who collected my car had never collected a 296 before. If you lose the 12V battery you enter with the metal key very cautiously, the gearbox release tool is in the frunk, however you will not be able to release the parking brake, you need to be careful with the door window, or you will damage the car or smash the glass.
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