What a year it’s been for electric performance cars so far! Everybody from Porsche to Jaguar has a 1000+hp car out or releasing in the very near future. So, with Ferrari and Denza two of the latest to join in the fun, we thought we’d compare the Ferrari Luce and the Denza Z in numbers.

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​Ferrari Luce​

Price: £450,000 (est)

Max WLTP range: 325 miles (523km)

Power: 1,030hp

0-62: 2.4 sec

Top speed: 193mph (310kmh)

Max charging speed: 350kW

The Ferrari Luce caused shock and awe when it was unveiled back in May. The conversations around it have somewhat quietened down as the news cycle has moved on but even still, its mere mention is enough to start an argument somewhere.

Looking at its specs alone though, there’s very little to complain about. The Luce beats even Ferrari’s own track-focused SF90 XX to 62mph with a time of just 2.4 seconds. That’s not bad considering it weighs in at a hefty 2,260kg.

That weight is, of course, overcome by a surging 1030hp that pushes the Luce on to a base Denza Z-beating top speed of 193mph (310kmh). A large 115kWh of usable capacity from an NMC battery, combined with a host of trick aerodynamics means that the Luce beats the Denza Z on distance too, with 325 miles of WLTP-rated range.

The Luce isn’t world beating in other ways though; its maximum charging speed of 350kW is adequate for today but, when the likes of BMW are already at 400kW and others even faster, it’s not what we’d consider future proof. It’s also beaten on charging by the Denza Z, but more on that later.

Then there’s the elephant in the room, the one number on the spec sheet that stands out for the wrong reason - the price. That’s around £450,000 to you. Exact UK pricing has yet to be confirmed but we expect option packages to push most Ferrari Luces ordered comfortably above half a million pounds.

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​Denza Z​

Price: £143,000

Max WLTP range: 254 miles (409km)

Power: 1,579hp

0-62: 2.25 sec

Top speed: 186mph (300kmh)

Max charging speed: 1,000kW

The Denza Z is the new kid on the block. At least to us, the Z as we know it has been heavily reworked from a car China has had for a couple of years now, marketed there as the Denza Z9. Denza as a badge is a sub-brand of BYD and sits as the sister brand of Yangwang. Yes, that once Nurburgring record holder Yangwang.

Lineage aside, the Denza Z is a very impressive piece of kit. Even the cheapest Denza Z beats the Luce in the sprint to 62mph. That takes just 2.25 seconds. If you thought that was down to weight, you’d be wrong. The Denza Z also tips the scales at over 2 tonnes, 2,250kg to be precise. 

If it’s not the weight, you may have already figured out how the Denza is so quick. That’s right, power of course! If circa 1,000hp wasn't quite enough for you, how does 1,579hp sound? Almost too much? Never. All that power is derived from a triple-motor, all wheel drive layout and can fire the Denza Z to a top speed of 186mph (300kmh).

As you may have noticed, the Denza Z isn’t quite as fast as the Ferrari Luce when it comes to all out top speed. However, the Denza does have a trick up its sleeve yet, all the numbers quoted for it so far have been for the base model.

If you step up to the Denza Z Racing, most of the numbers get a serious bump. Power jumps to 1,604hp, 0-62mph drops to 1.9 seconds and top speed? That’s now a Luce-beating 217mph (349kmh).

Range on the Denza Z is one thing that doesn’t get better when you spend more money, the base Z will cover up to 255 miles on a single charge based on the WLTP cycle. The Racing trim drops that figure down to just 236 miles.

Fear not though, because Denza has one final trick up its sleeve. Parent company BYD has passed down one of its most anticipated features to the Z - Flash charging. The Denza can charge at up to 1,000kW! That’s enough for a 10-70% charge in five minutes and a 10-97% charge in only nine!

Now the kicker, if our predicted price is correct even the most expensive Denza Z comes in at less than half the price of an option-free Ferrari Luce. That’s £172,900 for the Denza Z Racing and just £142,900 for the base Denza Z Coupe. You could buy 3 Denza Z coupes for the price of a Luce and still have enough money left over to buy a Dacia Spring for your daily driver.

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So which one should I buy?

If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford either of the two cars we’ve discussed today, firstly, congratulations! Secondly, I’d like to be your friend.

On a more serious note, the numbers game has a pretty clear winner. If you care about any spec outside of maximum range, the Denza Z is the car for you. We expect this battle to go far beyond numbers alone though.

It’s the things you can’t see on the spec sheet that will decide this fight. Take the Ferrari Luce’s Jony Ive-designed interior which makes it both a beautiful and a comfortable place to spend 325 miles. Or the Denza Z’s fancy centre console, complete with its own food compartment capable of keeping your pastries warm, or keeping your ice cream as cold as -6°C.

There’ll also be the drive to talk about so, while we wait for a chance to drive the Luce, Check out Ginny’s spin in the Denza Z Racing.​

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