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Ferrari 488, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

1,449 Ferrari 488s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 96% of initial MOT tests, 23.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific 488? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Ferrari 488 at the MOT

96% of 1,642 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 488 2nd of 575 models. Ferrari 488s aged 3 to 5 years passed 96.7% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 95.8%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Ferrari 48896%
  • All Ferrari modelsThe 488 is 1.1 pts ahead94.9%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Ferrari 488 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years392 tests96.7%
  • 6 to 10 years1,250 tests95.8%

Where 488s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Ferrari 488 tests in 2025.

  • Identification of the vehicle49.4%
  • Tyres18.4%
  • Visibility17.2%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment9.2%
  • Suspension3.5%

The items testers recorded most often were registration plates missing (31%), registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements (13.8%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (12.6%).

The MOT page lists every common 488 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Ferrari 488 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The 488's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Identification of the vehicle

    Match the number plates and VIN to the V5C logbook, and check the plates are legal.49.4% of 488 failure items

  2. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.18.4% of 488 failure items

  3. Visibility

    Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.17.2% of 488 failure items

Ferrari 488s in the UK

1,449 were licensed at the end of June 2026, more than any other Ferrari. The number licensed has grown 313% since the end of 2016, although it peaked at 1,522 at the end of 2020.

Change since 2016
+313%from 351 licensed
Typical year of first use
2018half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2018 or earlier
First registered in 2025
2against 487 in 2017
Declared off the road
32318% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Ferrari 488s since 2015

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201523
End of 2016351
End of 2017753
End of 20181,116
End of 20191,379
End of 20201,522
End of 20211,490
End of 20221,383
End of 20231,302
End of 20241,268
End of 20251,274
End of June 20261,449

How old they are

Licensed Ferrari 488s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 8 were first used before 2016.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2021724
2020143312
2019219373
2018349487
2017328487
2016208358

488 engine sizes

3.9 litre engines made up 100% of Ferrari 488 MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed 488s.

Ferrari 488 recalls

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Ferrari 488. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every 488 is affected.

  1. Feb 2022 R/2022/066

    The cap of the brake oil reservoir may not be able to ensure proper ventilation to maintain the atmospheric pressure inside the reservoir

    488s built Feb 2005 to Jul 2022 · 11,642 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The cap of the brake oil reservoir may not be able to ensure proper ventilation to maintain the atmospheric pressure inside the reservoir itself.
    Remedy
    Replacement of the brake oil reservoir cap and software update of the Instrument Panel Node.

  2. Jun 2019 R/2019/188

    A possible non- conformity of the air bag and the seat belt pretensioners electronic control unit

    488s built Jul 2015 to Jun 2018 · 224 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Non-conformity of the air bag and seatbelt pre-tensioner ECU.
    Remedy
    Replacement of the ECU

  3. Feb 2019 R/2019/072

    Manufacturing fault with fuel vapour separator

    488s built Oct 2017 to Oct 2018 · 7,225 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Manufacturing fault with the fuel vapour separator could result in fire.
    Remedy
    Replace fuel vapour separator.

  4. Mar 2018 R/2018/080

    Dash warning light may fail to warn driver when brake discs are worn and cause damage to discs

    488s built Jan 2015 to Nov 2015 · 516 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The software algorithm that calculates the percentage value of wear on the carbo-ceramic brake discs of the vehicle may not function properly due to a software bug which under certain specific conditions may cause a reset of the wear value estimated by the software. The risk is that the critical threshold of wear of the brake discs is reached without the relevant warning lamp and message being shown to the driver. If such a condition occurs the worst case scenario could be damage to the brake discs with increased risk of an accident.
    Remedy
    Update of software for the instrument panel node.

  5. May 2016 R/2016/115

    Airbag may not deploy correctly

    488s built May 2008 to May 2018 · 24,798 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to a non conformity during production the passenger's front air bag inflator may rupture during deployment. This may cause metal fragments to pass through the air bag and into the vehicle interior at high speed which may result in injury or death to vehicle occupants.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace passenger's front air bag.

  6. Dec 2015 R/2015/250

    Fire may occur

    488s built Sep 2015 to Nov 2015 · 12 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    As a result of a possible nonconformity in the production process for low pressure fuel pipes on a limited lot of components fuel may evaporate during engine start-up smoke may be emitted and in exceptional cases the vehicle may catch fire.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the low pressure fuel pipe.
How to check a specific 488 for recalls

Other Ferrari models

The most-tested Ferrari models in 2025, against the 488's 96% MOT pass rate.

All 3 Ferrari models

Ferrari 488 FAQs

How many Ferrari 488s are there in the UK?

1,449 Ferrari 488s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 323 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Ferrari 488 reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 96% first-time pass rate for the Ferrari 488 across 1,642 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Ferrari 488 had any recalls?

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Ferrari 488. The most recent was published in February 2022. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Ferrari 488?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: identification of the vehicle, tyres and visibility. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Ferrari 488's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a 488?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the car history check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.