Search

    Select Website Language

    GDPR Compliance

    We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

    The classic cars MAKING money right now: The brands that saw the greatest value increases in the last 12 months

    1 month ago

    5

    0

    👍 ❤️ 😂 😮 😢 😡

    By JOHN MAYHEAD and ROB HULL, MOTORING EDITOR Buying a classic car is typically an act of passion. Whether it’s purchasing a model that brings back fond memories from your past, getting your hands on a motor that exceeded your budget decades ago, or just achieving a life-long dream of owning a car that you’ve always lusted after, classic vehicles tend to be an acquisition of the heart. Yet, they can also make sound investments, if you put your money in the right place at the right time. This does come with some risk, especially in recent years after the classic car market boom has eased and prices have started to settle – and in some cases contract. In fact, Hagerty – one of the country’s leading vintage car insurers – says there has been very little in terms of upward movement in classic vehicle values in the last 12 months. John Mayhead, editor of the insurer’s Price Guide, says just 20 per cent of the 3,000 different classic models it has tracked during 2025 have increased in value. 'The boom times of the post-Covid era for the classic car market are now firmly over,' he says. 'Buyers are being much more careful with their money and, as a consequence, nearly 80 per cent of values have either dropped or remained static. That said, delve a little deeper and certain areas emerge as hotspots, both up and down.' This is the list of the top ten classic car brands that added the most value in the last year - and it's a real mix of ultra-affordable options to million-pound rare motors that collectors are scrambling over one another to own. Models on the rise: MR2, Supra A70, Celica John says the Mk3 MR2 is a Toyota appreciating in value right now, with prices increasing a modest 22% in 2025 Toyota may be lowest in our list, but some of its models increased spectacularly in 2025, with the MR2 Mk III (W30) up 22 per cent (£4,604 to £5,600) and the Supra A70, MR2 Mk I and II, and various Celica models also up. But as the values of these cars are relatively low, the rises were also small – most just a few hundred pounds – and were almost cancelled out by drops from the Supra A80 and the RAV4 SUV. Models on the rise: 9000 The Saab 900 2.3t Ecopower saloon and hatchback rose in value by 12% last year - though that's the equivalent to a £300 jump in value Hagerty tracks the Sonnet, the 95, 96, 900 and 9000 models of Saab and all remained static except various 9000 editions. The biggest risers were the 9000 2.3t Ecopower saloon and hatchback, up 12 per cent, although that was a real-world increase of just £300, up from £2,500 to £2,800. Saabs are unusual. Models on the rise: Countach, Diablo It's not particularly surprising that older Lamborghinis are rising in value - but that's not the case for all of them. While models like the Countach (pictured) are seeing big increases, other classics are going in the opposite direction The changes in value of some of the Lamborghini models tracked in the Hagerty Price Guide are a major sign of the varying fortunes of models in a volatile market at the moment. While the Countach Anniversary has risen a massive £221,000 to £557,000, Countach 5000 QV is up £187,000 to £526,000 and the Diablo rose with the VT and SV models up 10 per cent, other Lambos really struggled this year. The early 350GT and 400 GT were down, as was the Islero and Gallardo values slipped by 10 per cent, although they are likely to start climbing soon as the model becomes established as a modern classic. At the moment, an ‘excellent’ standard Gallardo Spider is valued at £54,600, less than a new Tesla Model Y Performance. Models on the rise: Floride, 5 GT, Clio Williams, Clio V6 The biggest classic Renault price riser is the Floride (pictured), which performed better in terms of value percentage gains than Renault modern-era hot hatches from the 1980s through to the 2000s With values increasing from £12,000 to £14,000, the 1958 to 1968 Floride (Caravelle) was the biggest riser in the Hagerty Price Guide’s Renault models, thanks to some strong sales. More modern Renaults also increased, especially the hot hatchbacks: the Clio Williams, 5 GT Turbo and Clio V6 were also up. Overall, the movement across the brand was just a fraction above Lamborghini. Models on the rise: Cobra Daytona Shelby Cobras are categorised under the AC brand, so the one riser more than compensated for the other falls: the Cobra Daytona Coupe (pictured) This is a strange one, as 14 of the 24 AC models tracked by Hagerty fell in value over the period and only one rose. Some – the Aceca, Greyhound and Ace models – fell by double digit figures. However, in the UK Hagerty Price Guide, Shelby Cobras are categorised under the AC brand, so the one riser more than compensated for the other falls: the Cobra Daytona Coupe rose by £1.4million to £24.2million following insurance activity in the US. Models on the rise: Aurelia B24 Spider, Stratos Values of the Lancia B24 Spider America have been pushed higher by a recent sale of an example in London - though it typically hasn't been a popular vehicle among UK collectors Just eight of the 82 Lancia models covered in the Price Guide rose this year, but they included two big hitters: the Aurelia B24 Spider America, up £151,000 to £894,000 and the Stratos HF Stradale, up from £507,000 to £560,000. For years, the Aurelia B24 Spider had not been as popular with buyers here in the UK and failed to match the prices, sometimes in excess of $1million, that had been paid in the US. In November, a right-hand drive example (generally a harder sell than the left-hand drive) was sold by RM Sotheby’s in London for £426,875, pushing values upwards. Models on the rise: 260Z, 280Z While most would think its the renowned 240Z that would be the biggest Datsun price risers, it's in fact the 260Z (pictured) and 280Z that performed best in 2025 The Price Guide tracks eight Datsun models, with 260Z and 280Z rising, but with a slight £300 correction downwards for the renowned 240Z. Convertible (and rare) Fairlady models remained static. Overall, the models showed an increase that was a shade above that of Lancias in percentage terms. Models on the rise: DeVille Panther prices were pushed higher by an auction sale of a rare DeVille in France last year All Panther bodies combine powerful engines with idiosyncratic bodies but for many, it’s the Panther DeVille that is the most well-known.  A starring role in both Disney’s 1996 movie 101 Dalmatians and 2021 sequel Cruella brought the car to many people’s attention, but it was an auction result in March 2025 by Osenat in France that caught Hagerty’s eye: an ex-Johnny Hallyday DeVille sold three times its estimate for €158,400. Although that price is very unlikely to be repeated here due to the effect of Hallyday’s fame in France, it helped to nudge DeVille prices up by 10 per cent, the 5.4-litre convertible up from £60,700 to £66,800. Models on the rise: 300SL Gullwing, McLaren SLR 72225 Roadster For Mercedes, the two major risers are very expensive and rate models: the alloy-bodied version of the 300SL Gullwing (pictured), up £1.2million to £6.6million, and the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722S Roadster, up £58,000 to £619,000 Some 67 different models of Mercedes-Benz are tracked by Hagerty, of which 24 rose in price in 2025, However, 27 fell and the remainder stayed static. Two major risers were the ultra-rare alloy-bodied version of the 300SL Gullwing, up £1.2million to £6.6million and the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722S Roadster, up £58,000 to £619,000. Just 29 examples of the 300SL were built with alloy bodies, and a few have been auctioned in the recent past, including one in need of total restoration that fetched $9.35million in Los Angeles in 2023, but this year’s value change was prompted by insurance activity. Models on the rise: 203, 204, 205 GTI, 205 T16, 404 Peugeot was the car brand seeing the biggest rise in UK classic values in 2025, helped significantly by high-profile sales of the rare 205 T16 rally homologation special (pictured) Seven of the 19 Peugeot models tracked by the Hagerty Price Guide rose in the last year, with the legendary 205 T16 hitting the top spot with a massive 15 per cent rise. The mid-engined pocket rocket, built as the homologation model for entry into Group B rallying, increased from £171,000 to £196,000. But not all gains were for such top models: the lowly 404 saloon was up 12 per cent, up from £8,100 to £9,100. The 203, 204, 504 also gained, and the epic Peugeot 206 GTI 1.6 continued its rise, although the 1 per cent gain was much less than previous years.
    Click here to Read More
    • Share:
    Peugeot e-3008 Dual Motor: Is it worth paying over £50k for a Peugeot EV?
    Previous Article
    Peugeot e-3008 Dual Motor: Is it worth paying over £50k for a Peugeot EV?
    Next Article
    Alpine A390 takes aim at Porsche Macan EV, BMW iX3 and more with prices from £61,390
    Alpine A390 takes aim at Porsche Macan EV, BMW iX3 and more with prices from £61,390

    Related UK News Updates:

    Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

    Comments (0)

      Leave a comment

      Send