The 2025 collector car market set a new sales record but also highlighted how selective buyers have become about collector car value and car auction performance. Clear signals in the data show a market that is strong overall but very different from the 2021 – 2022 boom years.
2025 Collector Car Market Overview
The global collector car market reached about $4.8 billion in combined auction and online sales in 2025, up roughly 10% from 2024. That makes 2025 the strongest year on record for transaction volume, even though price appreciation has clearly cooled.
Analysts now describe the collector car market as “stable but forever changed,” with pricing closer to pre‑pandemic norms and far less speculative heat than in 2021 – 2022. Hagerty’s Market Rating hovered in the high‑50s to low‑60s for most of the year, right around the “flat market” line rather than the expansion zone seen during the peak.
Collector Car Value Trends in 2025
Collector car values softened on average, even as top-tier cars continued to post strong results. One detailed study estimates global collector car values were down about 11% in 2025, with classic segments off by roughly 8.7% and U.S. prices down about 9%.
That average masks wide variation. Many older American classics and some European icons saw double‑digit percentage declines, including mid‑1960s Mustangs and similar staples of the U.S. collector car market. At the same time, post‑1980s modern classics and RADwood‑era cars often held value or gained, especially clean, low‑mile examples with strong Gen Z and Millennial demand.
Buyers focused sharply on condition. Price guide data show well‑kept, original‑spec and low‑mileage cars outperforming project cars and driver‑quality examples, widening the value gap between “excellent” and merely “good.” For collectors tracking long‑term collector car value, this reinforces that quality and documentation matter more than ever.
Car Auction Performance and Sales Channels
Car auction performance in 2025 was strong in terms of dollars and volume, even as median prices slipped. Traditional live auctions posted healthy attendance and “spirited bidding,” with many high‑profile auctions described as successful and competitive.
At the same time, online car auction performance continued to gain share. Mid‑year reports highlight that online platforms were moving more units than ever and increasingly handling mid‑ and high‑five‑figure collector car sales. Online auction growth has helped push total collector car market sales higher, even as some price indices cooled.
Even with the dramatic increase in online sales, it’s clear that headline auction events still matter. Monterey and other major weeks delivered hundreds of millions in sales, with dozens of million‑dollar‑plus results and new records at the very top of the market. However, beneath those headlines, median hammer prices and sell‑through rates show that buyers are more cautious and often skip over average cars, especially in softer segments like traditional American muscle and some older European GTs.
Segment Winners and Losers in the Collector Car Market
Segments gaining collector car value:
- Post‑1980s modern classics, including 1990s and 2000s performance cars and limited‑production specials.
- Japanese and JDM models benefiting from the 25‑year import rule and strong youth interest.
- Trucks and SUVs, especially vintage 4x4s and tastefully modified or extremely detailed restomod builds.
Segments losing collector car value:
- Many American classics and muscle cars that depended on Boomer nostalgia, especially common configurations.
- Some traditional European classics (certain Jaguars, Aston Martins, and similar cars) that ran hard during the pandemic and then corrected.
The net effect is a collector car market where “what’s hot” is newer than ever. Bull‑market lists and investment guides for 2025 lean heavily toward 1980s – 2000s models, and away from the pre‑1970s machinery that dominated collector car value rankings a decade ago.
Generational Shifts Behind Collector Car Value
Generational trends are reshaping both the collector car market and car auction performance. Baby Boomers still control a large share of existing collections, but Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z now drive much of the new demand and online bidding activity.
Younger buyers focus on cars they grew up with: 1980s – 2000s imports, analog supercars, JDM heroes, and modern classics that are usable and easy to live with. They are also more comfortable buying through digital platforms, which reinforces the growing importance of online car auction performance in total market metrics.
For anyone serious about collector car value, that demographic shift is critical. As older collectors sell or thin their garages, the long‑term upside increasingly follows the tastes of Gen X and younger buyers, not yesterday’s blue‑chip segments. It has the making of a very exciting 2026 collector car auction season with one significant sale underway right now and several others set to occur before the end of the month.