Now that we’ve crossed into the second half of 2025, it’s a good time to reflect on the classic and exotic car sales we’ve seen so far this year—and take a closer look at the trends shaping the market.
H1 2025 auctions look healthy but calm: dollar volume rose 4% to $2.3B, driven by a higher number of cars sold, while average prices held steady around $60K and sell-through improved to 70%—a clear sign of a stable, confidence-driven market heading into the major Q3 sales.
Compared to the same period in 2024, we’re entering Q3 with firmer sell-through rates and stable pricing, suggesting the market is finding its footing. The consistency in sales and pricing points to a continued post-pandemic normalization, with buyers and sellers increasingly aligned.
Strong & Steady: 2025 Is On Track to Set Records Across All Metrics — Despite a Leaner Catalog
Auction activity in the first half of 2025 edged higher without relying on price inflation: dollar volume grew 4% to $2.3 billion even as the average transaction price held flat at about $60k, marking a third straight year of pricing stability.
The gain came from a 4% jump in sold listings (38,280) achieved on a slightly leaner catalog—total listings slipped 1% to 54,354—pushing the sell-through rate up three points to a post-2021 high of 70%.
Two prominent headline sales totaling $89 million provided buzz but didn’t distort the broader picture: this market’s momentum is coming from volume and tighter reserves, not from another wave of soaring prices, setting a steady foundation as we head into the high-profile Q3 auction season.
#1 in 2025 / #2 in history
#2 in 2025 / #6 in history
Value Tiers
There’s, more to say beyond the overall activity. By breaking down activity across key value tiers—Over $1M, $500K–$1M, $100K–$500K, $50K–$100K, and Under $50K—we can better understand where momentum is building, slowing, or holding steady. Each tier tells a different story, and by examining them in isolation, we gain a much clearer picture of the market.
Under $50K
Entry-level classics kept the market moving in H1 2025, with buyers spending $550 million on nearly 28,000 sub-$50k cars—setting new records for both volume and units sold despite a smaller catalog. Average prices held steady around $19–20k, but a three-point rise in sell-through to 68% shows that aligned expectations, not rising prices, are fueling the action. With two-thirds of sales now online and live events still delivering solid results, the sub-$50k tier remains the collector-car market’s busiest and most liquid segment.
Between $50-$100K
In H1 2025, the $50–100k bracket proved that momentum comes from volume, not price jumps. Dollar volume hit a new high even as catalogs shrank, thanks to a rebound in sell-through to 75% and steady average prices around $71k. The biggest cash gains came from early-season live events, but it was online platforms that quietly moved the most cars overall. With more realistic reserves and strong digital traction, this tier is emerging as one of the market’s most liquid sweet spot heading into Monterey.
Between $100K-500K
Middle-market momentum is real: in H1 2025, cars hammered Middle-market momentum is real: In H1 2025, $100k–$500k cars hit record dollar volume despite smaller catalogs. Over 4,000 sales and a near-80% STR show strong, steady demand. Realistic pricing met eager bidders, making this tier’s liquidity the best since the pandemic boom.
Between $500K-1M
Liquidity in the $500 K–$1 M bracket just set a five-year high: dollar volume and sold listings both surpassed the 2023 peak on 22 % more inventory, yet the average price edged up only 1 %. One-third of the 227 cars sold—and every net new sale—moved online, with digital platforms nearly doubling both unit count and dollar volume. With Monterey still to come, this tier seems poised to close 2025 at its strongest level in half a decade.
Over $1M
A single $53 M hammer kept the $1 M-plus tier in growth mode for H1 2025—dollar volume rose 6 % while sell-through slipped to 73 %. Most of the money (61 %) came from smaller, non-marquee live sales, and online platforms quietly doubled their seven-figure results to $41 M. Big headlines still sway totals, but thinner catalogues and pickier bidding point to a selective market heading into Monterey.
Top Sales in 2025 so far
Solidifying the dominance of live auctions in the top-end of the market, every one of the Top 10 sales so far this year has taken place at live auction. Notably, RM Sotheby’s leads the pack, accounting for 6 out of these 10 top transactions. Following is Broad Arrow with 2 sales, Gooding with 1 and Mecum with the last one to complete 10.
All but one of the Top 10 Sales were produced before 1970. And, all of these 10 sales are either race cars or road going versions of a race car. In contrast, when we look at the top online auctions, these are all road cars produced within the past 10 years (with exception of the Singer which is a 1991, but in reality is a modern interpretation of a 90’s car).
#1 Online / #30 Overall
#2 Online / #33 Overall
#3 Online / #35 Overall
Records are still being set across all value tiers.
Apart from multi-million-dollar Top Sales, records are being broken across all market segments. Below is a list of records set in individual markets in the first half of 2025, ranked by the largest percentage increase from their previous high sale.
What’s Next in the second half of 2025?
By no means do we have a crystal ball, but what we do know is:
Online auctions continue to play a pivotal role in the auction landscape. Even though their growth in terms of listings offered has halted, they are still bringing growth in strategic value tiers they had a smaller role in before.
Despite market stabilization, there is still room to invest in the industry and get reasonable returns. Just by looking at the list below, you’ll find all kinds of “flips”: restorations, race cars, auctions, etc.
The market is so large and diverse, we believe there are always plenty of opportunities for both buyers and sellers. To help power those decisions and find those opportunities is one of the reasons we exist. Navigating the specialty/exotic/classic car market is hard, but we’re here to make it easier for you, especially now that we centralize market information from the auction world together with inventory from more than 500 dealers!
It seems like its more complicated than ever to buy and/or sell a classic, exotic, or collector car, but the reality is that its easier than ever and we can help. Check out the lists with more than 400 listings that are live right now!
Should you sell it at auction or dealer? If an auction, which kind – online or offline? And which venue? If you decide to sell through a dealer, how do you know if they are trustworthy and that you are getting a fair price? While we don’t have all the answers (yet), you can start by:
- Following the Market for the cars you are interested in on our website
- Tracking comps for your favorite cars in your Garage
- Selling your classic or exotic car with CLASSIC.COM
*The CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark (CMB) is a benchmark value for vehicles in a given Market based on data accumulated by CLASSIC.COM and calculated by a proprietary algorithm that takes into account volume and recency of each data point. CMB can be used to assess the performance of a market over a given time period. However, it does not represent the value of a specific vehicle.
** A Market on CLASSIC.COM is a grouping of comparable vehicles that have, at a minimum, the same Make, Model, and Model Generation. When relevant for purposes of valuation, a Market may be further segmented by Model Variant, Trim, Transmission Type, Body Style, and other factors.