Liquidity hit a new high in the $500K–$1M tier during the first half of 2025. Both dollar volume and the number of cars sold reached five-year highs, edging past the previous peak set in 2023. Prices stayed healthy but grounded—up just 1% on average—which suggests sellers are being realistic and buyers are still focused on value.
We looked at 51 individual markets that fall squarely in the $500K to $1M range, and the biggest gains came from cars that hit a sweet spot: they’re rare, but still usable. Think 1960s Italian and British GTs like the Dino 206 GT or Ferrari 365 GTC, along with low-production modern exotics like the SLR McLaren Edition, Aventador SVJ Roadster, and Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta. These are cars that people want to drive, not just park – and there aren’t many of them to go around. In fact, half of the top movers only sold once or twice in the first half of the year, and in a thin market like this, one strong sale can reset the entire benchmark.
On the other side of the ledger, it’s a familiar story: cars with big running costs, niche appeal, or too much supply are struggling. That includes blue-chip 1950s classics, track-only specials like the Ferrari F430 GTC or Ford GT Mk II, and high-maintenance halo cars that don’t get used enough to justify the upkeep. Even the modern Ford GT – one of the most frequently traded models in this tier – saw prices flatten out. When cars hit the market too often, it’s hard for prices to build any momentum.
Zooming out, the tier-wide index is essentially flat: up just 0.3% since Q1. Cars from the 1980s and 2000s are pulling their weight, but lingering softness in the ’50s and ’60s is keeping the overall number in check.
Looking ahead, “drivable scarcity” is likely to stay in the lead. Late-analog supercars from the late ’90s to early 2000s, along with special-edition exotics from the 2010s, are hitting that 25-year milestone for import and collector insurance. Those are the kinds of details that can boost demand. But for anything high-maintenance or hard to enjoy on the road, it’ll take a special story or standout example to get strong bids. And with so few of these cars trading hands, every auction result has the power to move the market – for better or worse.
Using our CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark*, we’ve analyzed over 5,000 individual markets** to pinpoint the top Growing and Slowing Markets so far in 2025. To qualify for this list, a market must have more than one sold listing between January-June 2025.
Note: CMB is an indicator of how recent market activity has impacted typical market values. It does not guarantee individual vehicle appreciation.
Top 10 Growing Markets
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Top 10 Slowing Markets
Auction Stats
For once, supply and demand lined up: listings jumped 22% year over year, and nearly 80% of those cars found new homes. One standout shift? Almost a third of the sales happened online—double last year’s share. That’s a strong signal that buyers are getting more comfortable dropping serious money without ever seeing the car in person.
Live auctions are still doing the heavy lifting, accounting for about two-thirds of the cars sold in this tier. But the real growth story is online. Digital platforms doubled their throughput and were responsible for every net new sale in the bracket. In raw numbers, that’s a 98% jump in sold listings and a 94% boost in dollar volume – proof that even in the high six-figure range, more buyers are willing to click “buy” without ever physically kicking the tires.
Beneath the million-dollar fireworks, the $500K-to-$1M tier is quietly hitting all-time highs. Cars are changing hands in record numbers, prices are holding firm, and online platforms have become a true second engine of growth. With Monterey still ahead, the bracket looks set to finish 2025 at its strongest level in at least half a decade.
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*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.
