EVs Enter Collector Car Market: Hagerty Puts Tesla Roadster on 2022 Bull Market List

The first-generation Tesla Roadster is the first EV to be labelled a collectible. We look at half a dozen others that may follow suit.

What do a 2008 Tesla Roadster and a 1965 Cadillac DeVille have in common? They are both on the Hagerty 2022 Bull Market List. The collector car market is white hot right now. The EV market is also hot right now with all auto manufacturers investing big in the all-electric future. So, it really should not surprise us that these worlds have now collided, and we have our first collectible EV. Each year the folks at Hagerty release what they call a Bull Market List. In this list they call out ten vehicles that they feel are primed for gains in value in the collector car market. For the first time ever, an EV has made the list. The 2008 to 2012 Tesla Roadster Sport is now seen as more than just a cool car. It is an investment.

The Tesla Roadster won’t be the last EV to be viewed as a collector car. In this article we will look at why the Roadster made this list. In addition, we picked six EVs (OK, a couple are hybrids) of our own that we feel could also rise to the level of collectability someday. But before we dive into those, let’s take a closer look at the first-generation Tesla Roadster and why the prices of them have been climbing recently.

2008 – 2012 Tesla Roadster Sport

Say what you will about Tesla and Elon Musk, but the fact is that his company has changed the world. The Tesla Roadster was the genesis of it all. The first production EV with lithium-ion battery cells. The car was built on a Lotus Elise chassis with all the electric goodies jammed inside. Only about 2,500 were ever made. It was a humble start, but the success led to the Model S and the rest is history. Today Tesla is worth more than Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, and Volkswagen. COMBINED.

Most collectible cars are old and therefore slow and struggle to keep up with modern traffic. That is not the case with the Roadster Sport. It may not be a Model S Plaid, but it can still hit 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. So, you are not really suffering by driving an older EV. The car also still has the classic good looks thanks to the Lotus body. According to Hagerty the price of a 2010 Tesla Roadster when new was $130,000. Today a car in number 2 condition would bring between $97,000 and $115,000. So, if you got one back in 2010 you basically drove for free for the last 12 years. And prices are still climbing.

Other Collectible EVs

The Tesla Roadster Sport may have broken the seal to become the first EV to be named as a collectible car. However, there is no way it will be the last. It is the start of a trend that we are sure will only increase as the years go buy. So, we take out our all-electric crystal ball and peer into the future to see if we can spot a few more collector EVs. We find six vehicles that we feel for one reason, or another might be worth investing in. Will these end up on a Hagerty Bull Market List in the future? Only time will tell.

Chevrolet Silverado EV First Edition

We start the list with the newest EV to hit the market. All-electric trucks are the rage right now and the Silverado EV was just unveiled earlier this month. It will be the first all-electric pickup truck from one of the largest automakers in the world, so it has historical relevance. Then we need to consider the rarity of the item. Pickup trucks are typically not very rare. And within five to ten years, all-electric pickups will be everywhere. But consider this. All reservations for the Silverado EV First Edition were sold out in 12 minutes. We repeat, 12 minutes. It takes longer than that for a BTS concert to sell out. We don’t know how many First Edition trucks are going to be built but they won’t be easy to come by. These could bring big money someday.

First Generation Toyota Prius

Yes, we know the Prius is not all-electric. We also know as many people hate them as love them. But there is no questioning the historical importance of this car. It came to the U.S. in 2001. That is a million years ago in automotive terms. The car utilized a 1.5L engine connected to an electric motor. This was a new way to propel cars. It was not fast or flashy, but it got terrific mileage, and that was the point. It also had a quirky dash with no gauges directly in front of the driver. They are not worth much today. So, these are the equivalent of penny stocks in the car world. Sometimes those low-cost investments pay off. This just might be one of those times.

First Generation Honda Insight

We promise the rest of the cars on this list are all-electric but the original Honda Insight is too hard to ignore. The space-age looking Insight had EPA ratings of 70 mpg highway 61 city. It beat the Prius to market, so it was technically the first hybrid car, and it had far better EPA ratings. The Honda Insight was a technical marvel, practical, efficient, and funky looking. It is exactly the type of almost forgotten car that you can see bringing big money at an auction someday.

Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo

Have you seen the values of early 911s recently? Don’t ever bet against a Porsche as a collectible. The 911 is the model that most associate with Porsche. But every vehicle that Porsche makes is first rate and they recently entered the EV market with the all-electric Taycan. For the purposes of collectability, we are going to go with the Turbo S Cross Turismo model. The Cross Turismo is the slightly rugged, wagon version of the Taycan. Think of a Subaru Outback, only cool. And as cool as it is it will likely sell in far fewer numbers than the sedan, making it rare. The Turbo S (yeah, no real turbo, but it’s a Porsche thing) whips up 750 horsepower. 60 mph is reached in less than 3 seconds. And you can take your friends, your dog and some luggage along for the ride. This could easily become a future collectible.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive

When you think AMG you likely think of a swollen-fender monster with a giant V8 engine that sounds like thunder. Well, the SLS AMG Electric Drive takes a different approach. The power comes from electricity, so there are no thunder sounds. But it is still quick and every bit an AMG. Will it be collectible? Well, it is an AMG and only 9 were made, so yeah. Expect to spend over 7-figures to land one of these. If the Prius and Insight were the penny stocks, consider the SLS AMG Electric Drive the Berkshire Hathaway of the all-electric investments.

Tesla Model S

We end our list with the same company we started it with, Tesla. The Roadster got the ball rolling but the Model S is what made Tesla a household name. A lot of them have been built and sold so they are not rare. But the early examples from 2012 are historic. The newer cars such as the Plaid are simply mind blowing. Everything in between is great. The Model S brought the all-electric sedan to the masses. They were pricey, but they were mainstream. No longer was an EV seen as an oddity. The future market may recognize that and push values higher for some examples.

So that is our list. Did we leave anything out? What would your list look like? Head over to the Electric Vehicle Forums and let us know your thoughts.

Images: Hagerty; Tesla; Chevrolet; Honda; Toyota; Porsche; Mercedes-Benz

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