Future EV Classics: 5 Electric Cars With the Best Shot at Collector Status

The Automotive Hall of Fame is mostly filled with combustion engines. But as the industry shifts toward electric, the question comes up: will any EVs eventually earn a spot among the greats? Last year we asked which vintage cars you'd EV-swap and tons of you were into it, proof even enthusiasts are warming to electrification. Suggests there might be room in the collector world for electric cars.

Predicting future classics is tough. Limited-run Ferraris and end-of-the-line manual Porsche 911s are obvious picks because they celebrate what made those brands legendary. EVs haven't quite defined that blueprint yet but a few cars seem on track to do it. Here are the EVs with the best shot at becoming classics.

OG Tesla Roadster

Tesla's quite possibly the most impactful EV company ever. Not only commercialized EVs but set standards tons of legacy brands now follow. Out of all Tesla models, the OG Roadster has lots of ingredients of a future classic.

Only 2,450 got built, making it rarer than the collector-grade Ferrari 550 Maranello. Second, it's the very first Tesla, the one that started everything. Very few cars, let alone EVs, carry that kind of novelty factor. Last year even a completely trashed Tesla Roadster that didn't run, was painted in four colors, had no hood, and had a salvage title was listed for $40,000.

Sure that's nowhere near what the Roadster cost new, around $100,000 or more, but shows even botched examples hold decent value. Top end of the market, some pristine first-gen Roadsters have sold for over $250,000. Tesla Roadster probably won't become a classic because it was the best electric car ever built but because it helped kickstart the performance EV era.

Rimac Nevera

Remember when the Bugatti Veyron completely rewrote what it means to go fast? Over 1,000 horsepower, 250-plus mph top speed, massive 16-cylinder engine. Veyron's widely considered the first modern hypercar. In the electric era that role could belong to Rimac Nevera since it represents what the Veyron did for combustion performance but for electrification. Nevera came out in 2021 and broke more than 20 records in a single day.

Thanks to over 2,100 horsepower, Nevera's still one of the quickest production cars with an absolutely ridiculous 0-60 time of 1.74 seconds. Only 150 production cars total, exactly three times rarer than the Bugatti Veyron. Also the company's first truly complete vehicle.

Gotta be honest, Nevera costs over $2 million and sales have lagged. But as time goes on fast EVs will become more common. When that happens Nevera's likely gonna be the benchmark for what it means to go fast in an EV and the market might notice.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive

In 2012 EVs like the Tesla Roadster and Rimac Nevera didn't exist yet. Back then mainstream electric cars still seemed like a distant dream. Mercedes was onto something though. The ultra-limited Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive got unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Only nine made. Rare as it gets. Original price was over $500,000 but recent examples are trading for well over $1 million.

In 2021 people couldn't get over how much this car cost, especially since new EVs were proving tough to sell without government incentives, tax benefits, or other subsidies. Now the Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive occupies a unique spot as a potential true classic. Built on the SLS AMG chassis, a model already widely seen as a modern classic regardless of variant. It's a Mercedes bridging the gap between the old we miss and the new we're still warming up to.

Cadillac Celestiq

"The Cadillac of" something used to mean ultimate quality and prestige. Recent years though, Cadillac hasn't always carried that same symbolic meaning. Not necessarily the brand's fault but more how much the overall industry improved, narrowing the gap between good and great.

Still, if any modern Cadillac brings back that image it's the electric Cadillac Celestiq. Started around $340,000, now in the low $400,000s. Way more expensive than any other Cadillac. Engineering techniques make the Celestiq unlike any other Cadillac and tons of things make it truly stand out. Also gonna have limited production, probably never more than a few hundred made.

Doug DeMuro reviewed it and called it an "American Rolls-Royce" but added "I foresee major depreciation and slow sales until the Cadillac brand name is elevated to the level of this amazing car." Leaves the Celestiq in a special position to one day be recognized as a true classic.

GMC Hummer EV

Before you roast this pick, hear it out. Hummer EV isn't on this list because it shattered records. Not exceptionally well-built, limited, or even logical. Similar to how some 1970s performance cars became classics not because they were superior but because they represented a cultural attitude from a bygone era. GMC Hummer comes from a time when EVs still hadn't found solid footing, an era when experimentation, personality, presence, and imagination mattered more than range estimates, weight, or common sense.

Curb weight of 9,640 pounds. This thing's almost three times as heavy as a 992 Porsche 911, not exactly the efficiency you'd expect from an EV. Also starts just under $100,000. In 2025 GM temporarily halted production because of weak demand. GMC dealers are selling brand-new Hummer EVs with $40,000-plus discounts.

Market's not fond of it but back in the late '60s and early '70s nobody wanted the 1969 Charger Daytona, a car that now commands absurd prices. Car enthusiasts know buying cars isn't always rational and vehicles that appreciate to several times their original price are often valued for reasons beyond pure financial logic. That's the unique angle the GMC Hummer EV might one day become a classic through.