Why a pickup and an SUV are the hottest classics right now – Hagerty Vehicle Rating
The Dodge Power Wagon is certainly living up to its name. The rugged 1945–68 truck powered its way to the top of the newest Hagerty Vehicle Rating, moving up from the third spot. The Power Wagon and 1966–77 Ford Bronco tied for first with an adjusted HVR of 95 points. SUVs remain hot overall, claiming 12 of the top 25 spots, and Broncos are particularly strong. Three generations of Broncos are in the top 25, while the fourth (1980–86) is ranked 28th.
The Hagerty Vehicle Rating tracks a vehicle’s performance relative to the entire classic car/truck market. Based on a scale of 0-100, a vehicle with a 50-point rating is keeping pace with the overall market. Those above 50 are appreciating faster than average, while those below 50 are lagging.
“The number of Power Wagons we’re insuring and the average value they’re being insured for are both growing at incredible levels,” says Hagerty Valuation Information Analyst Jesse Pilarski. “In fact, based on insurance data, Power Wagons are among the four hottest vehicles right now.”
After topping the HVR three times in a row, the 1976-86 CJ-7 slipped to No. 2 last time and No. 5 in the latest ranking. Pilarski says the CJ-7 is simply “falling into line,” as “both insurance activity and quoting activity took a step backward over the last two months.” He says CJ-7 values are still exceeding the market average, just by a smaller margin.
Affordability is a common denominator among the top-ranked vehicles. Eleven of the top 25 vehicles carry a median No. 3 (“good”) value less than $10,000, and only one is valued more than $25,000—the 19th-ranked 1983–90 Land Rover Defender, which has a Hagerty Price Guide value of $25,500. “It’s fair to say that entry level cars are selling well,” Pilarski says. “They have the highest auction sell-through rate at 73%.”
Another emerging trend in the top 25 is vehicles produced after 1990. Six from that era made it into this ranking, a 300% jump over the last HVR. Interestingly, neither post-’90 vehicle that appeared in the top 25 last time—the 1995–98 Porsche 911 and 1990–93 Chevrolet 454 SS pickup—stayed there.
The 1993–98 Lincoln Continental Mark VIII joined the Defender and two other vehicles at No. 19, rising 94 places (from 113th) after gaining 14 points. Pilarski says the Mark VIII’s jump to 86 points is “somewhat artificial” because until recently the car didn’t have enough quoting data to receive points in that category.
Here’s a full rundown of this month’s top 25:
