The most valuable car Elon Musk has ever owned is a 1990s McLaren F1, a car he sold in 2007 that we would value at about $20 million today, while the most valuable car he still owns is the Lotus Esprit submarine from a James Bond film, at about $1.5 million. We count 11 documented cars across his life, and the ones he still has add up to about $2 million by our estimate as of November 2026. For the richest person on the planet, that is a remarkably small garage, and it is mostly Teslas.
| Rank | Car | Status | Est. value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1978 BMW 320i | Owned | $15,000 |
| 10 | 1920 Ford Model T | Owns | $25,000 |
| 9 | Hamann BMW M5 | Owned | $40,000 |
| 8 | Tesla Model S Performance | Owns | $90,000 |
| 7 | Tesla Model X | Owns | $100,000 |
| 6 | Tesla Cybertruck | Owns | $100,000 |
| 5 | Porsche 911 Turbo | Owned | $100,000 |
| 4 | 2008 Tesla Roadster (“Starman” car) | Owned | $100,000 |
| 3 | 1967 Jaguar E-Type Roadster | Owns | $200,000 |
| 2 | 1976 Lotus Esprit “Wet Nellie” | Owns | $1,500,000 |
| 1 | McLaren F1 | Owned | $20,000,000 |
| Total, cars he still owns (our estimate) | about $2,000,000 |
“Owns” here means the latest reporting still places the car with him. Musk said in 2020 that he planned to sell most of his physical possessions, so treat the current list as our best read, not a registry.
11. 1978 BMW 320i: about $15,000
Musk’s first car was a used BMW 320i that he bought in the mid-1990s, when money was tight. It later became the company car at Zip2, his first startup. That plan ended the day a wheel came off while an intern was driving it, and the BMW was gone soon after.
Clean early 3 Series cars sell for $10,000 to $20,000 today, and we took the middle.
10. 1920 Ford Model T: about $25,000
The oldest car in the garage was a gift from a friend. A Model T is a fitting piece for a man who builds cars for a living: Henry Ford’s car was the first to be made in true mass production, the thing every factory since has tried to beat.
Restored Model Ts of that era usually trade between $15,000 and $35,000, so this is a mid-market number.
9. Hamann BMW M5: about $40,000
In the mid-2000s Musk drove a BMW M5 tuned by Hamann, the German firm known for turning fast BMWs into faster ones. Some fans like to connect it to the later “Ludicrous” acceleration modes at Tesla. He no longer owns it.
Tuned M5s of that generation sell close to stock prices, which is what our number uses.
8. Tesla Model S Performance: about $90,000
The Model S has been described as the car Musk drives most, which makes sense: it is the car that turned Tesla from a startup into a real carmaker after 2012. The Performance version he uses does 0 to 60 mph in a little over two seconds.
The figure is close to the price of a new top-spec Model S.
7. Tesla Model X: about $100,000
Musk has said the Model X is the car he uses with his children, and it is easy to see why: three rows of seats and those falcon-wing rear doors, which famously slowed down the car’s launch in 2015.
We priced it as a new Model X Plaid.
6. Tesla Cybertruck: about $100,000
Musk has been seen at the wheel of a Cybertruck since before the truck went on sale in late 2023. The stainless steel pickup took four years to go from stage reveal to customer deliveries, and the boss was one of the first people to get one.
The value is based on the price of a new Cyberbeast trim.
5. Porsche 911 Turbo: about $100,000
Musk owned a 997-generation 911 Turbo around 2012. The Porsche fits his pattern: before Tesla, almost every car he bought was a German or British performance car. It is unclear whether he still has it, so we treat it as a past car.
Prices for 997 Turbos have firmed up recently, and our estimate follows the middle of the market.
4. 2008 Tesla Roadster (“Starman” car): about $100,000
No car on this list has gone further. In February 2018, SpaceX launched Musk’s own cherry-red Tesla Roadster on the first Falcon Heavy rocket, with a spacesuited mannequin named Starman in the driver’s seat. It is still out there, circling the Sun.
The original Roadster was Tesla’s first car, built on a Lotus Elise chassis, and only about 2,450 were made. It counts as a past car, since nobody is getting it back.
Earthbound first-generation Roadsters now trade around $100,000, and that is the value we gave it.
3. 1967 Jaguar E-Type Roadster: about $200,000
Musk has said he wanted an E-Type from the age of 17. When he finally bought one, a 1967 roadster with the 4.2-liter six, it broke down on the drive home from the dealer. He later compared it to “a bad girlfriend,” which is the sort of review only a true car person gives.
Good Series 1 E-Type roadsters sell between about $150,000 and $250,000 at auction, and our number sits in that band.
2. 1976 Lotus Esprit “Wet Nellie”: about $1.5 million
This is the white Lotus that turned into a submarine in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. After filming, the prop sat forgotten in a storage unit on Long Island until a couple bought the unit’s contents in a blind auction in 1989, paying about $100.
In 2013 it went to auction in London, and Musk was the buyer at close to $1 million. He said at the time he hoped to give it a Tesla electric drivetrain and make it transform for real. No public update has shown that happening.
Starting from the 2013 price, we added a premium for Bond provenance, which has carried other film cars far past their auction estimates since.
1. McLaren F1: about $20 million
In 1999, with money from the sale of Zip2, Musk took delivery of a silver McLaren F1 on camera, calling it one of only 62 in the world. It was then the fastest production car on earth, and the price was about $1 million.
The ride did not last. In 2000 he spun it on a road in California, the car flipped through the air “like a discus,” as he later put it, and it was not insured. Nobody was hurt. He had it repaired and kept it until 2007, when it was sold.
McLaren F1s have sold for around $20 million at auction since 2021, which is the value we give this car today, even though it left his garage long ago.
Reported, not confirmed
- Audi Q7: one account says Musk bought one after criticising its rear-seat access; we found no second source.
- A second McLaren F1: one recent list claims he still owns an F1. Every detailed account says his only F1 was sold in 2007.
Why the richest man has such a small garage
- Every car he owns is either a product or a story. The Teslas are his products, the Lotus is a film prop, the Roadster is in space. There is almost nothing here bought for status.
- His supercar phase ended early. The F1, the M5 and the 911 all date from before Tesla took over his life.
- He has been selling possessions. In 2020 he said he would sell most of his houses and physical things, and he did sell several homes.
- His most valuable car was a bargain in hindsight. He paid about $1 million for the F1. Kept to today, it would be worth about twenty times that.
FAQ
What is Elon Musk’s most expensive car?
The most valuable car he still owns is the 1976 Lotus Esprit submarine car, worth about $1.5 million by our estimate. The McLaren F1 he sold in 2007 would be worth about $20 million today.
How many cars does Elon Musk own?
We could document 11 cars across his life, of which about six appear to still be with him, mostly Teslas.
How much is Elon Musk’s car collection worth?
About $2 million for the cars he still owns, our estimate as of November 2026.
What car does Elon Musk drive every day?
Reports say a Tesla Model S Performance is the car he drives most, with a Model X for family trips and a Cybertruck in the mix.
Does Elon Musk still own the McLaren F1?
No. He bought it in 1999, crashed it in 2000, had it repaired and sold it in 2007.
Where is Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster now?
In orbit around the Sun. SpaceX launched it on the first Falcon Heavy flight in February 2018.
How we valued the collection
We counted only cars the owner is documented to own or have owned, through their own interviews and posts, auction records, and consistent public reporting. Each value is our estimate of what that car is worth today, based on disclosed purchase prices, recent auction results for the same model, and list prices adjusted for depreciation or collector demand, all compiled in an internal valuation model. The total is our estimate, not an appraisal, and figures change as cars are bought, sold and revalued.
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Last updated: November 2026.
