James May
- Net worth $25 million
- Birthday January 16, 1963
- Status -
- Country United Kingdom
- Source(-s) of wealth Journalist, Television Host
How much is James May Worth? James May Net Worth in 2026
James May’s net worth is estimated at $25 million as of November 2026. The company behind The Grand Tour closed with £24,087,100 on its books, and his share came to about £6 million. What that leaves after tax is roughly a quarter of what we think he has. He got his start in print, and Autocar dismissed him in 1992 over a hidden acrostic in a road test supplement.
| Net worth | $25 million (rough estimate, range $12 million to $40 million) |
|---|---|
| Estimated annual income | About $1.3 million before tax (our assumption) |
| Born | January 16, 1963, Bristol, England (age 63) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Known for | Top Gear, The Grand Tour, James May: Our Man In… |
| Main income sources | Television, a closed production company, YouTube, a gin brand, half of a pub |
How much is James May worth in 2026?
Our figure is $25 million, in a range of $12 million to $40 million. This one is a rough estimate: little of the money is documented. One number comes from a company filing as reported in the press, and nearly everything else is our assumption about pay nobody has published. We convert at $1.34 to the pound, the rate shown on November 3, 2026.
Public estimates disagree partly because Amazon’s reported £160 million gets read as presenter pay. May himself told an interviewer in 2016 that the rumored figures were “all bollocks” and that the money came “bits at a time” over three years. The company’s closing balance is the best hard number on him.
How James May built it
- Took equity with his co-presenters. He was one of four shareholders in the company that made The Grand Tour, worth about £6 million at the close.
- Kept making his own shows. He fronted Toy Stories, Oh Cook and Our Man In alongside the big car programs.
- Bought into small businesses. He bought half of a Wiltshire pub in 2020 and has run a gin business since 2021.
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Get the Alux appHow we got to $25 million
| Source | Our estimate | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| The Grand Tour pay, 2016 to 2024 | $14.7 million (£11 million) | Amazon reportedly spent about £160 million on 36 episodes over three years. Assumption: 30 percent went to the four principals in equal shares, £12 million each, plus £8 million for later specials. That is £20 million, 55 percent kept after tax. |
| W Chump and Sons closing payment | $6.1 million (£4.6 million) | Reported: £24,087,100 on the books at closing, with roughly £6 million to each presenter. Producer Andy Wilman was the fourth owner, so an equal split is about £6.02 million each. Assumption: 24 percent capital gains tax. |
| Top Gear, 2003 to 2015 | $2.2 million (£1.65 million) | Assumption: an average £250,000 a year for 12 years, 55 percent kept. The BBC pay isn’t public. |
| Other television and writing, 2003 to 2026 | $5.1 million (£3.8 million) | Assumption: £300,000 a year for 23 years, 55 percent kept. Toy Stories, Cars of the People, Oh Cook and Our Man In sit here, with a weekly newspaper column to 2011 and his YouTube channels. |
| Royal Oak pub and James Gin | $0.7 million (£0.5 million) | He bought half of the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe in 2020 and has run a gin business since 2021. No prices or accounts opened, so £500,000 is a placeholder at cost. |
| Returns on savings | $5.4 million (£4 million) | Assumption: savings averaging £5 million, earning 4 percent a year after tax, for 20 years. |
| Living costs and cars | minus $9.6 million (£7.2 million) | Assumption: £300,000 a year for 24 years, with homes in Wiltshire and Hammersmith and a car list that includes a 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale. |
| Total | $25 million | The rows sum to $24.6 million, about £18.3 million, rounded. Mostly assumptions, labelled as such. |
The £6 million goodbye
In September 2025, filings at Companies House showed a voluntary winding up of W Chump and Sons, the company he shared with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and producer Andy Wilman. Four shareholders, £24,087,100: our calculation gives £6,021,775 each.
After our assumed 24 percent tax that is about £4.6 million, or 25 percent of our £18.3 million total. So a quarter of the fortune may have arrived as a single closing payment, after the show was over. We add it on top of pay because cash left in a company at closing wasn’t paid out earlier. If some of our assumed £20 million in pay was really this same money, the total falls by up to £4.6 million.
What £160 million actually bought
The reported deal works out at about £4.4 million an episode, by our math, and one report at the launch said £4.5 million. A figure like that pays for crews, freight and travel as well as presenters. Our 30 percent assumption is exactly that, an assumption, and each 5 points on it moves May’s pay by £2 million before tax.
The gin and the pub are small next to that, yet they say more about him than the Ferrari does: half of a Grade II listed pub in Wiltshire and a bottle with his name on it.
The latest documented money
We found no 2026 filing or deal. The latest documented event is the September 2025 winding up, with a Channel 5 series, James May’s Great Explorers, named as his then current television work. Our Man In was cancelled in October 2024. A new streaming deal or the sale of a car from the current list would move this figure. So would a final liquidation balance different from the £24,087,100 reported.
James May net worth FAQ
How much did James May make from The Grand Tour?
Nobody has published it. We assume £20 million before tax across 2016 to 2024, plus about £6 million when the production company closed.
Did James May own part of the Grand Tour company?
Yes. He was one of four shareholders in W Chump and Sons, which held £24,087,100 when it was wound up in 2025.
Does James May own a pub?
He bought half of the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, in 2020. The building is Grade II listed.
When did James May join Top Gear?
He briefly co-presented the original show in 1999, then joined the revived version in 2003 and stayed until 2015.
How is this net worth figure estimated?
We add assumed after-tax pay, his company closing share, a pub and gin placeholder and returns, then subtract £7.2 million of living costs. The result is about £18.3 million, or $24.6 million.
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How we estimate net worth
Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.
Last updated: November 2026.