Car and Auto Stock: Prices and Tips

Cruise your way through Wall Street with these car stocks. Then practice what you’ve learned with our free stock market simulation.

BEST CAR STOCKS

Car stocks that drove their way to the top:

Symbol Company
THO THOR INDUSTRIES INC
TM TOYOTA MOTOR SHS SPONSORED AMERICAN DEPOSITARY REC…
WGO WINNEBAGO INDUSTRIES INC
HMC HONDA MOTOR SHS SPONSORED AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECE…
F FORD MOTOR CO
FCAU FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES N.V.
GM GENERAL MOTORS CO
TSLA TESLA INC
VLKAY VOLKSWAGEN SHS SPONSORED AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEI…

ABOUT THE CAR AND AUTO STOCK MARKET

While historically, the auto market in the U.S. has been the second largest in the world, it’s actually been a pretty rough road for the auto industry these past few years.

  • High fuel prices of the world petroleum crisis have left Americans little choice but to purchase smaller cars over larger vehicles.
  • In 2009, both General Motors and Chrysler went belly-up. This put the American auto industry back a small $110 billion in bailout funds.
  • Two years later, just as the auto market started to regain traction, the European debt crisis happened. GM’s recalls (due to defective car parts resulting in deaths) had certainly salted the auto stock game.
  • A serious slowdown in China’s auto sales didn’t help increase global demand either. Economic conditions are picking up, though. Oil prices have collapsed, re-fueling demand for trucks, SUVs etc.

OTHER AUTO STOCKS

Here are some solid auto parts/service stocks you may want to invest in:

Auto Parts Stocks

Symbol Company
GPC GENUINE PARTS CO
AAP ADVANCE AUTO PARTS INC
AZO AUTOZONE INC
SNA SNAP-ON INC
ORLY O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE INC
PLOW DOUGLAS DYNAMICS INC
AXL AMERICAN AXLE & MANUFACTURING HOLDINGS INC
ALV AUTOLIV INC

Auto Service Stocks

Symbol Company
HTZ HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS INC
KMX CARMAX INC
SPAR SPARTAN MOTORS INC
CAR AVIS BUDGET GROUP INC

FACTORS AFFECTING AUTO MARKET

Investing in auto stocks isn’t easy. The industry has proved that it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but there are a bunch of factors that come into effect. Here are a bunch of things to pay attention to when investing in the auto market:

Cyclical Sensitivity

The auto industry is extremely sensitive to the business cycle. This means that during periods of prosperity, lots of cars are being bought. It also means that during economic downturn, the wheels stop turning. Also – Auto-parts companies make most of their money earlier in the year, while automakers are assembling cars for September launches. Many companies will pay a dividend to get investors through the slow times.

Borrowing Rates

Lots of car buyers choose to finance. If the borrowing rates become too high, buyers may spend more money maintaining their existing vehicles rather than buying a new one.

Labor Relations

A lot of the auto industry is unionized. Workers’ demands for higher pay means either cutting back on production costs or upping car prices, both of which can impact sales.

Green Cars

Environmentally friendly cars are growing in popularity. Companies are making a real effort to push battery-operated cars and hybrids, but these efforts don’t come cheap. The research and development of these vehicles is likely to cost billions of dollars. It’s worth considering how the company will be able to finance such initiatives and how it would affect future profits.

New Model Line Up

An exciting product line boosts a company’s sales; lacking one hurts its stocks. Aesthetically pleasing new vehicles will surely appeal to consumers and make it a stock worth investing in.

The Best Stock Newsletters as of June 29, 2025

Ranking of Top Stock Newsletters Based on Last 3 Years of Stock Picks

We are paid subscribers to dozens of stock newsletters. We actively track every recommendation from all of these services, calculate performance, and share the results of the top performing stock newsletters whose subscriptions fees are under $500. The main metric to look for is "Excess Return" which is their return above that of the S&P500. So, based on last 3 years ending June 29, 2025:

RankStock NewsletterStock
Picks
Average
Return
Excess
Return
Percent
Profitable
Max %
Return
1.Seeking Alpha logo
Alpha Picks
7663%40%73%969%
Summary: 2 picks/month based on Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating; Retail Price is $499/yr. See details in our Alpha Picks Review.July, 2025 Promotion:
Save $50
2.Moby logo tiny
Moby.co
30843.3%12.3%74%1764%
Summary: 60-150 stock picks per year, segmented by industry; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Moby Review.July, 2025 Promotion:Next pick free!
3.Motley Fool logo
Stock Advisor
7241.2%6.9%78%258%
Summary: 2 picks/month and 2 Best Buy Stocks lists focusing on high growth potential stocks over 5 years; Retail Price is $199/yr.
Read our Motley Fool Review.
July, 2025 Promotion: Get $100 Off
4.Zacks logo
Value Investor
3917.5%6.1%38%410%
Summary: 10-25 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review.July, 2025 PROMOTION:$1, then $495/yr
5.Motley Fool logo
Rule Breakers
6640.0%4.7%61%311%
Summary: 2 picks/month focusing on disruptive technology and business models; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2005; Now part of Motley Fool Epic. Read our Motley Fool Epic Review.Current Promotion: Save $200
6.TipRanks logo
TipRanks SmartInvestor
12110.6%3.7%55%340%
Summary: About 1 pick/week focusing on short term trades; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2015. Retail Price is $379/yr. Read our TipRanks Review.Current Promotion: Save $180
7.TheStreet logo
Action Alerts Plus
39420.0%3.4%57%220%
Summary: 100-150 trades per year, lots of buying and selling and short term trades. Read our Jim Cramer Review.Current Promotion: None
8.Motley Fool logo
Stock Advisor Canada
3632.3%0.5%69%378%
Summary: 1 pick/month from the Toronto stock exchange; Retail Price is CD$199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Canada Stock Advisor Review.July, 2025 Promotion: Save $100
Top Ranking Stock Newsletters based on their last 3 years of stock picks' performance through May 31, 2025 as compared to S&P500. S&P500's return is based on average return of S&P500 from date each stock pick is released. NOTE: To get these results you must buy equal dollar amounts of each pick on the date the stock pick is released. Investor Business Daily Top 50 based on performance of FFTY ETF.
Build your wealth faster with best stock picks: See our new June 29, 2025 ranking of the Best Stock Newsletters.