30 Cars Worth Splurging On

Chevrolet/Walker
Chevrolet/Walker

Some people splurge on high-end rides because they’re fast, others because they’re luxurious, others because they’re powerful, others because they’re high-tech, others because they’re status symbols — or all of the above.

See: Luxury Cars You Can Lease for $1,000

GOBankingRates created a list of 30 pricey cars that are worth the cash for anyone who has the means. The list was compiled by looking at roundups of the best 2020 and 2021 car models from trusted car experts like Motor Trend. To be considered a splurge, the MSRP had to be above the average price for a new car as determined by Kelly Blue Book in May 2020, which is $38,940. GOBankingRates then found the mpg for all cars fitting that criterion and ranked them in ascending order from the lowest MSRP to the highest.

Only one costs less than $40,000 and only four start at under $50,000. Not only do these cars cost a lot to buy — they’re also expensive to drive. Every single gas-burning vehicle on the list has a fuel economy lower than 28 mpg.

These costly gas guzzlers aren’t scored because there’s such a broad range of vehicles, one can’t really be compared to another. They’re all, however, among the coolest, fastest, best-looking and most luxurious cars on the road.

Last updated: Jan. 1, 2021

David Dewhurst Photography / Lexus
David Dewhurst Photography / Lexus

1. 2020 Lexus ES

  • Starting MSRP: $39,900

  • City mpg: 22

  • Highway mpg: 33

  • Combined mpg: 27.5

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©Audi / Audi
©Audi / Audi

2. Audi A5

  • Starting MSRP: $42,900

  • City mpg: 24

  • Highway mpg: 32

  • Combined mpg: 28

©Lincoln Continental / Lincoln Continental
©Lincoln Continental / Lincoln Continental

3. Lincoln Continental

  • Starting MSRP: $46,305

  • City mpg: 17

  • Highway mpg: 26

  • Combined mpg: 21.5

©Genesis / Genesis
©Genesis / Genesis

4. Genesis G80

  • Starting MSRP: $47,700

  • City mpg: 18

  • Highway mpg: 26

  • Combined mpg: 22

Also See: The Rarest Supercars in the World

©Lexus / Lexus
©Lexus / Lexus

5. Lexus GS 350

  • Starting MSRP: $51,065

  • City mpg: 20

  • Highway mpg: 28

  • Combined mpg: 24

©Volvo / Volvo
©Volvo / Volvo

6. Volvo S90

  • Starting MSRP: $51,195

  • City mpg: 21

  • Highway mpg: 31

  • Combined mpg: 26

©BMW / BMW
©BMW / BMW

7. BMW 5-Series

  • Starting MSRP: $53,900

  • City mpg: 25

  • Highway mpg: 33

  • Combined mpg: 29

Mercedes-Benz / Wieck
Mercedes-Benz / Wieck

8. Mercedes-Benz E 350

  • Starting MSRP: $54,050

  • City mpg: 20

  • Highway mpg: 28

  • Combined mpg: 24

Read: 2021 Cars and Trucks That Are Worth Saving Up for Next Year

©Acura / Acura
©Acura / Acura

9. Acura RLX

  • Starting MSRP: $54,900

  • City mpg: 20

  • Highway mpg: 29

  • Combined mpg: 24.5

©Audi / Audi
©Audi / Audi

10. Audi A6

  • Starting MSRP: $54,900

  • City mpg: 22

  • Highway mpg: 29

  • Combined mpg: 25.5

©Chevrolet/Walker
©Chevrolet/Walker

11. Chevrolet Corvette

  • Starting MSRP: $58,900

  • City mpg: 16

  • Highway mpg: 25

  • Combined mpg: 20.5

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Manuel Hollenbach / Porsche
Manuel Hollenbach / Porsche

12. Porsche 718 Boxster

  • Starting MSRP: $59,600

  • City mpg: 16

  • Highway mpg: 23

  • Combined mpg: 19.5

©Kia / Kia
©Kia / Kia

13. Kia K900

  • Starting MSRP: $59,900

  • City mpg: 18

  • Highway mpg: 25

  • Combined mpg: 21.5

©Audi / Audi
©Audi / Audi

14. Audi A7

  • Starting MSRP: $69,000

  • City mpg: 22

  • Highway mpg: 29

  • Combined mpg: 25.5

©BMW Group / BMW Group
©BMW Group / BMW Group

15. BMW M4

  • Starting MSRP: $69,150

  • City mpg: 17

  • Highway mpg: 25

  • Combined mpg: 21

©Tesla / Tesla
©Tesla / Tesla

16. Tesla Model S

  • Starting MSRP: $69,490

  • City mpg equivalent: 101

  • Highway mpg equivalent: 102

  • Combined mpg equivalent: 101.5

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©Jaguar / Jaguar
©Jaguar / Jaguar

17. Jaguar I-Pace

  • Starting MSRP: $69,850

  • City mpg equivalent: 80

  • Highway mpg equivalent: 72

  • Combined mpg equivalent: 76

©Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz
©Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz

18. Mercedes-Benz CLS 450

  • Starting MSRP: $69,950

  • City mpg: 24

  • Highway mpg: 31

  • Combined mpg: 27.5

James Halfacre / Lexus
James Halfacre / Lexus

19. Lexus LS 500

  • Starting MSRP: $75,450

  • City mpg: 19

  • Highway mpg: 30

  • Combined mpg: 24.5

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©Audi / Audi
©Audi / Audi

20. Audi A8

  • Starting MSRP: $85,200

  • City mpg: 17

  • Highway mpg: 26

  • Combined mpg: 21.5

©BMW / BMW
©BMW / BMW

21. BMW 7-Series

  • Starting MSRP: $86,800

  • City mpg: 22

  • Highway mpg: 29

  • Combined mpg: 25.5

©Porsche / Porsche
©Porsche / Porsche

22. Porsche Panamera

  • Starting MSRP: $87,200

  • City mpg: 19

  • Highway mpg: 27

  • Combined mpg: 23

Related: Cars, Trucks and SUVs With the Best Gas Mileage

©BMW / BMW
©BMW / BMW

23. BMW 8-Series

  • Starting MSRP: $87,900

  • City mpg: 18

  • Highway mpg: 25

  • Combined mpg: 21.5

©Lexus / Lexus
©Lexus / Lexus

24. Lexus LC

  • Starting MSRP: $92,950

  • City mpg: 16

  • Highway mpg: 25

  • Combined mpg: 20.5

©Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz
©Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz

25. Mercedes-Benz S 450

  • Starting MSRP: $94,250

  • City mpg: 19

  • Highway mpg: 28

  • Combined mpg: 23.5

©Porsche / Porsche
©Porsche / Porsche

26. Porsche 911 Carrera

  • Starting MSRP: $99,200

  • City mpg: 18

  • Highway mpg: 24

  • Combined mpg: 21

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Lisa Linke / Porsche
Lisa Linke / Porsche

27. Porsche Taycan 4S

  • Starting MSRP: $103,800

  • City mpg: N/A

  • Highway mpg: N/A

  • Combined mpg equivalent: 225-mile range

©Maserati / Maserati
©Maserati / Maserati

28. Maserati Quattroporte

  • Starting MSRP: $104,199

  • City mpg: 17

  • Highway mpg: 24

  • Combined mpg: 20.5

Daniel Wollstein / Audi
Daniel Wollstein / Audi

29. Audi R8

  • Starting MSRP: $169,900

  • City mpg: 13

  • Highway mpg: 20

  • Combined mpg: 16.5

©Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz
©Mercedes-Benz / Mercedes-Benz

30. Mercedes-Benz AMG S63

  • Starting MSRP: $171,400

  • City mpg: 17

  • Highway mpg: 27

  • Combined mpg: 22

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: To find the cars that are worth splurging on, GOBankingRates referenced U.S. News and World Report’s “Future Cars: The Best New Cars Arriving by 2021” and “Best Car Rankings for 2020,” as well as Motor Trend’s “Future Cars: 2021 and Beyond” roundups. Then, GOBankingRates used individual manufacturer websites for each model to provide their predicted starting MSRP. GOBankingRates used U.S. News & World Report and Edmunds.com to collect fuel efficiency data for each model. To be considered a “splurge” the starting MSRP had to come in above the Kelley Blue Book May 2020 average for a new car purchase. All data were collected on and up to date as of June 23, 2020.

Photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the images may not reflect the model, trim, or year listed in this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 30 Cars Worth Splurging On

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