Top 10 Most Fun V8 Cars in 2025!
The V8 engine is a dying breed but there are still some great V8-powered cars left in 2025 and we think these are 10 of the most fun.
Long live the V8!
The number of performance cars powered by a V8 engine gets smaller every year. It may not be too many years from now when the list of V8 performance cars is reduced to zero. But let’s not focus on that negative talk right now. The year is 2025 and we do still have some fun V8 sports cars available for sale. Most of them are on the pricey side, but there are still some good values to be had. But that being said, this list is not about value, it is about fun. What are the 10 most fun cars with a V8 engine that you can buy in 2025? We pondered that question for a bit and came up with the following listed in alphabetical order. We have coupes, sedans and convertibles on our list but no SUVs. We wanted to keep it to just cars. What would you add to this list? What do you think is the best, or most fun, V8-powered car that you can buy this year?
Image: Chevrolet
1. Aston Martin Vantage
With a starting price of around $200,000, the Aston Martin Vantage is no bargain. But the car is stunning to look at and the twin-turbo V8 under the hood makes 656 horsepower. The car is more of a gentlemanly grand touring machine than a precise track weapon, but grand tours can be fun too. It will get you to 60 mph in about 3.2 seconds and keep pushing until 202 mph. And if you want the wind in your hair, there is a Vantage Roadster available. No matter which way you go, you will get an exclusive car that has plenty of performance. And here is a tip that James Bond won’t tell you. The Aston Martin Vantage has a reputation for depreciating faster than it accelerates. So, if you can’t afford the brand-new price, give it just a couple years and you will find one at a substantial discount.
Image: Aston Martin
2. Audi RS 6 Avant
There was a time when the station wagon was the antithesis of fun. But those days are in the past thanks to machines like the Audi RS 6 Avant. It offers the wagon practicality with track car performance. That performance is thanks in large part to the twin-turbo 4.0L V8 under the hood making 621 horsepower. And despite being a hardcore performance car, it doesn’t beat you up when you drive it. It is more comfortable than you would expect. And faster than you would expect. And more practical than you would expect. You get the point. At about $130K this car is not cheap, but it is also one of the best cars currently for sale.
Image: Audi
3. BMW M5
The 2025 BMW M5 is the seventh generation M5 model known as the G90. (The “G” stands for good grief, this thing is heavy.) At around 5,400 pounds it is half a TON heavier than the previous M5 generation. The plug-in hybrid gear is a big reason for the weight gain. It is also a big reason for the power gain. This car makes 717 horsepower which is 100 more than the previous model. That is enough to get the new car to 60 mph in about 3 seconds flat. It will push on to 190 mph and even offers 25 miles of fully electric driving if for some reason you don’t feel like invoking the 4.4L V8 engine. This is a big, heavy car, but it will have no problems putting a smile on your face. (And there's a wagon version called the Touring!)
Image: BMW
4. Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
If I had to buy one of the non-Corvettes on this list, it very well may be the CT5-V Blackwing. Why is that? Well, the 668 horsepower LT4 engine that once did duty in the C7 Z06 is one reason. The fact that it is hooked up to a standard 6-speed manual transmission that sends the power to the rear wheels is another. Plus, nobody expects to get totally smoked by a Cadillac sedan. But this one will embarrass quite a few sports car drivers. In a Car and Driver test the CT5-V Blackwing finished the 0-150-0 test only 0.3 seconds behind a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. And the Caddy is a full-sized sedan with a full-sized trunk. This might be the last and best V8-powered Cadillac sedan ever. Buy one while you can.
Image: Cadillac
5. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray/E-Ray
We combined the C8 Corvette Stingray and E-Ray here because they both use the LT2 V8. The E-Ray gets some extra power help from an electric motor and extra traction help from an all-wheel drive system. Both of these cars are capable of hitting 60 mph in less than 3 seconds and they are the first true sports cars on our list. With a starting price right around $70,000, the price to performance ratio on these Corvettes is off the charts. If you are looking for a purebred V8 sports car, the Corvette is one of the few options that you have left.
Image: Chevrolet
6. Chevrolet Corvette Z06/ZR1
If the Corvette Z06 takes the Corvette Stingray and turns things up to eleven, the ZR1 turns things up to twenty. These models are combined because they both use a 5.5L flat-plane crank V8. (And we love cheating when making listicles.) The LT6 in the Z06 is naturally aspirated and the LT7 in the ZR1 is twin-turbocharged. These cars are the most expensive in the Corvette lineup but considering their performance, they remain staggering bargains on the world stage. If you want a production car that matches the performance of the ZR1, you won’t find it for less than $1 million.
Image: Chevrolet
7. Ferrari Roma Spider
With options, a new Ferrari Roma Spider will cost you well over $300,000. (But at least it's the least expensive new Ferrari you can buy?) Its flat-plane crank twin-turbo V8 makes 612 horsepower. Far fewer than the 670 in the Corvette Z06. So, the Roma Spider loses the horsepower per dollar battle quite badly. But have you driven one on a sunny day with the top down? It sounds lovely, drives beautifully, looks fantastic, has all the performance you could ever want in a road car, and it turns heads everywhere. In the Ferrari range the Roma Spider might be the runt of the litter, but in the real world, it is an incredible driving experience.
Image: Joe Kucinski
8. Ford Mustang GT/Dark Horse
With a starting price of around $48,000 the Mustang GT is by far the least expensive car on our list. And it is the only other one besides the Cadillac to offer a manual transmission. It is the only car to, sigh, offer a manual transmission and a naturally aspirated V8. It's a throwback to simpler times. The Coyote V8 engine sounds great, and it can get the Mustang GT to 60 mph in about 4.2 seconds. That is slower than many of the other cars on this list. But 99 percent of the time, on normal roads, in normal traffic those other cars aren’t going any faster anyway. If you want more of a track machine, spring for the Dark Horse. It gives you an engine making an even 500 horsepower and opens up a world of track-focused performance options.
Image: Ford
9. Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance/LC 500
We cheated again, combining models that share a great engine. Also, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but Lexus makes more naturally aspirated V8-powered cars than every other automaker, at least for 2025. And our two favorites of the Lexus trio, the LC 500 and IS 500, both use the same naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 making 471 horsepower in the LC 500 and 472 in the IS 500.
The LC 500 has show-car looks to go along with its $100K price tag. With a 0 to 60 time of about 4.6 seconds, it is the slowest car on our list, but this car is not about winning drag races. It is for going on a comfortable cruise (with the top down if you select the convertible variant) and looking good while doing it. The IS 500 F Sport Performance is a couple of ticks quicker and, being a sedan, is much more practical. And with a starting price of just over $60K, it is also a little more than half that of the LC 500. But no matter which model you go with, they will both offer plenty of V8 excitement.
Image: Lexus
10. Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid
By the time you say Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid the car is going 60 mph. You want some stats? 771 horsepower. 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, a 10.8 second quarter mile and a top speed of 202 mph. The 4.0L V8 makes 591 horsepower on its own. The remaining horses come from an electric motor. The car also comes with Porsche Active Ride which keeps the body completely flat during cornering, accelerating and braking. With a starting price that is $4,000 more than a 911 GT3, the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid is not cheap. But the GT3 doesn’t have a V8, and your friends won’t be happy sitting in the back of it either.
Image: Porsche