My Top 5 Hot Wheels Premium Models of 2025

I’ve been making Top 5 lists for a few years now, and usually they’re pretty easy to put together.  There may be one or two models that don’t quite make the cut, but my favorites for the year are usually pretty obvious.  This year’s Hot Wheels premium list is without a doubt the hardest Top 5 list I’ve ever had to pick.  Hot Wheels knocked it out of the park with so many of their Car Culture models this year that I could have easily made this a top ten list instead, but after more deliberation than I’d like to admit to, I’ve narrowed it down to five. 

First, the rules: to be eligible for this list, a casting has to be new for the 2025 line and I have to have it in hand.  That means some otherwise promising models like the Lamborghini Temerario and the new-to-premium R35 GT-R are ineligible because they haven’t made it to stores yet, despite being part of the 2025 line.  Everything else is fair game, so let’s jump right in! 

#5: 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series

That sure is a mouthful of a name for an awesome car, but I couldn’t have asked for a better debut deco for this casting.  This metallic silver is basically the trademark color of AMG models, and it’s a perfect match for the one Jeremy Clarkson drove on Top Gear.  It’s beautifully detailed, with perfect alignment and even silver exhaust tips!  Hot Wheels even managed to capture this car’s drool-worthy fender flares without ruining the wheel fitment. 

I’ve appreciated the rapidly growing roster of “Muscle Mercs” in the Hot Wheels lineup, and this CLK63 might just be the coolest of them all.  It’s the rare example of a car that nearly all automotive journalists seem to agree on, and I’m happy to report that this won’t be the last we see of this casting.  Hot Wheels has already previewed an upcoming white recolor for the 2026 line, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!  For more of my thoughts, check out my full feature on this model here. 

#4: Audi RS6 Avant

Hot Wheels calls this the RS6 Avant, but Audi fans will immediately recognize this model as an RS6 GT.  The GT was a special edition version of the RS6 with design cues meant to pay homage to the Audi 90 Quattro IMSA race car, hence the bold color scheme.  While I’m normally not a fan of crazy liveries like this on my Hot Wheels cars, this one works for me.  That’s partly because it’s based on a real car that you can (at least theoretically) actually see out in the world, and partly because Audi’s Quattro colors are such an iconic part of the brand.  Plus, any white car with white wheels is inherently cool, right? 

In typical Hot Wheels premium fashion, the inkjet printing for the deco is a bit more pixelated than I would like, but I think it’s worth it to get this incredibly cool livery.  This is actually the rare case where I prefer the regular model to the chase version!  

Though without the crazy deco, the chase version does a far better job of showing off the quality of this casting.  The proportions and wheel fitment look great, and I’m particularly fond of the way the RS6’s exaggerated rear bumper has been captured on this model.  Despite the GT livery it debuts in, this casting is actually modeled after a regular RS6 (the RS6 GT has a different front bumper), which means there is a potential for us to see more of this casting in a clean deco in the future!  I hope we do, because there are few cooler cars in this world than a fast Audi wagon! 

#3: Koenigsegg CCXR

A crazy Swedish supercar might just be one of the few cars that is cooler than a fast Audi wagon.  Unfortunately, we’ve been without a truly great Koenigsegg casting in the Hot Wheels lineup for quite some time.  Sure, the Agera R casting exists, but it’s cartoonishly ill-proportioned and just not a good rendition of the car it’s claiming to be.  This year’s CCXR finally rights the Agera’s wrongs. 

I wrote a deep dive comparison between the Agera and CCXR, so I won’t rehash too much of it here.  In short, the CCXR features a longer wheel base, taller windows, and a deeper vent in the door.  Plus, being a Ron Wong creation, it features better mirrors than we typically see from even the most expensive Hot Wheels RLC models!

This CCXR is technically a Fast & Furious tie-in, but you’d never know it.  It wears a gorgeous shade of paint and has none of the early-2000’s graphics that ruined so many of the iconic Fast & Furious cars.  Instead, the printing budget has been used to give the CCXR every bit of detailing I could ask for.  A rear license plate, silver exhaust detailing, side markers, even a splash of green on the CCXR badge – it’s all here and accounted for.  I can’t think of a better way to debut this long-overdue model. 

#2: Lexus LFA

The CCXR isn’t the only long-overdue supercar to finally make an appearance in the Hot Wheels lineup!  An astonishing 15 years after the car’s debut (feel old yet?) the Lexus LFA finally makes its way to Hot Wheels thanks to this year’s Timeless Icons set.  Unlike Matchbox’s pitiful attempt at an LFA, this Hot Wheels version is everything I wanted it to be!  It’s very well detailed, and the LFA’s notoriously tricky proportions have been translated well into 1/64 scale.  

It’s cool to see the LFA with its deployable spoiler in the up position – I don’t think I’ve ever seen another model with that feature!  The spoiler may be a bit on the thick side, but it provides a nice way to differentiate this model from its Matchbox counterpart.  The white-on-red color scheme is a little on the boring side, but I understand why Hot Wheels chose to debut the LFA in its most recognizable paint color.  Personally, I prefer my LFA’s in yellow or blue, so I hope we don’t have to wait too long to get some recolors of this excellent model! 

#1: Ferrari LaFerrari

Let’s be honest, the LaFerrari was always going to be the model of the year, wasn’t it?  When this casting debuted, I declared it the most important premium model of the year, and I stand by that assessment.  The Hot Wheels 2025 line is defined by the return of the Ferrari license, and while the LaFerrari wasn’t technically the first Ferrari casting to be released, it feels like the first one to really show off what Hot Wheels can do with a Ferrari.  

No expense was spared when it comes to detailing on this model.  Even among the rest of the premium models, this LaFerrari feels like a step above.  Its defining feature is without a doubt its mirrors.  They stick out from the interior through the windows, which has to be one of the most clever bits of casting design I’ve ever seen from Hot Wheels.  I love innovative design features like this, and I hope we see this technique used to bring crazy mirrors to more exotic cars. 

The attention to detail doesn’t stop at the mirrors, as printed detailing was used liberally throughout this model.  I find the color match between the printed red and the painted red particularly impressive, and it helps make this model feel very cohesive.  It’s great to see a diecast Ferrari with rear detailing, since it’s always missing from mainline Ferraris thanks to the Ferrari shield on the fenders.  Even the roof is printed black, rather than relying on a rough texture like so many other models. 

I can’t escape the feeling that Hot Wheels was showing off with this model, and it seems I wasn’t the only one who was impressed with it because it was nearly impossible to find in stores.  Many collectors were disappointed that the LaFerrari wasn’t chosen as the chase model in its set, and while I also would have loved to see a black version of this casting, I take solace in the knowledge that the LeFerrari is returning for the 2026 Exotic Envy set.  When Hot Wheels chose not to make this model the chase, I was worried that it might be due to the model’s high cost to produce, and that we might not see much of this casting as a result.  Knowing that it’s making a return so soon is incredibly exciting, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this casting! 

Careful readers may have noticed something about this list: it’s composed entirely of Ron Wong castings.  I assure you it wasn’t intentional, but Ron Wong has been a driving force behind Hot Wheels premium this year and it shows.  Plus, he and I seem to have very similar tastes in cars, which has helped reinvigorate my love for the Car Culture line that had strayed a little too 90’s JDM for my tastes in recent years. 

There were still so many other excellent new models released this year though, and it would be a disservice not to give them at least a bit of attention in this list.  That’s right – it’s honorable mention time!  In any less impressive year, many of these models likely would have been the best of the best.  So, in no particular order:

Honorable Mention #1: Liberty Walk McLaren 720S

Hot Wheels seems to be in its widebody era lately, and this 720S is one of the best.  While I’m not crazy about widebodied cars like this, I have to admit that it’s well executed.  The rear wheel fitment is particularly impressive, as the wheels sit perfectly under those giant flared fenders.  This 720’s wheel fitment makes me wonder why Hot Wheels struggles so much with wheel fitment on castings like the Lamborghini Aventador.  The metallic teal paint is very pretty, though I don’t like the carbon fiber hood, and the front splitter looks a bit too thick and chunky.  Ultimately, it’s not really my kind of car, but it’s cool to see Hot Wheels replicating a modified car like this, and I think it adds some much needed diversity to the lineup. 

Honorable Mention #2: Bugatti Veyron

This is now the third time Hot Wheels has attempted to model a Bugatti Veyron, and I’m happy to report that they’ve finally nailed it!  The proportions look correct (the grille section specifically is massively improved compared to previous Veyrons) and the deco is super cool.  This has been one of my favorite cars to take pictures of this year, and I’m thrilled to have a proper Veyron casting in my collection.  However, this casting has had a few outings already in the silver series, so even though it’s technically new to premium this year, it didn’t feel right to have it kick another model off the Top 5 list.  It’s definitely worthy of an honorable mention though, and I hope we see many more recolors in the future.  At the very least, we need the iconic black and orange SuperSport livery, don’t you think? 

Honorable Mention #3: Maserati MC20

Ferrari wasn’t the only license to return to Mattel this year – we also saw the return of Maserati!  While the Shamal in the mainline wasn’t very interesting to me, this MC20 in the Boulevard line is much more my style!  It may not make the sonorous V8 noises that Maserati is famous for, but the MC20 has proper supercar looks and makes for a great diecast model.  Detailing on this MC20 is great, with a perfectly aligned Maserati badge on the front grille and tons of printing on the rear.  I especially like the Maserati trident logo that’s molded into the engine cover!

Sadly, the MC20 doesn’t get any fancy mirrors like the LaFerrari, and its construction is comparatively simple, which makes me wonder if we might see this MC20 in the mainline eventually.  After all, it’s already been used as a Brick Shop model where it received premium printed detailing but mainline wheels (though I haven’t managed to talk myself into spending $22 just for that model yet).  Wherever it appears next, I hope Hot Wheels chooses to embrace some of the crazy colors that are available on the 1:1 MC20.  Personally, one of my favorites is Digital Mint, though there’s no shortage of other adventurous options!  

Honorable Mention #4: 2021 BMW M5

This stealthy BMW performance sedan comes to us via the Pop Culture line.  I’ve never seen Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, but I’m glad it used an M5 somewhere on screen so that we could get this excellent diecast version!  The casting looks great, though I don’t really like the look of this metallic gray.  It has too much metal flake and just doesn’t look quite right to my eye.  The dark color also hides a lot of the printed detailing on this model, so I’m hoping to see this casting make an appearance in a better color in a future Deutschland Designs set. 

Honorable Mention #5: 2007 Honda Civic Type R

As one of the few remaining Type R’s not to have a Hot Wheels version, it felt like a natural fit to add this 2007 model to the lineup.  This generation Type R isn’t a car that I personally lust after, but it was clearly a passion project for the Hot Wheels team, because it’s hard to find fault with this model.  It scales nicely with the rest of the Civic Type R’s and has a plastic spoiler that avoids being too oversized.  I love the California-style license plates, and the inclusion of black detailing on the roof seams is a nice touch!  With all the JDM hype among Hot Wheels collectors, it’s no surprise that this was one of the most popular models in the Ronin Run set. 

This really was a banner year for the Hot Wheels premium line, and it already looks like they are set to carry this momentum into next year!  There are plenty of exciting models to look forward to in 2026, so I hope next year’s Top 5 is just as tricky to choose as this year’s was!  In the meantime, if you want a little blast from the past, check out my Top 5 lists from the last few years.