How Much Is an Acura NSX Worth in 2026? A Sourced Value Guide to the First-Generation NA1 and NA2

The NSX question has a clean answer and two traps. One badge covers two engines across fourteen years, and the cars most people search for are not the cars that set the records.

How much is an Acura NSX worth in 2026?

A good, honest, documented first-generation Acura NSX with a manual gearbox is worth about $90,000 in 2026, with most sales falling between roughly $65,000 and $150,000. The split that sets the price is the engine and the gearbox: an earlier NA1 (3.0-litre, pop-up headlights) with the 5-speed manual sits lower, and a later NA2 (3.2-litre, 6-speed manual) sits well above it. The 4-speed automatic is a materially cheaper car in either era. The very best unmodified low-mileage NA2 cars have pushed past $300,000 at auction. Two markets are separate and far dearer: the JDM NSX-R and the 51-car US Zanardi Edition. The 2017 to 2022 second-generation NSX is a different car entirely and is not part of these numbers.

Last updated July 2026. Figures are a Molly's estimate drawn from public auction results, not asking prices. The NA1 and NA2, the manual and the automatic, and the halo cars are valued separately. Methodology and sources are below.

Acura NSX value at a glance

The NSX name covers two mechanically distinct cars over one long production run, and blending them produces a number that fits neither. This page values the first-generation manual coupe as the headline cohort, because that is the car the market chases, and keeps the automatic, the JDM halo cars, and the second-generation car separate.

Basis: public auction results, 2022 to 2026, aggregated by The Classic Valuer plus the dated lots named below. The Classic Valuer puts the all-market NSX median near £59,460 (about $79,000) across 463 recorded sales, a figure that spans every year, both engines, and both gearboxes. The single largest lever inside that number is which engine and which gearbox the car has, followed by whether it is original and unmodified. Honda built roughly 18,685 first-generation NSXs from 1990 to 2005, of which about 8,997 came to the United States as Acuras.

Acura NSX value by condition, originality, and mileage

Condition, originality, and documented mileage set where in the band an NSX lands, and originality does more work here than the general guides admit. These are aluminum-bodied cars with a belt-driven V6, so two service and structural questions sit behind every price: the timing-belt history and whether the aluminum body has been damaged and repaired. A car with a fresh, documented belt service and no accident history is worth real money more than the same car with an unknown belt date or a repaired shell.

Two NSXs at the same mileage can trade tens of thousands apart, and the reason is almost always which engine and gearbox it is, whether it is unmodified, and whether the belt service is current. A thin documentation trail is a discount you can see in the results, the same pattern that governs a missing service history as a signal. On a hand-assembled aluminum car, the file that proves the body is straight and the belt is fresh is the diligence story.

The load-bearing split: NA1 vs NA2, and manual vs automatic

This is the part of NSX value the general guides flatten. The first-generation car came two ways under the hood and two ways at the gearbox, and those combinations do not trade together. Get this split right before you anchor on any number, because pricing an early NA1 automatic against a late NA2 6-speed is a six-figure error.

The NA1 cars (1991 to 2001 in the US) use the 3.0-litre C30A V6 and wear the pop-up headlights that define the early look. The NA2 cars (2002 to 2005 in the US, though the 3.2-litre engine and 6-speed arrived in 1997) use the larger C32B V6 with the 6-speed manual and, from 2002, fixed headlights. Hagerty's valuation read makes the gap plain, putting a good early NA1 coupe near $73,000 against a good NA2 near $125,000. The lesson is the one that governs the bifurcated Ferrari F40 market: a single model name can hide two or three markets, and pricing a car against the wrong one is a large mistake. Confirm the engine code, the gearbox, and the model year before you anchor.

The manual and low-mileage premium

The manual gearbox is the single most valuable ordinary option on a first-generation NSX, and within the manual cars the later NA2 6-speed is the one the market chases. The 4-speed automatic, a torque-converter unit paired with a lower-output version of the V6, sits materially below a comparable manual even in the same condition. As the magazine buyer guides put it, the automatic misses the point of the car, and the results agree.

The bigger 2026 story is what unmodified low mileage now commands. Because these cars were fast, reliable, and usable, many were driven hard or modified, which makes a stock, low-mileage, documented example the scarce configuration. The first NSX to cross $300,000 on Bring a Trailer was a silver 2005 NA2 with about 2,000 miles at $315,000 in December 2024. A one-owner 2005 NSX-T in Rio Yellow with 4,200 miles and the 6-speed cleared $310,000 on Bring a Trailer in May 2026, a sale that made headlines mostly for a six-figure bidding typo that the platform resolved offline. Never assume a car is original and unmodified on the listing photos alone; the belt service, the body history, and the modification file are a records check, not a glance.

The halo cars: NSX-R and Zanardi, kept separate

Two first-generation cars sit in their own air and should never be averaged into an ordinary NSX figure. The Japanese-market NSX-R is the hardcore, stripped, track-focused version, built in two waves: the NA1 R from 1992 to 1995 (about 483 cars) and the far rarer NA2 R from 2002 to 2005 (about 140 cars). These are a separate stratosphere. The Classic Valuer records an NSX-R median near £281,340 (about $375,000) across a thin ten-sale set, with results from roughly $385,000 to a £794,219 (about $1,010,000) Broad Arrow sale in May 2025. Pin the exact R variant from the chassis before you even think about a number, because the NA1 R and NA2 R trade hundreds of thousands apart.

The US Alex Zanardi Edition is the domestic special: 51 cars for 1999, Formula Red over Onyx, fixed roof for rigidity, and lightweight touches. It is rare but not an NSX-R. Its records are lower and set by provenance: the standing high is $282,017 for chassis 51, the last built and gifted to a factory racer, at a 2020 Bring a Trailer sale that Hagerty reported as roughly double the prior Zanardi record of about $140,000.

One more separation matters for searchers. The second-generation NSX (NC1, 2017 to 2022) is a twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid, a completely different car on a different platform, and it trades in its own market (used cars broadly in the low-to-mid six figures, with the 2022 Type S commanding a premium over its roughly $170,000 sticker). Its values are not blended into anything on this page. This guide is about the first-generation NA1 and NA2 only. The same discipline applies across the JDM analog-supercar field, from the MK4 Toyota Supra to the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R: name the exact car before you name a price.

What drives a first-generation NSX's value

Six levers explain almost every dollar of difference between two first-generation NSXs.

NA1 versus NA2. This is the dominant ordinary lever. The later 3.2-litre NA2 with the 6-speed manual trades well above the earlier 3.0-litre NA1. Get the engine code and year right first.

Manual versus automatic. Within either engine, the manual is the car the market wants. The 4-speed automatic is a cheaper car even in the same condition and mileage.

Originality and modifications. These cars invite tuning and hard use, so an unmodified, stock, documented example is the scarce configuration and carries a clear premium. Reversible bolt-ons hurt less than engine and drivetrain changes.

Mileage and the paperwork behind it. Low, documented mileage on an original car sits in its own air, as the past two years of $300,000-plus NA2 results show. Undocumented mileage is a discount.

Timing-belt and aluminum-body history. The V6 is belt-driven and the shell is aluminum. A fresh, documented belt service and a body with no accident-and-repair history are both worth real money, because a buyer otherwise prices in the work and the risk.

Which market and which variant. US Acura, JDM Honda, NSX-R, or Zanardi are separate lanes. A JDM import widens the pool but adds title and originality diligence; an NSX-R or Zanardi is a different market entirely.

Acura NSX price trajectory

The NSX spent two decades as an attainable everyday supercar, the reliable alternative to a temperamental European exotic, and that reputation kept prices flat for years. The market re-rated hard from about 2020 through 2023, when clean, original cars, and especially low-mileage NA2 6-speeds, began pulling away from the pack.

The 2026 read is a bifurcation, not a uniform rise. Ordinary drivers, automatics, and higher-mileage NA1 cars remain relatively attainable, with good early manuals still available in the $65,000 to $110,000 band. The action is at the top: unmodified low-mileage NA2 cars crossed $300,000 for the first time in late 2024 and have stayed there, and the JDM NSX-R reached roughly a million dollars at Broad Arrow in 2025. The premium the market pays for originality and documented low mileage has widened, which is the whole story. The same discipline that separates a real analog-era halo from the pack applies here as it does to the Ferrari F40: price the specific car, not the badge.

Recent Acura and Honda NSX sales: a dated, sourced ledger

The numbers above rest on results like these. Each row pairs a price with the venue, the date, and the car, so the figure is checkable rather than asserted. Non-USD results are converted at approximate sale-date rates and flagged, the variant is noted so the markets stay separate, and rows sourced to an aggregator reflect that page's recorded figure rather than a primary lot page.

Rows marked approximate are converted from GBP at near-sale-date rates and, where sourced to an aggregator, reflect that page's recorded figure rather than a primary lot page. The $370,000 car is a modified outlier and the halo NSX-R and Zanardi rows are separate markets; none should be averaged into an ordinary NSX figure.

How The Molly Report values an NSX

This page is a labeled Molly's estimate, and the distinction matters. Our Ferrari F40 value guide rests on a proprietary 47-car comp ledger; this NSX read is built from public auction results, the aggregate sale records at The Classic Valuer plus the dated lots cited above. It is a market summary, not a proprietary verified band, and it is labeled that way on purpose.

The firewall is the same one we apply everywhere: facts are sourced and dated, opinion is labeled as opinion, the NA1 and NA2 and the manual and automatic are never blended into one number, and the NSX-R, the Zanardi Edition, and the second-generation car are each kept in their own lane. This is informational, it is not a professional appraisal, and it is not investment advice; values move with the market, and the figures here are dated and sourced so you can check them.

For the car in front of you, the cohort number is the start, not the answer. Confirm the engine code and model year, confirm the gearbox, read the modification and body-repair history, verify the timing-belt service and the mileage, and price that specific car on its own spec and file.

Acura NSX quick spec reference

The NSX was Honda's mid-engine, aluminum-bodied answer to the European supercar, developed with input from Ayrton Senna and built to be as usable as it was fast. It became a cult everyday exotic well before the market caught up to it.

Configuration details and running changes are best confirmed against the specific car's records; general model background and production figures are per Wikipedia's first-generation Honda NSX entry) and the marque buyer guides cited above.

FAQ

How much is a first-generation Acura NSX worth in 2026?

A good, documented first-generation NSX with a manual gearbox is worth about $90,000 in 2026, with most sales between roughly $65,000 and $150,000. Early NA1 manuals sit lower, later NA2 6-speeds sit higher, and the best unmodified low-mileage NA2 cars have crossed $300,000.

What is the difference between an NA1 and an NA2 NSX?

The NA1 (1991 to 2001 in the US) uses the 3.0-litre C30A V6, a 5-speed manual, and pop-up headlights. The NA2 uses the larger 3.2-litre C32B V6 with a 6-speed manual (from 1997) and, from 2002, fixed headlights. The NA2 6-speed is the more valuable car, and Hagerty reads a good NA2 near $125,000 against a good NA1 near $73,000.

Is the manual NSX worth more than the automatic?

Yes. Within either engine, the manual is the car the market chases, and the 6-speed NA2 manual is the most valuable ordinary configuration. The 4-speed automatic uses a lower-output version of the V6 and trades materially below a comparable manual in the same condition.

What is the most expensive first-generation NSX ever sold?

Among ordinary market cars, unmodified low-mileage NA2 examples have crossed $300,000, including a 2005 at $315,000 on Bring a Trailer in December 2024. A modified 2002 with a Comptech supercharger reached $370,000 in April 2025. The JDM NSX-R is a separate market and has reached roughly $1,010,000, and the standing Zanardi Edition record is $282,017.

Is the JDM NSX-R part of these values?

No. The NSX-R is the hardcore Japanese-market variant, built in two waves (about 483 NA1 cars and about 140 NA2 cars), and it trades in a separate stratosphere from roughly $385,000 to about $1,010,000. It should never be averaged into an ordinary NSX figure, and the NA1 R and NA2 R trade hundreds of thousands apart.

What is the Zanardi Edition and what is it worth?

The Alex Zanardi Edition is a US special: 51 cars for 1999 in Formula Red with a fixed roof and lightweight touches. It is rare but not an NSX-R. Its standing record is $282,017 for the last car built, sold in 2020, roughly double the prior Zanardi high of about $140,000.

Is the second-generation NSX the same market?

No. The 2017 to 2022 second-generation NSX (NC1) is a twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid on a different platform and trades in its own market, broadly in the low-to-mid six figures for used cars. None of its values are blended into the first-generation numbers on this page.

Why does originality matter so much on an NSX?

Because these cars were fast, reliable, and usable, many were driven hard or modified, which makes a stock, unmodified, low-mileage, documented example the scarce configuration. That originality, plus a fresh timing-belt service and a straight aluminum body with no accident-and-repair history, is what the top of the market pays for.

Is a first-generation Acura NSX a good investment?

The Molly Report does not give investment advice. As market fact, unmodified low-mileage NA2 6-speed cars have appreciated sharply and crossed $300,000 since 2024, while ordinary NA1 drivers and automatics remain far more attainable and have been steadier; values swing on engine, gearbox, originality, mileage, and service history, any of which can move the same badge by six figures.

In summary, a good, documented first-generation Acura NSX with a manual gearbox is worth about $90,000 in 2026, with most sales between roughly $65,000 and $150,000. The load-bearing splits are the engine and the gearbox: the later NA2 3.2-litre 6-speed trades well above the earlier NA1, the automatic sits below both, and the best unmodified low-mileage NA2 cars have crossed $300,000. Three markets stay separate: the JDM NSX-R from about $385,000 to a million dollars, the 51-car US Zanardi Edition around $140,000 to $282,000, and the second-generation NC1 in its own lane entirely. One badge, several cars, and the whole skill is telling them apart, confirming the engine, gearbox, and service file, and pricing off the documented comps rather than a blended average.