How much did a Ford Model T cost in todays money?
The Ford Model T’s base price in 1908 was about $850, which translates to roughly $27,000 in today’s dollars (about $28,000 in 2025 dollars) when adjusted for inflation. As Ford streamlined production through the 1910s and 1920s, the price fell to roughly $260–$290 by the mid-1920s. This article tracks those nominal prices and their contemporary equivalents to show how affordability shifted over the Model T’s heyday.
Nominal prices in the Model T era
The following historical price points illustrate how the Model T’s sticker price evolved as production scales up and the company pursued cost reductions.
Original price in 1908
The base Model T Runabout was priced at about $850 in 1908 dollars. When converted to today’s money using CPI-based inflation, that figure sits around $27,000 in 2024 dollars and about $28,000 in 2025 dollars, depending on the exact calculator used.
Key nominal price points
- 1908 base price: approximately $850
- Mid-1900s price adjustments varied by body style; base figure used here is the Runabout
The declines in price over the ensuing years reflected Ford’s mass-production efficiencies and broader market reach, not a change in the basic design of the car.
Mid-1920s nominal price
By the mid-1920s, the Model T could be found for about $260–$290 in nominal dollars. That drop in price was dramatic by contemporary standards and helped cement the Model T’s role as an affordable, widely accessible automobile.
Key nominal price points
- Nominal mid-1920s price: about $260–$290
These nominal prices provide the basis for inflation adjustments if you want to compare value across eras.
Inflation-adjusted equivalents (today’s money)
To understand how affordable the Model T was in today’s money, here are the inflation-adjusted equivalents for the key prices listed above. Note that inflation calculators can yield slightly different results depending on the index or base year chosen.
Inflation-adjusted value of the 1908 price
Adjusted to 2024 dollars, the $850 price from 1908 is about $27,000; in 2025 dollars, that figure is roughly $28,000.
Inflation-adjusted equivalents
- 1908 price ($850 in 1908): ≈ $27,000 (2024) / ≈ $28,000 (2025)
These figures illustrate how substantial money was in 1908, even for a mass-market vehicle, once adjusted for modern purchasing power.
Inflation-adjusted value of the 1920s price
Adjusted to 2024 dollars, the $260–$290 price from the mid-1920s is roughly $4,500–$5,200; in 2025 dollars, that range remains about $4,500–$5,200 depending on the calculator used.
Inflation-adjusted equivalents
- $260–$290 in 1925 ≈ $4,500–$5,200 (2025 dollars)
These modern equivalents highlight how dramatically the nominal price fell while the car’s role as an affordable, mass-market vehicle grew.
Summary
In nominal dollars, the Ford Model T started at about $850 in 1908 and declined to roughly $260–$290 by the mid-1920s. When expressed in today’s money, that initial price corresponds to about $27,000–$28,000, while the later price translates to roughly $4,500–$5,200 in 2025 dollars. The inflation-adjusted view underscores both the car’s increasing affordability over time and the powerful effect of mass production on price. For collectors today, the price of a Model T can vary widely based on condition, restoration quality, and provenance, but the historical prices provide insight into the car’s groundbreaking place in automotive history.
