What was General Motors's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2018?

General Motors's CAGR from 2018 to September 2026 was 9.5% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. However, this came with substantially higher volatility and drawdown risk.

How does General Motors compare to the S&P 500 since 2018?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2018 would be worth approximately $3,301.62 today. General Motors underperformed the S&P 500 by $1,095.27.

How much of the General Motors gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $1,206.36 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $2,025.40. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,919.24, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in General Motors since 2018?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2018, the real purchasing-power value of the General Motors position is approximately $1,699.44 in 2018 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did General Motors perform in 2018?

General Motors fell 16% during 2018, from $36.49 at the start of the year to $30.57 at the start of 2019.

What If You Invested $1,000 in General Motors in 2018?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$2,206

+$1,206 profit2.21x9.5% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $3,302

Its shares paid about $18.91 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$2,025

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$2,206.36

Total Profit

$1,206.36

Multiplier

2.21x

CAGR

9.5%

Max Drawdown

-51.9%

Inflation-Adjusted

$1,699.44

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2018 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
General Motors	$2,206.36	2.21x
S&P 500	$3,301.62	3.30x
Gold	$3,224.25	3.22x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,189.05	1.19x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 27.40 shares you'd own now paid about $18.91 in dividends (about $1.58 a month). That's 1.9% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $1,926; reinvested dividends added the other $280.21, 23% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2018

In November 2018, GM announced a restructuring that cut its workforce by 15%, closed five plants and discontinued models including the Chevrolet Volt. fortune.com
In 2018, a gallon of gas averaged $2.72, a movie ticket averaged $9.11 and the new iPhone XS started at $999. eia.gov apple.com hollywoodreporter.com
During 2018 itself, General Motors fell 16%, #68 of the 94 investments we track. The best was The Trade Desk (+150%); the worst was Cardano (−94%). Full 2018 results →

$1,000 in General Motors, year by year

Of the 94 investments we track that were available at the start of 2018, General Motors ranks #65 by growth to today — just behind Bank of America and ahead of Salesforce. See the full 2018 ranking →

General Motors started 2018 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 24% in 2017. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at 4 of the 8 Januaries since, and has been above it since the start of 2025. Today's $2,206 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 6 of the 8 full years since. It has trailed the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still does. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from May 2021 ($1,560) to Oct 2023 ($751.03), a drop of 52%. At its lowest month-end, in Mar 2020, it was worth $546.65.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2018	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2019	$838	−16%	$956
Start of 2020	$970	+16%	$1,257
Start of 2021	$1,064	+9.7%	$1,489
Start of 2022	$1,607	+51%	$1,916
Start of 2023	$892	−44%	$1,569
Start of 2024	$961	+7.7%	$1,981
Start of 2025	$1,384	+44%	$2,477
Start of 2026	$2,205	+59%	$2,920
Today	$2,206	+0.1%	$3,302

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2018, General Motors was priced at $36.49 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 27.40 shares. General Motors makes Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick vehicles. Its current shares began trading in November 2010.

Measured from one January to the next, General Motors's best year since then was 2025 (+59%) and its worst was 2022 (−44%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2022 and the start of 2023, the position fell 44% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in General Motors at the start of 2018 would be worth approximately $2,206.36 today — a 2.21x return ($1,206.36 profit) over 8.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2018 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2018 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.