The Smartest Electric Vehicle (EV) Stocks to Buy With $1,000 Right Now

With proper insight and timing, an investor could have profited mightily from electric vehicle (EV) sector in recent years. For instance, had you invested $1,000 into Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) when its shares went public in June 2010, you'd have more than $156,000 today. Nowadays, many investors are looking for the next Tesla. If that's your goal, pay attention to the two companies on this list.

Looking for the next Tesla? Here it is.

While many investors are looking for the next Tesla, it's fair to mention that it's still possible to invest in the original Tesla today. The company has a gargantuan $850 billion market value, but that shouldn't stop you from jumping in.

There are two reasons to believe the stock still has plenty of long-term upside. First, shares are cheaper today than they have been in years. That's due to a massive dip in revenue growth. Earlier this year, Tesla actually experienced a decline in companywide revenue. As a result, Tesla's price-to-sales ratio has fallen from the mid 20s to under 10. To be sure, that's still expensive, but it's a bargain relative to the company's history.

A cheap valuation on paper, however, is only attractive if you believe the company is about to turn the corner. Take note of the chart below. Tesla has experienced massive dips in revenue growth before, with its valuation usually following suit. A huge reason that things turned around was a jump in electric vehicle sales, as well as the introduction of new models like the Model 3 and Model Y -- both of which resulted in sales spikes that persisted for several years.

According to Bloomberg, "Electric vehicle deliveries have been essentially flat since early 2023, and that's not likely to change anytime soon." But fortunately, Tesla has something else up its sleeve. "Tesla's robotaxi event next week," Bloomberg reports, "will see Musk lean even harder into the narrative of self-driving vehicles, artificial intelligence and robots."

Am I buying into Tesla's robotaxi hype? Not just yet. But Musk has dreamed big before. Sometimes he delivers, and sometimes he doesn't, but it's often a smart move to back the horse with a winning track record. And despite the company's recent missteps, Tesla is still the company to bet on if you're bullish on EV stocks in general. But if you're looking for the most upside potential possible, the next stock on this list is for you.

TSLA PS Ratio data by YCharts

This EV stock has huge growth potential

While Tesla is still a great stock to bet on for those bullish on the EV space, its shares are still expensive and the company's biggest days of growth are likely behind it. Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) is in the opposite situation. Its biggest days of growth are very much ahead of it, and shares aren't as expensive as you'd think.

Earlier this year, for example, Rivian was posting revenue growth rates above 80% year over year. Those growth rates came at a time when Tesla's revenue base was actually shrinking. And while Rivian's growth rates have converged with Tesla's more recently, most of that has come from industry pressure and the maturation of its models.

This year, EV sales forecasts have been repeatedly trimmed industrywide, and Rivian's two existing models, the R1T and R1S, have already been on the market for several years. But that's all about to change.

TSLA PS Ratio data by YCharts

Earlier this year, Rivian announced three new models: the R2, R3, and R3X. All are expected to be priced under $50,000 -- the magic price point that EV makers need to sell beneath in order to market to mass audiences. Also, while EV sales in general have slowed this year, most long-term forecasts still predict massive growth in the years to come. Passenger EV sales are expected to surpass 30 million by 2027, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. And this figure should grow further to 73 million per year by 2040.

Rivian's new models aren't expected to hit the streets until 2026. That gives plenty of time for market conditions to improve as most forecasts predict. And in the meantime, investors can lock in a market capitalization of just $11 billion. That results in a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of only 2.1 for Rivian versus Tesla's premium P/S multiple of 8.8.

You'll need to be comfortable with volatility as Rivian attempts to ramp up its manufacturing capabilities, as well as market new models to a consumer base still skeptical of EVs. But if you truly want to invest in the next Tesla, Rivian has all the characteristics you'd want to see.

Should you invest $1,000 in Tesla right now?

Before you buy stock in Tesla, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Tesla wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $765,523!*

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of September 30, 2024

Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.