The Best Convertibles In 2025

The convertible market ain’t what it once was. Long gone are the days when nigh-on every mainstream manufacturer was selling at least one ‘coupe-cabriolet’ with an ungainly and leak-prone folding metal roof – and frankly, that’s probably for the best.

The drop-top generally, though, like so many other classes of car, has fallen out of favour, as all the world’s car-buying habits become increasingly homogenous, boring and crossover-ish. Attempts to combine these things result in stuff like the VW T-Roc Cabrio, and the less said about that, the better.

However, like hot hatches and sports cars – other genres fighting for survival amid the crossoverisation of the world – the convertibles that have held out are better than ever, especially now that the more elegant fabric soft-top can be just as refined and easy to operate as a clunky folding hard-top. Here are our favourite drop tops on the market in 2025.

Mazda MX-5

Could we begin literally anywhere else? The reason the Mazda MX-5 has endured for over 35 years is because it’s stuck to what makes it brilliant: that perfect blend of lightweight, fizzy engine, beautifully balanced handling and friendly looks.

As a convertible, too, it could teach a few others a thing or two. There’s no waiting around for a sluggish electric roof to do its thing – just unclip a single latch, throw it back, and you’ve got infinite headroom at your disposal. What a joy. Although we wouldn’t begrudge you if you got the folding targa-roofed RF either, because it looks excellent.

Best of all, with a starting price comfortably under £30k, it’s still reasonably affordable. A new one is in the works, and it sounds like it won’t deviate far from what makes the MX-5 brilliant. Long may it reign.

Aston Martin Vantage Roadster

The latest Aston Martin Vantage is one of the company’s best products in years – perhaps even ever – finally giving the ‘baby’ of the range the sort of top-class driving experience to match its gorgeous looks.

The Roadster barely loses out to the coupe in terms of stiffness or weight, and adds a whole lot of extra drama, plus more opportunities to hear that staggering NASCAR-meets-Spitfire soundtrack. Oh yeah, and it might even be better looking as a convertible too. Starting at around £180k, it ain’t cheap, but then there aren’t many better convertible super sports cars around right now.

Porsche 718 Boxster

The Porsche 718 Boxster has been around for nine years now, and underneath, it’s largely the same as the 981 Boxster that debuted way back in 2012. It’s that age, though, that makes it so enthralling. There aren’t many cars built like this anymore, especially if you opt for the GTS 4.0 version with a manual gearbox. It’s as old-school as sports cars come in 2025.

Then there’s the equal parts sensational and scary Spyder RS, which gives you a good idea of what it might be like driving a car after necking seven double espressos – in the best possible way. The current 718 is set to die this year, so if you’re after one new, get it while you can – you won’t regret it.

Maserati GranCabrio

Maserati may have had its fair share of trouble lately, but the fact is that its cars are the best they’ve been in years. Best of the bunch for our money are the GranTurismo and GranCabrio twins, the latter of which pairs genuine room for four with elegant looks, a lithe chassis and one of the coolest badges in the business.

Powertrain choice is between a throaty twin-turbo V6 or the 751bhp all-electric Folgore. We’d still pick the V6 in a heartbeat, but the EV powertrain works in a convertible a lot better than it does in the GranCabrio, where it can feel a little soulless.

Ford Mustang Convertible

We should count ourselves lucky that the Ford Mustang – a naturally aspirated, manual V8 muscle car – still exists in 2025, and even luckier that we can buy it in right-hand drive form in Britain.

This generation of Mustang as a whole is more serious about performance than any other before, but the Convertible still offers a more laid-back, arm-on-the-windowsill vibe. Head along the A39 from Barnstaple to Minehead in one of these, and you could almost be tricked into thinking it was the Pacific Coast Highway. Maybe.

Mercedes CLE Cabriolet

For laid-back, top-down wafting, though, you won’t do much better than the Mercedes CLE. Designed to replace the coupe and convertible versions of both the C- and E-Classes, it’s perhaps the most chilled-out, refined cruiser on this list. As long as you steer clear of the diesel.

No, we’d go for the straight-six equipped CLE 450 Cabriolet. You can get a more potent six-pot in the form of the AMG CLE 53, but we reckon that’s best left to the coupe. Just relax, keep yourself nice and cosy with the latest version of Merc’s ‘Airscarf’ neck warmer, pop some yacht rock on the radio and lean into your inner moderately successful Florida dentist.

Morgan Supersport

Like your convertibles with bits of tree in them? Allow us to introduce Morgan’s latest car, the Supersport, which, yes, still has a wooden frame. It also sits on an ultra-modern aluminium chassis, gets a bang up-to-date BMW engine, and is the most serious sports car the little Worcestershire company’s ever made.

It falls down a little in terms of actual convertible stuff, because putting the roof down, or especially back up, is a bit more of a hassle than pressing a button or reaching behind you and buckling a single latch. But if owning a convertible is all about making every journey an event, then the added theatre of the whole Morgan thing is hard to beat.

BMW Z4

Traditionally, at this point, we’d have pointed you in the direction of the BMW Z4’s twin, the Toyota GR Supra, but there are two problems. One, the Supra’s gone off sale in the UK, and two, it never came as a convertible.

Besides, with the Supra gone, now really seems like the third-gen Z4’s time to shine. A host of marginal tweaks, and one big one – the arrival of a three-pedal, six-cylinder version in the form of the Handschalter pack – have made it a better car than ever quite late into its life. It probably won’t be around for much longer, but it’s going out on a high.

Mini Convertible

A convertible has been integral to the reborn Mini for over 20 years now, and that’s no different with the fourth-gen car. Despite growing slightly in size and losing a manual gearbox, it’s still fundamentally a convertible Mini, which means it still has tight, darty steering, the ability to only partially roll back the fabric roof and a borderline useless pair of back seats.

Should it take your fancy, the latest Mini Convertible also comes as one of a comparatively small number of electric convertibles on the market right now, in addition to three flavours of petrol power – C, S and JCW. Whatever powertrain you go for, you’ll be getting a zippy little drop-top, albeit one slightly hampered by a less-than-optimal interior layout.

Bentley Continental GTC

Forget about the fact that the fourth-generation Bentley Continental has lost the big, stately W12 engine that was the car’s USP for over four decades. The new powertrain, which pairs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with a plug-in hybrid system, is properly excellent.

The drop-top GTC is arguably the most appealing of the lot – with the roof up, four layers of insulation ensure it’s almost as much a capsule of tranquillity as the coupe, and with it down, it’s perhaps the ultimate car to be seen in. It’s the most athletic of its lineage, too, and can genuinely entertain on a twisty road in a way its predecessors rarely have.