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Mazda MX-5 (ND)
MX-5 Miata soft top, fourth generation, 2016 model year onward
The quickest roof on this list: unlatch one handle, push the cloth top back over your shoulder, and it is down in about three seconds without leaving your seat. That ease is the whole point, because you end up dropping it for a ten-minute errand. Weighing well under 2,500 pounds, it is fun at 35 mph, not only on a mountain road. The trade-offs are real: the trunk holds about 4.6 cubic feet, enough for two soft bags but not a suitcase, and a cloth top is a wear item that fades and can tear with age. It starts at around $32,000 new, including delivery.
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Mazda MX-5 (ND)
MX-5 Miata RF, power retractable fastback, 2017 model year onward
The RF swaps cloth for a power-folding hard roof that stows in about 13 seconds at the push of a button, leaving the rear buttresses in place. With the roof open it feels closer to a T-top than a true roadster, but a hard roof stands up better to years of parking outside, and its trunk, at about 4.5 cubic feet, is almost exactly the soft top's size. Expect to pay about $2,700 more than a soft-top Grand Touring and to carry about 100 extra pounds. Choose it if the car lives on the street or you want a snug coupe on cool mornings; choose the soft top if you want the full sky.
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Mazda MX-5 (NC)
MX-5 Miata with the Power Retractable Hard Top, used, 2007 to 2015 model years
The used-market route to a hardtop Miata for a fraction of an RF's price. Mazda offered the third-generation car with a folding hard roof that cost little: roughly 80 pounds extra and no lost trunk space. You get a solid, quieter cabin for freeway stretches and street parking, with the same light, playful handling. Inspect carefully before buying: run the roof up and down several times, and look for rust inside and in front of the rear wheel arches and at the ends of the sills, the known weak spots on these cars.
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Fiat 124 Spider (2016)
Used, 2017 to 2020 model years
The MX-5's Italian cousin, built in the same Hiroshima factory and sharing much of its hardware, including the simple manual cloth roof. What changes is the character: a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine with 184 lb-ft of torque gives easier mid-range pull around town, wrapped in retro styling. Early Classica models start at about $11,000, which makes this one of the cheapest ways into a modern roadster. Later cars tend to have fewer problems than 2017 and 2018 examples, and any car should have had its airbag control module recall done. There was never a hardtop version.
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Honda S2000
Used, 2000 to 2009 model years in the US
A 9,000 rpm engine in the early cars and a reputation as one of the most durable sports cars around make this the used roadster for drivers who want every outing to feel like an event. It rewards a canyon road more than a cruise, and it is now a car you buy carefully rather than cheaply: a good early car starts around $22,000 and a good later one sells for $25,000 to $35,000. Ownership needs attention, too. These engines burn oil at a high rate for a modern car, so check the level often, and timing chain tensioners should be replaced every 40,000 miles. The later 2.2-liter cars trade some top-end rev for more usable torque.
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BMW Z4 (G29)
Third generation, 2019 model year onward
The most polished two-seat soft top for daily use. The fabric roof opens or closes in about ten seconds, even on the move at up to 31 mph, so a change of plan at a red light costs nothing. Its 281-liter trunk, roughly 10 cubic feet, is more than twice a Miata's, and the six-cylinder M40i cruises with very little effort. BMW ended Z4 production in 2026, sending it off with a 382-horsepower Final Edition, so this is now a car to find in remaining stock or on the used market, where it makes a comfortable, well-equipped alternative to a Boxster.
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Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman (982)
718 Boxster, 2017 to 2025 model years
The convertible for drivers who care most about how a car steers and balances. With the engine behind the seats, it has a trunk at each end, so a weekend's luggage fits more easily than in most two-seaters, and the power cloth top keeps the open-air habit effortless. Production of the gas 718 ended in October 2025, and Porsche now expects its electric successor to enter production in 2027, so new examples are leftover stock and the used market is the main way in. Four-cylinder cars are the value buys; the six-cylinder GTS 4.0 is the one enthusiasts chase.
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Mini Hatch
MINI Cooper Convertible, 2025 model year onward
The pick for short, frequent top-down hops around town. The soft top opens fully in 18 seconds at up to 18.6 mph, and with the roof closed it can slide back like a sunroof by up to about 16 inches when you want air without wind in your hair. It seats four for short trips, and the trunk holds 5.65 cubic feet with the top down and 7.59 with it up, enough for a grocery run. The 201-horsepower Cooper S gives it the extra punch freeway merges ask for; the base car makes 161.
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Ford Mustang (seventh generation)
Mustang Convertible, seventh generation, 2024 model year onward
Along with the Mini, one of the last relatively affordable convertibles with four seats, and its 11.4-cubic-foot trunk, more than twice a Miata's, handles a real road trip. The power top still needs a manual latch released before it moves, which surprises people in a modern car but takes only a moment. The back seat suits adults for short trips if the front passenger slides forward; anyone with long legs will not want to sit behind the driver. The EcoBoost keeps running costs sensible, while the GT's V8 adds the soundtrack that makes an open roof worth having.
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Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)
Camaro Convertible, sixth generation, used, 2016 to 2024 model years
The used-market alternative to a Mustang, now that Chevrolet ended Camaro production after the 2024 model year. Its power top can be raised or lowered at up to 30 mph, drops from the key fob, and stows under a hard tonneau that deploys by itself, so there is no cover to fit by hand. Engines run from a turbocharged four and a 3.6-liter V6 to the SS's 455-horsepower V8. Outward visibility is poor with the roof up, a problem that disappears with it down. Owner complaints cluster in the 2016 to 2018 cars, and trunk leaks that can cause electrical problems are a known issue, so check the trunk floor for damp; few complaints were logged from 2019 onward.
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Chevrolet Corvette (C8)
Corvette Stingray Convertible, 2020 model year onward
A mid-engine sports car that is also easy to live with as a convertible. It was the first Corvette convertible with a hardtop: two hard panels, driven by six electric motors, fold away in as little as 16 seconds at up to 30 mph. Because the roof stows without eating into luggage room, the rear trunk still takes two sets of golf clubs with the top down, and there is a front trunk as well. That combination of a quick, solid roof and genuine cargo space is rare at this performance level.
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Porsche 911 (992)
911 Carrera Cabriolet, 992 generation, 2020 model year onward
For long days with the roof down, this is the most complete answer here. The fully automatic soft top has a glass rear window and opens in around twelve seconds at up to 31 mph, and an electrically raised wind deflector shields necks from the wind at speed. The small rear seats are best treated as extra luggage space alongside the front trunk. It is among the most expensive cars on this list, but it is the convertible that feels equally at home on a slow coastal cruise and a fast mountain road.
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Mercedes-Benz SL (R232)
Mercedes-AMG SL, seventh generation, 2022 model year onward
The luxury roadster for long, unhurried days with the top down. This generation swapped the old folding hardtop for a three-layer fabric roof that opens or closes in 15 seconds at up to about 37 mph, and the lighter roof lowers the car's center of gravity. There are two small rear seats, but treat them as a parcel shelf: full-sized adults will not fit. The trunk holds 240 liters, 213 with the top stowed, so pack soft bags. The four-cylinder SL 43 starts at around $114,000 and the V8 SL 55 at around $147,000, which puts it in a different budget from almost everything else here.
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Mercedes-Benz CLE
CLE Cabriolet, 2024 model year onward
The comfort pick for four adults. Its fabric soft top opens or closes within 20 seconds at up to about 37 mph, and two standard features stretch the season into cool evenings: Airscarf blows warm air onto your neck from the headrests, and Aircap raises an electric wind deflector to calm the air in the cabin. The trunk holds 385 liters with the top up and 295 with it down, and the 60:40 rear seat folds for long items. Its closest rival is the BMW 4 Series Convertible; choose the Mercedes if a relaxed, cosseting cruise matters more than sharp handling.
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BMW 4 Series (G22)
4 Series Convertible, second generation, 2021 model year onward
The CLE's closest rival, and the sharper drive of the two. Its fabric roof opens or closes in 18 seconds at up to 31 mph, and with the top down the trunk still holds 9 cubic feet, enough for a weekend's soft bags. The rear seats are designed for two passengers, and the split-folding rear seatback takes longer items. The 430i Convertible starts at around $61,000 and the six-cylinder M440i at around $73,500. Neck warmers in the front headrests are an option worth ticking for cool coastal evenings. Choose the BMW if a twisty road matters most, the Mercedes if a relaxed cruise does.
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Audi A5
A5 and S5 Cabriolet, second generation, used, 2018 to 2024 model years
The quiet four-seater among used convertibles, and Audi's last: the two-door A5 and S5 did not return for 2025, leaving Audi with no convertible at all. The acoustic fabric roof opens in 15 seconds and closes in 18 at up to 31 mph, and reviewers credit it with near-coupe refinement, which makes long highway runs with the top up easy. With the top down the trunk loses about 60 liters. The faster S5 sends most of its power to the rear wheels through quattro all-wheel drive. Keen drivers may notice some shake through the body on rough roads, and before buying, run the roof through a full cycle and check for damp carpets.
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Jeep Wrangler (JL)
JL generation, 2018 model year onward
Open air in a different style: instead of folding one roof, you choose how open to go. The soft top folds back, the three-piece Freedom Top hardtop has panels over the front seats that lift off by hand, and the Sky One-Touch power top, offered only on four-door models, retracts a full-length fabric roof at the press of a button while the frame stays in place. Take the doors off, which on 2026 models needs no tools, and a beach day is more open than in any car here; the windshield folds down too, for slow trail driving. The trade-off is a cabin that stays noisy on the freeway, even with the hardtop on, so it suits short scenic drives better than long highway runs.
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Ford Bronco
Sixth generation, 2021 model year onward
The Wrangler's main rival, and the one to pick if you want the roof and doors off without a project. The hardtop's front panels lift out by hand and share one storage bag, which makes front-panels-out the easy everyday summer setting. Every Bronco has removable doors, and four-door models can carry them onboard in the available storage bags. Taking off the rest of the hardtop is a two-person job, so plan for a helper and somewhere to store it. Four-door models can also be ordered with a cloth soft top; two-door models come with the hardtop. Like the Wrangler, it is at its best on back roads and trails rather than long freeway runs with the roof open.
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