Cheap convertible cars in 2025

Our favourite convertible car, the Mazda MX-5 has never been about 0-62mph times, majoring instead on a pure, lightweight driving experience made up of incredible handling and a short, snappy gear change. A rev-hungry four-cylinder petrol engine combined with a raspy exhaust note makes this a joy to drive at any speed.

It may not be quite the bargain it once was but at just under £27,690 new, we still think this represents great value for money. Aside from the MINI Convertible, there’s little else at this price that will give you as much fun with your trousers on. The entry 1.5-litre petrol engine gives the MX-5 more than enough power and you won’t feel shortchanged in choosing it over the 2.0-litre.

Yes it’s not very spacious or practical, plus the ride is bumpy and there’s a lot of road noise, but you can forgive all those things in a cheap convertible car that handles so beautifully and is so enjoyable to drive.

While it may not be exactly strictly 'cheap', the 2 Series Convertible is a car that feels worth the money. With its high-quality cabin, refined ride and superb handling - this is a BMW after all - this is a classy convertible car which will always be a pleasure to own.

The least expensive model is the 218i SE which uses the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine as the MINI Cooper Convertible. It may seem small in size, but with 136PS, it’s a real gem of an engine with eager performance and plenty of character. 

If you want one, it'll need to be a used car - when the all-new BMW 2 Series arrived in 2021, it did so without a drop-top variant. Now, the cheapest BMW Convertible is now the Z4, which you'll find further down on this page.

After building some cracking drop-tops over the years, Audi no longer has a single cabriolet in its range. Up until recently, the last one produced by the German manufacturer was the Audi TT Roadster, which remained a popular car until it was discontinued. This means there are plenty on the used market. It's definitely a cabriolet worth seeking out, blending comfort, great tech and fantastic build quality with some driving fun on the right road. 

The cheapest 40 TFSI model isn’t quattro, only front-wheel drive, but for the majority of the time you won’t miss that extra traction. It comes with a seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox as standard while power is supplied by a 197PS version of the 2.0 TFSI. It’s not the fastest convertible car around, but it’s more than enough power for most.

Desirable, stylish and high quality, the TT Roadster is the perfect blend for a convertible sports car and one we think will be a future classic.

There have been plenty of pretenders to the throne but when it comes to classy, small four-seat drop-tops nothing has come close to usurping the MINI Convertible’s blend of style, great driving characteristics and sheer sense of fun.

Nothing this side of a Mazda MX-5 is as fun to drive and while the MX-5 is excellent, the MINI arguably feels more special inside. The cheapest model is the entry-level Cooper model with its 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine, which still has plenty of get up and go about it. Even in basic Classic trim, it handles as well as a MINI should.

A word of caution though. While prices start at around £27,000, making this look reasonably affordable, it’s unlikely you will leave the showroom paying that as there’s a huge range of options which can easily push the figure beyond £30,000.

Want the cheapest route to open-top motoring? Then you want a Citroen C1 Airscape. Okay, busted – the C1 isn't a convertible car in the truest sense of the word (its lid opens like a sardine can rather than a pram), but it's still more than capable of getting the wind in your hair and the sun on your skin. 

Anyway, its fabric roof that slides back like a giant sunroof is less likely to break than the more complicated mechanisms you find elsewhere. On top of that, the Citroen's tiny engine means it is as cheap as chips to run and it will get spectacular fuel economy, although 72PS means it won't set the world on fire with its performance. Rolly polly handling means it is also not a great choice if you like to cut up a favourite back road.

Really, it's aimed at city slickers who'll find the C1 has smart looks – courtesy of standard alloy wheels – and a smart interior that's relatively spacious inside, given its tiny exterior proportions. Airscape models come in Flair trim so on top of the alloy wheels, you get handy kit such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – so you can mirror the display of your smartphone on the car's big screen – heated door mirrors and a reversing camera.  

The new BMW Z4 is a bit of a departure for BMW as rather than go it alone, it has co-developed this with Toyota, the Japanese firm having its own version in the form of the Toyota GR Supra. But the big difference is that while the Supra is a coupe only, the Z4 is solely a convertible car. Admittedly, it makes some compromises when it comes to handling - it’s no match for the Porsche 718 Boxster - but the Z4's quality shines through with a refined and comfortable drive that makes it apt for long-distance travel.

The cheapest model is the sDrive20i M Sport and while you may hanker after the M40i, the smaller engine with 197PS still feels pretty eager. Not shoved-back-in-your-seat quick, but rapid enough for it to be fun. You could almost say it offers the perfect level of performance for British roads.

In fact, we reckon the entry-level sDrive20i in Sport trim is arguably the sweet spot in the Z4 range, too. It's quick enough for most drivers and it provides a compliant ride while still being fun to drive.

A Porsche on an article with the word 'cheap' in the title? Have our senses taken a leave of absence? Not quite. The Porsche 718 Boxster is cheap as far as cars from the manufacturer go, undercut only slightly by the closely related 718 Cayman as the least expensive car in the range. The Boxster also isn't drastically more than the BMW Z4 mentioned earlier. 

What's more, there are used Porsche 718 Boxsters on heycar starting from under £30,000, which is the price of a Volkswagen Golf in a lower trim grade these days. For that, you're getting a car that's scarcely different from the brand-new example Porsche currently sells.

Yes, the less expensive 718 Boxsters will have a more gruff four-cylinder engine instead of the singing six-cylinder unit found in the GTS models, but the powerplant is more than offset by excellent handling, an involving drive and unbeatable badge kudos.

Launched in 2016, the Mercedes SLC was starting to show its age when it was new, not helped by the fact it was simply a rebodied and revamped version of the Mercedes SLK which preceded it. Time has not been kind to the SLC and compared to the likes of the Audi TT, it feels several generations old.

There are some positives, not least the good looks, while the compact size of the SLC means it’s ideal for driving in town. It handles well thanks to the nicely weighted and precise steering, plus suspension keeps body roll at bay, but the ride is bumpy and not comfortable.

But the interior is really old-fashioned now. The centre stack looks like it’s been borrowed from a 15-year-old Mercedes C-Class with a numeric keypad. Virtual cockpits and touchscreens suddenly seem a long way off. The car has now been discontinued, and won't be replaced, but there are plenty of used Mercedes SLCs around should it be your drop-top of choice. 

Among all the usual convertible cars you’d expect to feature here, this is a bit of a quirk. The Volkswagen T-Roc Convertible isn’t the first soft-top crossover (that honour goes to the Range Rover Evoque), but the T-Roc is the only one currently on sale. It’s actually built in the same factory that produces the Porsche 718 Cayman and the facility which previously built convertible versions of the Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Beetle, as well as the Karmann Ghia. It’s in good company then.

The fabric roof folds down in just nine seconds and neatly slots down behind the rear seats. It’s a much more elegant solution than the MINI Convertible. It also means there are two proper rear seats although unlike a standard T-Roc, there are only two seats, so you’ll have to clamber into the back.

If you want one with the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, you'll need to go used. Currently, It's only available with a 1.5-litre inline-four, in a choice of two different trims. 

Compared to the little Citroen C1, the Fiat 500C is more of a 'proper' convertible car, if not quite a full drop-top. The roof folds down all the way at the back and retracts smoothly at the touch of a button. You can operate it at up to 37mph -  handy if you have to put it back up when there’s a sudden downpour. Usefully, you can stop it wherever you like if you only want a gentle breeze rather than the full wind in your hair experience.

The main issue is that with the roof all the way down, there’s pretty much zero visibility out the back, such is the way it’s designed to fold up. But that’s a small price to pay for open-top fun in a stylish small car such as the Fiat 500.

The cheapest model (simply called 500C) is still reasonably well equipped, coming with alloy wheels, smartphone connectivity and cruise control.