The 10 best convertible cars to buy in 2025

Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider

The 12Clindri's new-age Daytona looks have divided opinion. Some love its shiny black facia, and others hate it, but we're sure both will agree, that you can still buy a 6.5-litre V12 Ferrari is something to be celebrated. The 12Cilindri's V12 delivers 830PS (610kw) and 768Nm (500lb ft) of torque as it pushes toward its 9,500rpm redline. The Spider's roof drops in 14 seconds at up to 28mph speeds, giving your ears VIP access to the excellent sound emanating from under the bonnet. Performance is as ridiculous as expected, with the Ferrari getting from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds on the way to its 211mph top speed.

With an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, torque vectoring and side-slip control, it's also plenty of fun in the corners. Roof up, the Ferrari is just as relaxing as the coupé, and although the chassis suffers from flex, which you wouldn't experience in a car with a carbon fibre tub, it doesn't ruin the experience. The only other penalty is the 60kg of added stiffening the Spider carries over the standard coupé. 

Mini Cooper Convertible

While the electric Mini Cooper is an all-new car, the Cooper Convertible is based on the old petrol model powered by a 204PS (150kW) 2.0-litre four-cylinder that gets the car from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and onto a top speed of 147mph. Tauter suspension, revised steering, additional chassis bracing and seven driving modes mean the Convertible has the go-kart handling you expect of a Mini, and you'll only notice scuttle and shake on truly awful roads. However, along with being fun, it's also relatively cheap to run with a fuel economy of more than 40mpg possible.

You'd never guess the Convertible is based on the old model from the inside because it gets Mini's new 9.6-inch OLED display, which looks great and brings the cabin bang up-to-date. Mini has added Convertible features like an 'always open timer' that measures the time the roof is down, an app that warns of impending downpours and a textile-covered dashboard that is resistant to sun.

Bentley Continental GTC Speed

Electricity suits luxury cars better than any other; silent motors are a perfect match for the excellent interior refinement and magic-carpet ride quality you get in a car like the Bentley Continental GTC Speed. The GTC's hybrid powertrain is excellently resolved, allowing you to travel nearly 50 miles on battery power at speeds of up to 87mph and at a full charge that takes less than three hours. Or, you can call on the twin-turbocharged V8 for 782PS (575kW) and 738lb ft (1,000Nm) for 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and a 177mph top speed. And, with torque vectoring and a limited-slip rear differential, the GTC handles way better than a 2,636kg convertible ever should.

That's not really what the Bentley is about, though. It's better to drop the roof – it lowers in 19 seconds at speeds of up to 30mph – and catch some rays as you listen to the exhaust burble in the background. Sadly, the back seats are cramped given the Bentley's gargantuan proportions, and the 134-litre boot (eaten into by the car's roof and motive battery) is pathetically puny.

Ariel Atom 4R

If you’re going to have a car with no roof, then why not go the whole hog with a car that has no roof, windows, doors or, well, anything past a scaffolding chassis and an engine? Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ariel Atom.

While you don’t get much bodywork, Atom spends its money where it counts. Power comes from the Honda 2.0-litre used to power the Civic Type R which feels rapid enough in its own right, so imagine how fast it feels in an Atom that weighs roughly half as much. Acceleration is vivid – 0-62mph takes 3.1 seconds with no help from the four-wheel drive – and the Ariel tops out at 170mph, which is heady when you consider it not the most aerodynamic contraption you’re ever likely to meet.

Abarth 500c

We question whether an electric hot hatch could ever have the charisma of rorty forebears like the Mk1 Golf GTI and Peugeot 205 GTI, but the Abarth 500c makes a decent stab of it while providing wind-in-your-hair fun thanks to its peel-back, sardine-can fabric roof.

The 500c adds a different flavour to the hot hatch recipe. Its off-the-line acceleration will humble a long list of more exclusive petrol-powered metal and, thanks to having regenerative brakes and no gears, it’s an incredibly relaxing car to drive. Abarth hasn’t lost sight of its mission – to provide fun on four wheels – and because of this, the Abarth has an external speak that replicates a boy-racer’s sports exhaust, right down to the drone you get at motorway speeds.

Mercedes-Benz-AMG SL

In some ways, the Mercedes-Benz SL is a polarising car. Non-car people love its sporty looks, lavish interior and performance drive. Car people think it is heavy, not well-built inside (once you peel away the chintz) and not really all that sporty. 

The problem is that the SL sells in droves in sportscar terms and can’t be ignored for that reason. And you can see why it strikes a cord. The SL can be S-Class comfortable thanks to its air suspension and multi-layer fabric roof, but on the right roads, you can still have fun with it, especially if you go for one of the V8 models with a soundtrack to match the performance. Is it the most engaging? No, but you won’t find many sports cars that get close to the SL’s broad repertoire.

Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

For too long, Europeans have turned their noses up at the Chevrolet Corvette, a car that couldn’t match the sophistication of Porsche and Ferrari. How do you beat the competition? You join them.

With startling results, Chevrolet based the new Corvette on one of the best sportscars ever made – the Ferrari 458 Italia. Thanks to its Ferrari-aping flat-plane crank V8, the Corvette can rev to 6,700rpm, and its soundtrack combines a high-pitched scream with the off-beat rumble of a Detroit-made V8. Factor in the mid-engine layout, and finally, we have a Corvette that can deal with the best the Europeans offer.

Mazda MX-5

Born of a team of Californian-based car nuts who somehow infiltrated Mazda’s ‘80s product planning strategy, the MX-5 was inspired by the European roadsters the guys working on it loved so much. Realising the MGs, Fiat Spiders and Austin Healey Sprites they loved were on the verge of extinction they managed to bottle that spirit into a neat, minimalist modern roadster many credit with saving the breed entirely. Four generations and three decades on the modern MX-5 successfully captures that original spirit, albeit with modern looks and running gear.

Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0

Inspired by the minimalist Speedsters and Spyders of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, the Boxster’s mid-engined layout and relative affordability gave Porsche something of a headache, given in many ways it’s objectively a superior product to the more senior 911, especially as a convertible. That sense of untapped potential has recently been lifted as the 911 has matured and moved further upmarket, not least with the GTS 4.0 version and the return of classic six-cylinder power in place of the turbocharged four-cylinders in the rest of the 718 range.

Also available in the Cayman, this stellar engine is best enjoyed in the open air where the evocative sound and perfect handling combine for a fantastic driving experience. It might actually be the best car in the Porsche lineup, a bold statement, but driving it fitted with the PDK only convinced us more.

Maserati MC20 Cielo

The Maserati MC20 was a surprise favourite supercar last year and with the arrival of the open-topped Cielo, its talents are now available alfresco. That 630PS (463kW) punch shouldn't be spoiler by the open roof either, as the carbon tub should aid the retention of stiffness without having to add too much weight.

Stylish, rediculously fast, beautifully-calibrated and a relative bargain compared to an equivalent Ferrari, the MC20 should be atop anyone's supercar shortlist, as should the Cielo be atop anyone's super open-top shortlist.