Best convertible cars 2025 – evo's favourite open-air thrillers
There's nothing quite like an open-top performance car – these are the best of the current crop
In the UK you could argue that convertibles are aimed at the eternal optimist. But believe it or not, this country has the second highest ratio of drop-tops per capita of any in the world, so there are plenty of glass-half-full motorists about. It’s not surprising, then, to see that manufacturers can justify chopping the roof off various sports and supercars, but this comes with varying degrees of success.
Buying a convertible sports car can be a minefield of shimmying mirrors and scuttle shake, but when engineered well can offer an even more thrilling experience, bringing you even closer to the sights and sounds of a great drive. These are our favourite ways of enjoying the British sun (when you can at least), roof up or down.
Best convertible cars 2024
- Ferrari 296 GTS
- Maserati MC20 Cielo
- Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0
- McLaren Artura Spider
- Maserati GranCabrio
- Aston Martin DB12 Volante
- Ferrari Roma Spider
Ferrari 296 GTS
Ferrari’s hard-top 296 Berlinetta has already impressed us with its immense turn of speed and incredible powertrain, so it's not surprising to note that the new open-top GTS version has proven to be just as beguiling. As is the case with most mid-engined Ferraris, the conversion to open-top spider has been planned from its inception, and is integrated almost seamlessly into the GTB’s design.
The 296’s folding roof mechanism is similar to the system fitted on previous mid-engined models, being one of the few to have a rotating, two-piece system that’s both simpler and lighter than most others. The roof panel then slips underneath a rear-opening tonneau above the engine. From the outside, there’s almost no indication of the GTS’s folding roof aside from a slightly different engine cover.
The best bit is that the same could be said for its driving experience, because it’s every bit as good as that of the coupe, only with the opportunity to lower the roof to get even closer to the scenery around you.
Maserati MC20 Cielo
We’re big fans of the Maserati MC20, so it comes as little surprise to see that the open-top Cielo has just as much appeal. We admit, there is a temptation to create synergies between the MC20 and Ferrari’s 296 GTS above. Yet the two, in fact, couldn’t be any more different aside from their mid-engined layout and cylinder count.
That’s because the two take completely different approaches to their powertrain, chassis and construction. This starts with the MC20, which is underpinned by a carbonfibre tub built by Dallara. Its V6 engine is a 90-degree unit and twin-turbocharged, but does without any hybrid assistance and a huge headline power figure.
This has its advantages, such as a purity to the driving experience and an impressive compliance from the suspension. Its engine is also a delight, with immense performance and a character that feels more like a skunkworks race engine than modern supercar. Even better, the folding hard-top roof – this one finished in glass – displays no obvious compromise over the experience you’ll get with the exceptional coupe.
Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0
Imagine opening the curtains on a crisp morning to a glorious view of sunshine outside. The roads are empty and you’ve got nowhere to be, but on the driveway sits a car that just urges you to get up, go out and drive. We can’t really think of a car we’d rather have the keys to in this scenario than a Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 for a long, aimless drive, whether it be on roads of which you know every dip and crest, or somewhere lesser known.
The flat-six engine is, and has always been, the perfect sidekick to the Boxster’s sweet mid-engined chassis, and when it was taken from us at the beginning of the 718’s tenure, proved to be the missing link to its success.
The GTS 4.0 update has been the Boxster’s return to form. Ignoring for a moment the Spyder and GT4 which also pack the same flat-six power unit, it’s the Boxster GTS that brings the entry-level Porsche closest to its original glory, and for a not-at-all-unreasonable price. The fact it’s also largely accessible, rather than something kept for Porsche dealers’ priority, makes it a more democratic sports car, too.
> Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 review
McLaren Artura Spider
McLaren must have taken the Artura’s third-place finish at eCoty 2022 to heart, because two years later, it comprehensively reworked its plug-in supercar to offer more speed, more precision and an open-air experience for the first time. The Artura Spider is one of our favourite modern supercars, and proof that McLaren’s hybrid future leaves plenty to be excited about.
Given that it has McLaren’s ultra-stiff Monocell carbon tub at its core, the Spider is just as precise and cohesive as the coupe, and despite carrying a 62kg weight penalty, it feels just as frantically quick. The electrified 3-litre twin-turbo V6 generates a colossal 690bhp, and while it isn’t as sonorous as the 296’s engine, it’s more urgent and rev-happy than the original Artura’s unit.
Changes to the suspension, including new engine mounts and revised adaptive dampers, have made it even more feelsome and refined, too. £221,500 is a huge sum, but the Artura is a supercar at the very top of its game.
> McLaren Artura Spider review
Aston Martin DB12 Volante
Lawrence Stroll's new era of Aston Martins is in full swing – we've already spent plenty of time in the excellent new DB12 coupe, and now a Volante version has joined the range to deliver some of its newfound aggression in a drop-top package.
True, some of the DB12's stunning beauty has been sacrificed in the slightly less cohesive Volante, but all the important bits remain. The AMG-derived 4-litre twin-turbo V8 generates a Ferrari Roma-beating 671bhp, and while noise and emissions regulations have muffled its voice, the DB12 has volcanic, effortless acceleration.
Aston has tried to minimise the loss of torsional rigidity in the Volante transformation, and while this results in a more rigid feel than many other convertibles, the DB12 responds best to a relaxed driving style. Back off, settle into the lavish, beautifully-built cabin and the Volante is as indulgent and enjoyable as you'd hope a £200k grand tourer would be. For a more vivid and exciting drive, however, the next car on this list might hit the spot...
> Aston Martin DB12 Volante review
Maserati GranCabrio
No, it no longer has one of the most sonorous and addictive V8s in existence, and its design hasn’t evolved much from the original, but the latest Maserati GranCabrio is a soothing, usable, and accomplished drop-top grand tourer. Quick, too, with the Trofeo version packing a 542bhp twin-turbo V6 and a top speed not far shy of 200mph.
There are issues. The infotainment system, for instance, looks like it’s been lifted out of a Fiat 500 (because it has), and if you’re looking for something as lithe and responsive as the Ferrari Roma Spider further down this list, the GranCabrio isn’t it. But it is a genuinely comfortable GT that can settle into an effortless cross-country stride, or safely tackle changeable conditions thanks to four-wheel drive.
It’s also available as an all-electric Folgore model, and while the EV offers the same style and crushing performance in a silent package, it’s severely lacking in personality next to the V6 model.
Ferrari Roma Spider
Life feels pretty good behind the wheel of the Ferrari Roma Spider. The coupe is already one of the best grand tourers on sale, and the Spider cleverly retains pretty much all of its performance and bewitching dynamic character. Serving as a replacement for the Portofino M, the Roma ditches that car's complex, heavy folding roof mechanism for a traditional fabric top, which has been neatly designed to preserve the Roma's classical silhouette, roof up or down.
Of course, stowing it away gives you full access to the Roma Spider's ability to tickle your senses. With a blaring 611bhp 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 in the nose, performance is mighty – 0-62mph comes up in 3.4sec, with a top speed just shy of 200mph.
But it's the Spider's carefully honed chassis tuning and relatively modest 84kg weight penalty that enable it to thrill just as much as the hard top, with sharp but measured reactions and a wonderful balance to explore. It's hard to think of an open-top GT that's more rounded or desirable.
Types of convertible cars explained
Roof designs and folding mechanisms come in all shapes and sizes, from the small removable aperture of a targa to a fully reclining hard-top. Each form offers security and refinement and puts you in touch with the outside world to varying degrees. Most importantly, severed finger tips are no longer being fished out of rusty rain gutters...
Soft-top convertible cars
The humble and original convertible configuration of the soft-top remains. Raised and lowered at the flick of the switch or by an arcing arm, its light and more easily packaged when down. The multi-layered fabric materials used today for soft-tops do a far better job at insulating the cabin from sound and the elements than the set-ups of old.
The soft-top roof’s days looked to be numbered a few years back as the rise of the folding hard-top took hold, but many brands are returning to fabric arrangements in search of the weight-saving and packaging benefits. Fabric roofs range from the popper-fixed wrestling match that purports to keep the rain out of a Caterham to the slick sound and weather-sealed electric canopy on a Rolls Royce Dawn.
Hard-top convertible cars
Mercedes was the first manufacturer to mainstream the folding hard-top roof when it launched the first-generation SLK. The idea was to improve refinement, but with that came weight and packaging penalties that often hampered the handling. Questionable design was also a compromise, as all too often models would be hit pretty intensely with the ugly stick – Ferrari California anyone?
Since then, folding hard-tops have found their niche, now usually residing in mid-engined supercars like the Ferrari 296 GTS and Maserati MC20 Cielo. The apparent weight and packaging penalties don’t seem to have such a negative effect when sitting over a compact cabin as in these models, while usefully aiding refinement.
Targa-roofed convertible cars
The targa roof was made popular in the 1980s and 1990s, with a section of roof – often made of plastic or glass – being removable, leaving only a door’s width of open space in the cabin. The Japanese brands really made the most of it, often calling it an Aerotop option on Toyotas like the MR2 and Supra, and it was also found on multiple Nissans.
Modern uses of this lift-out layout are less common, Corvette and Koenigsegg being notable for their continued use. Porsche has recently redeveloped the Targa derivative of the 911, but is based on the convertible body style with a hoop and wraparound glass section lifting up to hide away the folding fabric roof section. A similar design can be found in the MX-5 RF. This halfway house style is the next step on from having a sunroof without opting for a full-blown convertible.
Cars with no roof
Doing away with any protection from British inclemency is an option only for a hardcore few. Here, weight shaving takes precedence over purpose and practicality and such cars by nature are not strictly speaking convertibles.
Totally roofless cars are normally the reserve of the track or, more recently, hypercar. Ariel, BAC, Radical and certain Caterhams are more often than not lacking a roof in their entirety, but Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren have more recently gotten in on the trend, doing without a windscreen at the same time, for better or worse.
