Mazda MX-5 review

The Mazda MX-5 is one of the best loved and most recognisable sports cars you can buy, with millions of fans around the world and a string of awards to its name.

Mazda launched the first-generation MX-5 more than 30 years ago, with a focus on plastering a big silly grin on your face. It's earned its stripes as a "fun car" since then, and the current MX-5 sticks with all the essential elements that have made it such a hit – including the lowest price in its class.

These days you can choose between the MX-5 Roadster soft-top or the MX-5 RF (Retractable Fastback), which has a folding metal roof for added security. This review covers both body styles.

So how do they stack up against the best sports cars, including the light and lithe Alpine A110, the formidable Porsche 911 or the Roadster’s closest rival, the BMW Z4? Read on to find out whether the Mazda MX-5 is the right car for you...

You might be surprised to see a three-star result here, but it’s all a case of context. After all, the Mazda MX-5 occupies the same class as brutally powerful beasts including the Porsche 911.

In such company, the 130bhp 1.5-litre MX-5, which covers 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds, seems rather tame. That’s especially true of the RF version, which due to its heavier roof arrangement takes a little longer to 62mph at 8.7 seconds. We’d still recommend this engine though, because it provides lively performance for the cost.

We can understand you plumping for the 2.0-litre though. With 181bhp, it provides more mid-range punch and a far more enthusiastic top end, and drops the soft-top version's 0-62mph time to 6.5 seconds. That can't match the Alpine A110 but is a bit quicker than the entry-level BMW Z4.

The 1.5-litre MX-5 is softly sprung and proves relatively comfortable over most road surfaces, despite its low-slung appearance. It’ll cope easily with speed bumps and isn't too unsettled by awkward road cambers.

The 2.0-litre models get firmer sports suspension for a more focused handling set-up, along with bigger (17in) alloy wheels. You’ll notice rough surfaces and expansion joints more, but not uncomfortably so.

The MX-5's lightness helps to make it feel nimble, while the steering's accuracy gives you the confidence to sweep the nose from one corner to the next with enthusiasm. True, it’s no Porsche 718 Boxster but we think it'll put a bigger grin on your face than the BMW Z4.

You can sense the RF’s additional 45kg of weight over the Roadster version when pressing on, otherwise it doesn’t affect the handling too much in everyday driving. In addition, the rear-wheel-drive set-up makes it feel more balanced than most similarly priced front-wheel-drive hot hatches.

The soft suspension of the 1.5-litre models does mean they suffer from quite a lot of body lean in corners. The stiffer suspension of the 2.0-litre versions keeps body lean under tighter control and makes them feel keener to turn in to corners. That’s helped by a limited-slip differential, which aims to give greater traction out of corners.

Noise levels with the soft or hard-top roof up are acceptable for a sports car but there’s still a fair bit of wind and tyre noise at motorway speeds. As you might expect, with the roof down, the convertible is a little blustery, but it’s the RF’s redesigned roof that’s the problem, scooping more air into the interior.

Both engines can be quite loud at idle on a cold start, but deliver a throaty rasp when driven enthusiastically, so it's a hoot to rev them out. You do, however, feel a fair amount of background engine vibration through the steering wheel, and it's not as refined as the Z4.

The manual gearbox, with its short, precise shift pattern, adds another joyful facet to the driving experience and is arguably one of the best in the business.

"If you’re after sportiness, I’d stick to the Mx-5 Roadster over the RF. The differences aren’t massive but you can feel that the heavier RF isn’t quite as happy on a spirited drive." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Mazda MX-5's driving seat gives you a sporty driving position, with your legs straight out forwards as if you were in a go-kart, and your posterior close to the road. Many will undoubtedly like that set-up, but getting in and out can be a touch, er, inelegant.

All but the tallest drivers will be able to get comfortable in the snug seat, so long journeys won't be a chore – although the BMW Z4 is better for long-distance comfort. 

The MX-5's stubby, high-set gear lever is in just the right place, and there’s a well-placed padded central armrest and a sensible dashboard layout that’s easy to use.

The MX-5 provides its driver with clear forward visibility. Looking down the sloping bonnet gives you a real sports car feeling and the windscreen pillars don’t obscure your view at junctions and roundabouts.

With the roof up, the view back towards the rear corners of the car is poor and the rear window is tiny. What’s more, the RF also has an over-the-shoulder obstruction when the roof is down because of its rear buttress.

To make parking easier, rear parking sensors are standard across the range, while all 2.0-litre models also get a reversing camera.

Every MX-5 gets a smart 8.8in touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, sat-nav, DAB radio and Bluetooth.

The display is clear and the simple system is far less distracting to use than the touchscreen-only systems in some rivals because you get a physical rotary dial and shortcut buttons.

All MX-5s except entry-level Prime-Line get a punchy nine-speaker Bose sound system. The Z4’s infotainment system is better still, but the MX-5’s system is easier to use than almost every other rival's, including Porsche models.

Considering the MX-5 is a relatively inexpensive sports car, its interior looks commendably smart. There’s a good array of soft textures and a metal-effect trim that adds to its visual appeal, helping to disguise an interior predominantly put together with hard-touch plastics.

Ultimately, a Z4 has a far greater spread of squishy plastics, while the Porsche 718 Boxster is in a different league entirely. Still, the MX-5's well-damped switches and stalks do give you the feeling this is a well screwed together interior.

"While most cars have moved all of their controls inside a touchscreen, it’s a breath of fresh air that the MX-5 still has a rotary dial for the infotainment system and physical air conditioning controls." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Mazda MX-5 is small – and feels it inside. The driver sits in close proximity to their passenger and can touch their door without stretching.

Taller drivers might feel that leg room is tight, especially in the RF version, which has an altered rear bulkhead to accommodate the folding metal roof. It means you can’t slide or recline the seats quite as much as in the MX-5 Roadster, so those over 6ft tall need to try both before they buy. You’ll have the roof close to your head in either version, so if you're quite big, we’d recommend looking at the larger BMW Z4.

Storage space is fairly scarce – for starters, there aren’t even any door bins. You can stow smaller items such as keys in the shallow central armrest cubby or on a small tray at the base of the dash. You do get two removable cupholders, each big enough for a large coffee.

The MX-5 is strictly a two-seater, with no usable rear passenger seats. For that, you’ll need to look at a four-seater convertible – the BMW 4 Series Convertible for example.

There's a square glovebox-sized cubby between the seats, with enough space for the service manual and maybe a small packed lunch.

The MX-5's passenger seat has a lever to control the backrest angle and slide it forwards and backwards. You don’t get height or lumbar adjustment, or electrically adjustable seats on any trim level.

The MX-5's boot is unaffected by the roof’s position, so you can drive with the top down and still have a reasonable amount of luggage space. The soft-top Roadster version has 130 litres of boot space while the RF has 127 litres because it loses a bit of space to the complex folding metal roof.

The boot's high sill and restrictive oval-shaped opening makes loading chunky items a pain, but it's big enough to take a couple of carry-on suitcases.

Golf clubs will need to go inside the car in place of a passenger. Alternatively, consider the BMW Z4, which offers more than double the boot capacity.

"While I've seen most car models grow over the years, the MX-5 has remained rather tiny. That’s good when it comes to driving but rubbish for interior space. Anyone 6ft or above will want to sit in one before buying." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Mazda MX-5 is the only two-seat sports car you can buy new at this price level. Even the more powerful 2.0-litre versions are much cheaper than bigger and more powerful rivals, costing significantly less than an entry-level BMW Z4.

The MX-5 is predicted to depreciate faster than most of its rivals, which can have an effect on PCP finance rates. When you combine the low CO2 output and cheaper list price, it’ll still cost less in BIK tax as a company car.

Whichever engine you go for, the MX-5 is very cheap to run by sports-car standards. Both the petrol engines are fairly efficient, managing more than 40mpg in WLTP tests and our own real-world testing. In our True MPG tests the 2.0-litre returned an impressive 45.1mpg, which is even better than the official figure.

The MX-5's entry-level Prime-Line trim comes well equipped, with goodies such as climate and cruise control, 16in alloy wheels, heated seats and touchscreen infotainment. It's restricted to the 1.5-litre engine, but if you're happy with that, it's the trim we'd recommend. 

To get the 2.0-litre engine you’ll need to upgrade to at least mid-spec Exclusive-Line trim. It adds keyless entry, leather seats and some additional safety kit. It's worth noting that 2.0-litre cars also get 17in alloys, adaptive LED headlights, a number of suspension upgrades and a limited-slip differential.

Top-spec Homura is only available with the 2.0-litre engine but adds cosmetic tweaks, including BBS alloy wheels, red brake calipers and Nappa leather seats. It’s quite a bit more expensive than our chosen version but still won’t cost you nearly as much as the entry-level BMW Z4.

In our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, the MX-5 finished towards the middle of the sports car category, sitting above the Porsche 911 but below the BMW 4 Series Convertible and the Porsche 718 Boxster (which topped the table). 

Meanwhile, Mazda as a brand performed fairly well as a manufacturer, placing 16th out of the 31 car makers ranked. That places it way below the table-topping Mini, a fair way below BMW but above Porsche.

The MX-5 comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That can be extended at extra cost with the option of European roadside assistance.

The testers at Euro NCAP gave the MX-5 four stars out of five for safety in 2015, but that has since expired. The BMW Z4 was awarded five stars in 2019 in more stringent tests so it’s likely to be a safer car.

One reason the MX-5 scored four rather than five stars was that automatic emergency braking (AEB) was not standard across the range, but that has changed. All versions now get AEB, lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition, a system that pops the bonnet up to protect pedestrians and driver attention alert. 

There’s an alarm and engine immobiliser as standard, and Thatcham Research gave the car a maximum five stars for resisting being stolen, with four stars for resistance to being broken into.

"I can’t argue with the amount of equipment and car you get for the price. Indeed, compared with its rivals, the MX-5 is fantastic value and will bring you more smiles than many." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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