Mazda MX-5 Review & Prices

The Mazda MX-5 isn’t so much a good car as a car by which all others are judged. One of the few affordable two-seat sports cars left on sale, it’s a car that provides a benchmark for driving fun and enjoyment, without the need to spend silly money on a Porsche or Ferrari. Think of it a motoring’s Andy Murray — a long career, brilliant skills, and yet a humble attitude. 

As it has since the 1989 original, the MX-5 gets a folding cloth roof and is technically known as the MX-5 Roadster. There is a model with a cool targa-style folding hard-top, but that’s the MX-5 RF version which we've tested separately.

Astonishingly in a world of massive motor cars, this MX-5 is actually 100kg lighter than the car it replaced, and that's with improved safety and performance over the previous MX-5. The fact that it’s light means that the MX-5 can get away with softer suspension, meaning that it feels close to perfect on bumpy UK roads. 

OK, not quite perfect. Some might find that the 132hp 1.5-litre entry-level engine isn’t quite grunty enough (although you’ll not hear us complaining), while the 184hp 2.0-litre option adds a bit of weight and larger wheels which don’t necessarily help with the balance. 

That’s nit-picking though. Either engine offers decent performance — as long as you’re ready to rev them, no turbos here — and the six-speed manual gearbox is achingly lovely to use. Anyone who buys an MX-5 with the optional automatic transmission is really missing the point.

The MX-5 is reasonably priced — it still starts below £30,000 — and is well-equipped as standard with LED headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, electric windows, remote central locking, heated wing mirrors, traction control, stability control and a multitude of airbags.

The cabin has just been updated with a new 8.8-inch infotainment screen (a big improvement on the shonky old seven-inch screen), and some tweaks to the switches and buttons. No massive changes — Mazda believes in careful evolution — but welcome updates nonetheless.

Space isn’t that great in the cabin, and although there’s a handy lockable cubbyhole behind the seats, storage space is essentially non-existent. The boot makes a Mini look like a Toyota Land Cruiser too, so pack carefully.

That said, if the MX-5 was never designed to be a family hauler. It’s designed to give you maximum driving fun and pleasure — at legal speeds, too — on a tight and twisty road. It’s not the most refined thing in the world on longer journeys, but you’d live with it for the fun factor. 

Before you commit to putting a deposit down for a new Mazda MX-5, check out the latest Mazda MX-5 deals to find out how much you could save when buying through Carwow.

The Mazda MX-5 is almost comically cheap by modern standards. It probably helps that it’s been in production for almost ten years now — that kind of lifetime helps to pay off all the original investments — but a starting price under £30,000 is remarkable for a car such as this.

The MX-5’s closest current alternatives, the Porsche Boxster and BMW Z4, and the Morgan Plus Four, cost around twice as much. And frankly, they aren’t as much fun to drive. You simply don’t need to spec the MX-5 up as the basic version is arguably the most fun to drive. 

A superb driver’s car, although plenty of hot hatches are quicker 

In town

Driving the MX-5 around town is easy, thanks to light controls and the car’s small size and nippy performance. You can make the most of any gap in traffic, and being so compact the Mazda will squeeze into tight parking spaces. You’ll need to step up from the entry-level Prime-Line car to top Homura spec if you want a reversing camera, though.

The light clutch and crisp gear change make life easy in stop-start traffic, but if you’d rather have an automatic gearbox you’ll need the Mazda MX-5 RF with its folding-metal hardtop – there’s no auto ’box in the regular MX-5.

Another possible black mark against the MX-5 in town driving is how low you sit. That really goes with the territory in a sports car, but SUVs, vans and lorries dwarf the Mazda, which can be a bit intimidating and means you won’t be able to see far beyond the car in front in a traffic jam.

Unsure whether to choose the 1.5 or the 2.0? If you’re going to spend a lot of time around town we’d go for the 1.5 for its better economy and slightly better comfort due to it being lighter. 

On the motorway

Covering lots of motorway miles in a MX-5 is like buying a high-end stereo and only using one speaker. The Mazda will do the job but you won’t be getting the most out of it.

As with town driving, you do notice how much lower you are sitting than just about any other driver. Some won’t like having their head at the level of an HGV’s axles, others won’t be bothered at all.

If you’re not fussed, you’ll find the Mazda copes well enough with motorway journeys. Keep the roof up and you’ll stay warm and dry, and although there’s some road noise it’s not enough to become really annoying.

On a twisty road

Now you’re talking. Driving on a twisty country road is what the MX-5 is all about. It’s just so much fun, with steering as sharp as a sushi knife and suspension that just flows over bumps.

The 1.5 is a little lighter than the 2.0 and drives with a wonderful delicacy. The 2.0-litre is quicker in a straight line and leans less in bends thanks to its sports suspension. You enjoy the purest driving experience in the 1.5, but the 2.0 has higher limits and is more thrilling in a straight line, plus it gets tweaked suspension with uprated dampers, a stiffening brace across the engine bay, and a clever limited slip differential. Does that make the 2.0-litre the driver’s choice? Kind of… it is excellent, but the inherent balance of the basic 1.5 is just so sweet. 

Either way, you can’t go wrong – the MX-5 is one of the most rewarding cars you can drive at any price. The most recent update brought along a Track mode for the stability control system, which actually works great on the road, as it allows a little bit of rear-wheel slip, but with the ultimate safety net still in place. 

Just keep in mind that there are plenty of hot hatches that are quicker than the Mazda. But who cares? It’s the way the MX-5 steers and corners that makes it so enjoyable to drive, not neck-snapping acceleration.

Comfortable enough for two, but short of storage space

If space and practicality are your priorities, you have clicked on the wrong review.

Slide into the driver’s seat, and the chances are you’ll find a comfortable driving position. The steering adjusts for height and reach, but there’s no height adjustment for the seat. You can adjust the angle of the backrest and the base, but there’s not as much scope to fine-tune the driving position in most modern cars. You need to be happy sitting low to the ground – this is a sports car, remember.

Very tall drivers will be the ones who find it hardest to find a seating position that will be comfy for long days behind the wheel. They’ll wish for a few more centimetres of rearward travel for the seat, and to be able to bring the wheel just a little bit closer. Really lanky drivers will also find their head close to the fabric roof.

For people six-feet tall and under, the cabin is snug rather than cramped.

Storage is in short supply. There’s a small tray at the base of the dash, but there are no door bins or glovebox. There’s a small storage box between the front seats, and removable twin cupholders.

If you want to carry bottles of water or snacks in the car, you’re going to fill up the available storage space pretty quickly.

There are, of course, no back seats, but then again convertibles with back seats are pretty thin on the ground these days. A Mini Convertible does, but aside from that a BMW 4 Series Convertible or a Mercedes CLE Cabriolet are pretty much your only choices now. 

Boot Space

Some roadsters have luggage room for a toothbrush and a change of undies, but not much else. The MX-5 isn’t that bad, but you’re not going to be asked to help a mate move house. The Mazda’s boot has a 130-litre capacity, which is smaller than the ‘frunks’ or ‘froots’ of some electric cars. But it’s big enough for several bags of shopping or a couple of carry-on suitcases. The opening is an odd shape, though, so you have to lift bags up and drop them in. On the plus side, boot space stays the same whether the roof is up or down.

It’s all sensible and modern inside, although not up with premium-brand levels of quality, and be aware of improved equipment levels up the range

Think classic sports car with a modern twist, and you get some idea of the vibe in the MX-5’s cabin.

Look straight ahead through the chunky three-spoke steering wheel and you’ll see a regular speedometer and rev counter rather than the digital dashboard common in many modern cars. Conventional dials do a good job of telling you what you need to know, so we don’t particularly miss a digital display.

You do get modern infotainment, though, with the updated 8.8-inch display mounted high on the dash where it’s easy to see without taking your eyes far from the road. It’s standard on all four grades; Prime-Line, Exclusive-Line, and Homura. 

As well as a touchscreen, you can scroll through menus and make selections with the rotary controller and shortcut buttons, which you’ll find just behind the gear lever. It makes the system straightforward to use, and less distracting than reaching for a small icon on the screen.

Every grade comes with satellite navigation with free mapping updates for three years, so you don’t have to rely on your smartphone. However, if you do want to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, both are standard across the range, with wireless connectivity.

Build quality is good, and the standard of finish is a big improvement over earlier generations of MX-5. It’s not in the same league as a Porsche Boxster or BMW Z4, and doesn’t have the whizz-bang tech of the electric MG Cyberster, but then the Mazda isn’t in the same price bracket either. It’s only when you go looking on the lower doors that you find some scratchy plastics.

The Prime-Line model comes with cloth upholstery, but you only need to upgrade to Exclusive Line for leather upholstery, while Homura models get sportier bucket seats. Entry-level cars come with a six-speaker stereo, but Exclusive-Line and Homura cars have a powerful nine-speaker Bose system that’s a worthwhile upgrade in case you ever get bored of the MX-5’s exhaust note.

There’s no electric MX-5, or even a mild hybrid. Instead, the Mazda achieves very respectable emissions and economy through low weight and engine efficiency.

Unsurprisingly, the 1.5-litre is the more economical of the two engines. It returns an official figure of 45.6mpg and emits 140g/km of carbon dioxide. The 2.0-litre isn’t too far behind, achieving 41.5mpg and returning 153g/km. You can buy plenty of cars that burn less fuel, but in the world of sporty two-seat roadsters these are impressive figures.

Take the BMW Z4 as a comparison. The most efficient model returns a best of 39.8mpg, so it drinks more fuel than the thirstiest MX-5.

A Mazda MX-5 isn’t the most obvious company car, but if it does appear on your user-chooser list it sits in a high-ish tax bracket. That’s offset to a large extent by Mazda’s keen pricing.

Private buyers will be more concerned with car tax costs. Since no Mazda MX-5 is priced at over £40,000, you won’t have to pay the £410 car-tax surcharge for cars costing over this amount. Instead, you’ll pay £270 in the first year, and £190 a year after that. Business buyers will pay as little as £152 month in BIK.

By sports car standards this is a frugal and efficient car, so fuel and tax costs are far more affordable than those of most sports cars.

When the Mazda MX-5 was crash-tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP in 2015, it received an overall score of four out of five. That’s good rather than great, especially as the tests have become tougher since.

Every MX-5 gets driver, passenger, and side airbags, as well as stability control, emergency stop signalling, tyre-pressure monitoring, and a pop-up bonnet to help protect pedestrians. Step up to Sport spec and above for a lane departure warning and autonomous emergency braking.

ISOFIX anchor points in the passenger seat are standard on all MX-5 models, so you can fit a child seat.

All cars have an alarm and immobiliser. From Exclusive-Line spec upwards the MX-5 comes with keyless entry.

Mazda in general and the MX-5 in particular have very strong reputations for reliability. The MX-5 rarely goes wrong, and if it does the problems are usually much cheaper to fix than if you’re running a more expensive performance car. It looks like today’s MX-5 is building on the excellent reliability of earlier generations, so you can buy with confidence. If the odd problem does crop up, Mazda’s new car warranty lasts for three years and 60,000 miles.

The MX-5 didn’t feature in the list of the Top 50 Cars To Own in the most recent Auto Express Driver Power survey, but Mazda finished in 7th place overall out of 32 brands, with 25 per cent of owners reporting an issue with their cars.