The best sports cars - driven, rated and ranked

Best for: Affordability

There isn't a single area in which this fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 fails to surpass its predecessor. It's shorter, lighter, more spacious and better laid out. It's sharper looking but still disarming and not at all ostentatious. It's also faster, more frugal and even more vibrant and engaging to drive.

There isn’t a single area in which this new Mazda MX-5 fails to surpass its predecessor. It’s shorter, lighter, more spacious and better laid out.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

In 2018, Mazda facelifted its iconic roadster, with the headline change being a 23bhp power hike for its feisty 2.0-litre engine. A steering column that also now adjusts for reach was also introduced, addressing one of the MX-5's only ergonomic drawbacks.

More minor tweaks have been executed since, the latest being for the 2023 model year. As part of it, Mazda UK changed the standard soft-top car’s model name convention from MX-5 Convertible to MX-5 Roadster; renamed its derivative trim levels (in place of SE-L, Sport and GT, now Prime, Exclusive and Homura); and added a Zircon Sand paint option.

Mechanically, no changes were made, so the 1.5-litre MX-5 still develops 130bhp, while the 2.0-litre model makes 181bhp but also gets a front strut brace, a limited-slip differential and uprated Bilstein dampers as standard. 

Whichever you choose, rear-driven chassis poise and lots of driver involvement is guaranteed. That’s because the MX-5 is still every inch the same zesty and inimitable car that it always has been. Its character hasn't really changed at all in three decades, and nothing on this list offers a better pounds-per-smile rating.

Best for: Hardcore driving

When BMW's M division decided to wrap modern BMW M4 sports coupé mechanicals in a shorter, slightly lighter shell and then to retune what resulted to suit even keener enthusiast tastes, it hit on a winning recipe for the current BMW M2.

The M2 now feels like a much better whistle-wetter for everything BMW’s M division has become in 2023 and all that it offers. And, ironically enough, you might like it best because it also has a certain old-school charm.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

The sense of technical inferiority that hung around previous iterations of this car was banished and while the car grew (and grew heavier) as a result, it gained a sense of integrity, maturity and completeness as a modern M car that earns it a very high ranking in this chart.

The M2 now uses a slightly detuned version of the same turbocharged straight-six that powers the M4 and has a healthy 453bhp to send straight to the rear-wheels. There's also the option of a six-speed manual.

This car is a simpler, purer driver's car than bigger M cars, and it retains just enough compactness to appeal in a way that the company's bigger saloons and estates can't. It's fast, balanced, involving and communicative yet also versatile, capable and very instantly driver-configurable, as characterises modern M cars so uniquely.

Best for: Daily driving

Yes, there are two Porsches towards the top of this chart – and quite rightly so. The German firm really knows what it's doing when it comes to screwing together a sensational sports car.

The 718 Cayman S is by some distance the most complete sports coupé on sale and easily talented enough in the handling department to overcome slight misgivings about the way the crank is now turned.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

While the more affordable four-cylinder, sub-£50,000 derivatives of the 718 continue to present themselves to buyers with less to spend (and are ranked in our best affordable sports car top 10), the higher-end models have absolutely progressed among the bigger fish of the sports car class.

Not that they struggle in such treacherous water. Porsche's latest naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engine is an utter joy, offering as much outright performance as any road-going sports car really needs but also wonderful smoothness and response and an 8000rpm operating range.

Unusually long-feeling gearing makes the six-speed manual versions slightly less appealing to drive in some ways than the seven-speed paddle-shift automatics, but for pure driver interaction, the three-pedal versions are hard to beat.

The 718's beautifully poised handling, incredibly linear handling response and effortless body control at speed are now widely celebrated. This is the kind of sports car that can seem word-perfect in how it takes apart a cross-country road tough enough to expose a lesser machine.

If you like a sports car with more power than its chassis can easily deploy or whose dynamic quirks and flaws present something of a challenge to be 'driven around', you might even think a GTS 4.0 too good. Only kidding: it's flippin' brilliant.

Compared with some cars on this list, there's also perhaps a slight lack of desirability for this car. But its usability is first-rate - and its powertrain can be considered every bit as stellar as its ride and handling. Quite simply, it's one of the most complete driver's cars there has ever been.

Best for: Driver involvement

The last hurrah for ICE power at Lotus, the Emira certainly has a lot resting on its shoulders.

As a driver’s car, it’s mostly great. On challenging stretches of road is where it’s absolutely at its best, in fact.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

And the good news is that the Norfolk newcomer gets so much right, from its junior exotic looks through to a chassis that maintains the decades-long tradition of Hethel handling greatness.

There are some novelties for a Lotus, too, such as an interior that delivers previously unheard of levels of luxury and quality, plus all the latest gadgets and gizmos. It's decently practical too, proving easier to get into and out of than the old Evora and packing handy storage. This is an everyday-usable sports car.

However, this extra usability and refinement comes at a cost, with the Emira weighing in at a very un-Lotus 1440kg, which is heavier even than a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0.

That means the supercharged Toyota 3.5-litre V6 doesn't feel quite as strong as you would expect, its efforts aided and abetted by the slightly slack six-speed manual gearbox. That said, this is still a quick car, with the 0-62mph sprint taking 4.3sec.

More importantly, it drives like a Lotus where it matters: in the corners. The extra mass means it doesn't feel quite as lithe as the old Elise, but the Emira is beautifully balanced and damped, helping it breathe with the surface where others attempt to pummel it into submission.

The steering is quick and feelsome, and as a result the Emira dives through bends with quick-witted agility, its ability to shrug off unsettling bumps further boosting your confidence.

Best for: Character

General Motors' decision to switch the Corvette from a front-mounted engine to a mid-mounted one for its eighth generation (known as the C8) was deemed a big gamble by some enthusiasts. It was entirely worth it. 

It’s a particularly enticing one given its price, impressive touring manners and usability, its powerful and effusive small-block V8 and a kerbside presence.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

The C8 Corvette has all of the metal-for-the-money and bang-for-your-buck appeal as any of its forebears possessed, its supercar-looks-for-sports-car-cash shtick earning it the Dream Car accolade in the 2022 Autocar Awards.

Bristling with small-block-V8 combustive charm, the Corvette's engine has excellent throttle response and a wonderful mid-range power delivery, liking to rev beyond 6500rpm and sounding superb doing it. It's perhaps not quite fully 'supercar fast', but you're unlikely to find much out there to match it for the price. 

The Corvette also handles with plenty of stability and precision, feeling instantly more benign and easier to drive quickly than any of its front-engined forebears.

Yes, its cabin has plenty of ergonomic quirks and it still lags behind the best for perceived quality, but we can't help but feel grateful that a car like the Corvette exists at all, and in right-hand-drive form to boot.

Best for: V8 power

The Ford Mustang with a 440bhp V8 engine can still be yours for just under £56,000, and we liked it so much we named it our Best Dream Car at the annual Autocar Awards last year. 

We would recommend the manuals over the auto, and the standard GT is more than powerful enough and ultimately nearly £12,000 less than the Dark Horse.

Jonathan Bryce, Social Media Executive

That said, the Mustang ownership experience has a few drawbacks in the UK. The car’s sheer size means you have to think twice about where to park it in town and what kinds of country lanes you might seek out with it. 

With its dipsomaniac 5.0-litre V8, meanwhile, you will need to factor in more frequent visits to the pumps than your peers in their German sports cars.

The Mustang is a throwback of a sports car yet few direct rivals have such obvious likability. Its powertrain brings with it an appeal that engines with fewer cylinders simply don't muster, and its rear-drive chassis balance is pretty peachy too.

Best for: Manual gearbox

The BMW Z4 isn't quite as hardcore as many of the other options on this list, but it's still one of the better sports cars on sale in the UK today. 

The Z4 is more of an alternative to the 718; one that is cheaper, more comfortable and works better when you just revel in that wonderful engine at a moderate pace.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

The sports car, which is only available as a soft-top convertible, comes in two specifications: the entry-level sDrive20i which uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, or the more powerful M40i, which uses BMW's brilliant B58 3.0-litre straight six. 

In its most powerful specification, the Z4 pumps out 335bhp and 369lb ft, hitting 0-62mph in 4.6sec. 

While an eight-speed automatic is standard, a six-speed manual was also introduced in 2024 for the first time in the Z4 range, which we thought gave the Z4's already excellent engine even greater appeal. 

Admittedly, the Z4 lacks the dynamic ability of several of its rivals, but its stable and comfortable chassis offers something different. It's more of a cruiser that can excel when pushed, with a stunning engine, a great manual gearbox and, of course, that drop-top thrill.