Best convertible cars and cabriolets in the UK

According to the dictionary of Google… there’s not much difference between a convertible and a cabriolet. A convertible is "a car with a folding or detachable roof". A cabriolet means a "car with a roof that folds down". Then there are roadsters, which are two-seater convertibles and are also sometimes called spiders – or spyders. Sounds confusing but essentially they all mean the same thing – a car that can drop its roof.

Interestingly, originally a cabriolet was a type of horse drawn carriage. It was a two-wheeled carriage with a soft hood and was pulled by a single horse. Cabriolet is from the French word cabriole which means 'goats leap', so called from the motion of the carriage.

Hybrid convertibles seem like the perfect combination, offering silent EV progress while cruising along your favourite high street (or beach drive), then bursting into a V8 crescendo as you head out on the open road. Yet they are few and far between, and none come with anything quite as exotic as a V8, in fact the now discontinued BMW i8 was the only true hybrid convertible on sale and it matched its EV powertrain with a turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine. Some cars have a mild-hybrid setup which incorporates a small electric motor to aid the internal combustion engine, but these cannot drive on electric power alone.

A pure electric convertible seems like a great idea, yet this is an area where there are precious few entrants. In fact, currently there are just three; the miniscule Smart EQ ForTwo Cabrio, and the Fiat 500C and its similar sibling, the Abarth 500e Convertible, which aren't much bigger.

The tiny little Smart is perfect for tight city streets but not great pretty much everywhere else. The Fiat and Abarth are a bit more practical, thanks to its bigger cabin and boot, as well as a considerably longer range of almost 200 miles. We hope to see some more entrants in this segment soon, such as the VW ID3 convertible which was teased back in 2021, as well as the forthcoming production version of the MG Cyberster. A new Tesla Roadster is due at some point in the future, too.

There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to tow a caravan or trailer with a convertible, however, as with any tow car it will need to be officially approved for towing by the manufacturer. This can usually be confirmed on the manufacturer’s website.

Another rule to follow is that the total weight of the caravan should not exceed 85% of the tow car’s kerb weight. This applies to any vehicle, regardless of whether it has a convertible roof or not.

A convertible vehicle tends to weigh and cost more than its hard-top equivalent. Most also lose a bit of handling sharpness and will be a bit slower against a stopwatch thanks to that extra weight. 

Unless you are planning to take your car regularly to track days, the dynamic differences are hard to notice in daily driving conditions. Interior space tends to be compromised but if that isn’t a concern then the feel-good factor of drop top motoring more than makes up for any potential shortcomings.  In summary, if you want one, get one!

For more buying advice, check out Used convertible cars: what are their downsides and what to avoid.

Folding metal hard tops were fashionable in the 2000s and early 2010s, but have now largely fallen out of favour due to the weight and complexity they add to a car, and the fact a metal roof tends to take up more space than a fabric one when stowed, leading to less luggage space. Sound and heat insulation materials for fabric roofs have also improved markedly over time, although the extra security of a metal roof can be appealing for people living in town who have to street park their car. The Mazda MX-5 RF has a metal section of roof that electronically folds away but, other than that, you'll need to turn to the second-hand market if you're after a car with a folding hardtop, and whatever you do, listen out for strange noises or slow operation when opening and closing the roof on a test drive, as these things can be tricky and expensive to put right if they go wrong.

The cheapest convertible drop top is the Fiat 500C with the classic styling and petrol engines. If you want the new-look electric 500C, you’ll have to pay a considerable chunk more. The Smart EQ ForTwo is the cheapest electric convertible, but its two-seat layout and low range mean it’s only really suited to city life.

Other more affordable convertibles include the excellent Mazda MX-5, which is available with both soft-top and hard-top versions, as well as the small but posh MINI Convertible.

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Yes, and studies have shown modern convertibles to be as safe as conventional cars thanks to features like rollover hoops that pop out to protect occupants' heads if the car flips.