Best small sports cars of 2025
We don’t tend to think of sports cars as being all that small, and maybe that’s a legacy of all those Athena posters in the 1980s featuring a Porsche 959, a Ferrari Testarossa, and a Lamborghini Countach. The glamorous sports cars back then were considered large.
Then again, these days even the XXL-wide Testarossa looks incredibly petite and compact. Park one next to a Nissan Qashqai and see what we mean. Smallness is actually a tremendous asset for a sports car, not least because a small car will with very few exceptions be a light car, and lighter cars are always more fun.
Small sports cars are also easier to park, you’re less likely to be worried about them if they’re left at the side of the road for an afternoon. Smallness also tends to attract less in the way of green-eyed jealousy from others, and a bit more genuine enthusiasm, and appreciation for a nice car.
Cars such as the ones we’ve added to this list of the best small sports cars, which vary from a compact hatchback — the Toyota GR Yaris — to a mid-engined roadster from a storied name — the Porsche Cayman — to modern day models from legends of old — the Lotus Emira and Alpine A110.
Carwow puts every new car on sale through an intensive test programme, whether that car is a small and light sports car, or a hefty seven-seat family SUV. We drive every new car in the UK, from electric models to hybrids, or diesels and petrols, and we give them the same thorough test treatment on road and track, checking out everything from their 0-60mph times to how much shopping fits in the boot. Have a look here to find out more about how we carry out our rigorous tests.
1. Toyota GR Yaris
Toyota GR Yaris reviewCan a humble hatchback ever be considered a true sports car? Well, if the Toyota GR Yaris is anything to go by, yes it absolutely can be. It’s the latest in a long line of rally homologation specials that stretches back through the likes of the Subaru Impreza Turbo and Mitsubishi Evo, to the Ford Escort Cosworth and Lancia Delta Integrale. Does that also make it a hot hatch? Yes, but the GR Yaris is so much more.
While it’s clearly based on a standard Yaris hatchback, all 115hp of it, the GR Yaris gets a bespoke three-door body with a carbon-fibre roof for added lightness. Inside, the dashboard — updated in 2024 — wraps tightly around the driver who sits in a high-backed bucket seat that clamps you firmly in place.
As with the hybrid Yaris, the GR Yaris gets a three-cylinder petrol engine, but the battery has been thrown away, a turbo has been added, and the capacity increased to 1.6-litres. The upshot is 280hp (up from 261hp in the original GR Yaris), and a six-speed manual gearbox that shifts with a rare sense of mechanical precision and satisfaction. That said, don’t ignore the optional eight-speed automatic — the GR Yaris is apparently quicker on-track with that. Either way, this is a light car by modern standards, weighing in at just over 1,200kg, which is good going considering the four-wheel drive and the cooling needed for that turbo engine.
On a twisty road, the GR Yaris is nothing short of awesome, with that zippy engine screaming away in front of you, the road surface being precisely relayed to your palms through the brilliant steering, and the grip and traction of rally-car four-wheel drive to slingshot you out of every corner as another bounce of the rev-limiter beckons. There’s even an old-fashioned manual handbrake for, er, reasons…
Sure, it’s compromised — the ride is hard, the back seats tiny, the boot all-but useless — but the reason the GR Yaris tops this list is because it’s the biggest amount of driving fun you can squeeze into a small sports car package.
2. Porsche 718 Cayman
Porsche 718 Cayman reviewPorsche has long been a byword for precision in all things driving, and the 718 Cayman hits that mark perfectly. If anything, it’s even sweeter to drive than the bigger, faster 911, mostly because unlike the 911, the Cayman’s engine is neatly tucked away between your back and the rear wheels, rather than hung out behind you. The driving position is essentially perfect, quality levels are fantastic, and with two reasonably sized boots front and rear, it’s even tolerably practical.
The engines are something of a mixed bunch, though. The basic 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre flat-four turbo engines are powerful and efficient, but they don’t make the scalp-tingling noise of the more emotive 4.0-litre flat-six GTS model. In fairness, the flat-fours — although they sound almost more like an old VW Beetle than a new Porsche — are still very quick, and economical on a long run, so how much the sound matters to you comes down to how much you’re willing to spend.
Porsche’s options list is a short route to a third mortgage, and there are endless combos of colour and trim from which to choose, but as ever with a Porsche purchase, the best thing to do is keep it simple, and keep it tasteful. Or you could go for Racing Yellow with matching alloy wheels.
Either way, the Cayman is a total delight to drive, and that’s primarily why it’s on this list. The steering is fast and talkative, the mid-engined balance near-perfect, and the way the Boxster carves through a series of corners is just a total delight.
Add to that Porsche’s usual obsession with quality, and you have a very complete small sports car package. Most buyers will go for the optional PDK double-clutch automatic gearbox, but our money would definitely be spent on a six-speed manual ‘box, for the ultimate in tactility. And four or six cylinders? The noise of the latter makes it the more tempting option, but either way you’re getting a properly thrilling small sports car.
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3. BMW M2
BMW M2 reviewCalling the BMW M2 a baby is maybe not quite right, as it’s a bigger car than its predecessor, and thanks to being based on the same set of mechanical bits and pieces as the M3 and the M4, it’s also surprisingly heavy, hitting the scales with a chunky 1,705kg. Chunky is the right word for the bulging bodykit too, which looks oddly blocky and Lego-like at the front, but which is sexier and curvier down the sides, and which makes the M2 look almost as wide as it is long.
So it’s a small sports car that’s not actually all that small? A bit, but the 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six petrol engine makes up for a lot of that. BMW recently treated it to a 20hp upgrade, bringing it to 480hp which is a lot in a fairly compact car. The M2 is suitably savage, so — reaching 62mph in 3.8 seconds if you’ve gone for the automatic gearbox and activated launch control. Normally we’d go for a manual box for maximum fun, but the M2’s eight-speed auto is exceptional, and you can change gear yourself with gorgeous carbon-fibre paddles behind the suede-wrapped steering wheel.
The cabin is well put together, and the big touchscreens are excellent. The M2 is tight in the back seats (those bulky front bucket seats really eat into the available space) but the 390 litre boot isn’t a bad effort if you’re looking for something that’s practical for day to day use.
Of course, the way the M2 drives is what really sells it as a small sports car. Even with the bulging body bits, it feels right-sized for UK roads, and the steering is brilliant. Plus, the M2 actually feels better tied-down — especially on slippery stretches — than the bigger, more powerful M4 or M3. It rides firmly around town, and it doesn’t look nor feel as special inside as a Cayman, but the M2 is a compact ball of furious fun.
4. Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5 reviewSome time back in the 2000s, the Mazda MX-5 took away the old MGB’s crown as the best-selling two-seat sports car of all time, and it just hasn’t looked back. Most other car makers have long since abandoned the small, affordable roadster market, but nevertheless, Mazda persists and thank heavens for that. While it doesn’t finish top of this small sports car list, the Mazda is still the yardstick by which all others are judged. You might be faster than this Mazda — lots of cars are — but if you can’t be at least this much fun, don’t bother turning up…
Power comes from either a 135hp 1.5-litre engine, or a stumpier 2.0-litre with 186hp, but in neither form does the MX-5 feel noticeably quick. A basic Porsche Boxster will leave it standing. An M2 will destroy it in a straight line. None of which matters, because the MX-5 driver will be having more fun anyway.
You can spec the MX-5 up with the RF (Retractable Fastback) body that gives it an electric targa-style roof, where only the centre section disappears behind and beneath the rear bodywork, but this car is best enjoyed in its simplest form — 1.5 engine, skinny tyres, and a fabric roof that can be folded and raised with one hand, without even getting out of the car. Fabulous steering, biddable rear-wheel drive responses, and all the fun you can have on the road make up for a cheap cabin and a small boot.
5. Toyota GR86 (2021 - 2025)
Toyota GR86 reviewYou can’t really buy a new Toyota GR86 anymore (boo!) but you might still find a low-mileage one knocking about in the far recesses of the Toyota dealer network (hurrah!) and even though it’s not actually on sale anymore, it deserves a space on this list because it’s exactly what a small sports car should be — light; focused on fun rather than speed; and just practical enough to be used every day. It’s not a wildly pretty car, but it has some of that designed-for-PlayStation Japanese look about it, which is hugely appealing.
As with its predecessor, the GT86, the GR86 was designed together with Subaru, which is why this Toyota has a flat-four engine. The GR86 got a major power boost over the old GT86 though, with a total of 234hp from its 2.4-litre engine, which kept the sweet, smooth-revving nature that it had always had.
The GR86 is quick rather than fast — 6.3 seconds to 62mph — but that’s the point, as it’s a car that’s all about its swift steering, and its playful chassis that’s happy to indulge the occasional naughty skid on the way out of a damp roundabout.
It’s also a practical-enough car, with a half-decent boot (smaller than the M2’s but bigger than the MX-5’s) and back seats into which someone can squeeze for a short journey. Plus there’s the usual Toyota quality that means if you buy one now, you’ll still be driving it in a decade’s time.
6. Lotus Emira
Lotus Emira reviewFor many of us, Lotus is still one of the most magical names in motoring. Memories of Colin Chapman, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, and Mario Andretti trading F1 wins with Ferrari across the sixties and seventies elevated Lotus — the original small maker of equally small sports cars — to the pantheon of motoring greats, even if some of its road cars never quite lived up to the legend.
The Emira, though? It’s the first Lotus to be made with the solid cash backing of Chinese car making giant Geely (which also owns Volvo and Polestar) and that shows in the massive improvement in cabin quality compared to Lotus of old. There are still some niggles — the screens aren’t great — but at least the dash won’t come off in your hand now.
Better yet, the Emira drives just like a Lotus should — sharp, but flexible; agile, but planted; fun, and definitely fast. The 3.5-litre V6 (taken from a Toyota Camry!) with the manual gearbox is the best combo, but the whooshy four-cylinder turbo (auto only) bought in from Mercedes AMG is well worth a look too. It’s not a very practical car, the Emira, but to drive one is to revive all of those F1 racing legends in your mind.
7. Alpine A110
Alpine A110 reviewIf you want to get seriously light, in sports car terms, you need to be looking at the ultra-specialist likes of a Caterham 7 or an Ariel Atom — so light and tight that they’re barely-there. If you want lightness with actual usability, comfort, and I dunno, maybe a stereo then look no further than this Alpine A110.
It’s a car that wears its deliberately retro-seventies styling lightly, and looks darned good doing it, especially in bright French racing blue. Underneath is a bespoke aluminium chassis, the Alpine uses lots of Renault cast-off bits such as the 252hp 1.8-litre turbo engine (more powerful versions are available, but you just don’t need them) mounted behind the seats, which comes from the old Megane RS (which is good) to the air conditioning controls nicked from the old Renault Zoe (less good, but hey they work). It’s comfy for two people, and has vaguely useful boots front and rear.
It’s also devastatingly brilliant to drive, with some of the best steering around, and an astonishing ability to shrug off bumpy, lumpy roads. Really, the A110 is the epitome of the small sports car — it’s entirely focused on driving fun, and doesn’t want to know about big touchscreens nor SUV ride-heights. It’s all about the tactility, and it’s so much better for that.
8. BMW Z4
BMW Z4 reviewCalling the BMW Z4 a small sports car is, ever so slightly, a stretch. It’s not that the BMW isn’t small — it’s actually pretty compact, and far from heavy, but the sports car bit? It’s debatable, as really the Z4 is more of a comfy two-seat cruiser with a removable roof than it is an out-and-out thrill-a-minute sports car. However, it’s definitely sports-car shaped, so it gets a slot on our list.
It’s certainly a good looking car, arguably the best-looking car ever to wear the Z4 badge, and we much prefer this generation’s proper soft-top roof to the folding hard top of the previous Z4. Inside, it’s all very high quality, and the seats are super-comfy — this is no stripped-out sports racer.
It’s not as agile as a Porsche Boxster but it can be had with a brilliant 340hp straight-six petrol engine, and if you shop around carefully you might track down one of the limited edition manual gearbox versions, known as the ‘Handschalter.’ Yes, really.
While it’s not the most exciting car to thread down a twisty road, the Z4 still definitely handles very well, and it’s much more comfortable than the two Z4 models that came before it, both of which would have your teeth out over sharp bumps.
Factors to consider when buying a small sports car
Small sports cars, such as the ones on our list here, are not rational choices. You don’t buy a BMW Z4 if you want a practical family car, nor do you buy a Porsche Cayman if you need something to haul the dogs around with. The more normal considerations go mostly out the window.
Of course, you can buy one of these cars on the basis of practicality, and if that’s the case then the BMW M2 or the Toyota GR86 are probably your best bets, as both have back seats (albeit small ones) and are reasonable useful. You’d think that the hatchback GR Yaris would be even more so, but actually it’s so small inside that it’s just not. However, the hot Yaris is probably the easiest car on this list to park, but if you’re spending all your days driving around town, you’re kind of doing a GR Yaris wrong…
What this really comes down to, and what you need to consider, is how far you push the boat out with colours and options. Porsche’s Cayman can look buttoned-down sober or wild and flashy depending on your paint choices, and while very bright colours might not be a great thing for residual values in three years’ time, it is worth considering that if you’re going to hang on to one of these cars for a long time, then having an unusual paint colour could eventually pay some dividends. Investment opportunity? Given the rarity of the likes of the GR Yaris and the Alpine A110, you’d have to consider it.
Most of all though, the important consideration is how you’re going to use it. None of these cars is a commuter machine, although pretty much all of them will do that task without complaint. If you’re buying one of these small sports cars, though, you need to be thinking of track days, and long drives on great roads. It’s just a waste, otherwise.
