2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Price Range: $29,530 - $36,250

Good

7.9

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

If you need it to be your one and only car, the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata isn't a great choice. It only seats two, has minimal cargo room and is noisy on the highway. But what you give up in comfort and practicality is more than made up by getting one of the most engaging and fun sports car driving experiences available.

#2 out of 3

Convertibles

26 Owner Reviews

Pros

Pro:Fun and engaging to drive, even at low speeds
Pro:One of the most fuel-efficient sports cars you can buy
Pro:Manual soft top is easy to raise or lower quickly
Pro:Respectably smooth ride

Cons

Con:Not much room to stretch out inside
Con:Can't fit much stuff in the trunk
Con:Cabin gets loud at highway speeds, even with the top up

What’s new

New limited-production 35th Anniversary Edition
Part of the fourth MX-5 Miata generation introduced for 2016

2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review

Overview

Written by automotive expert Josh Jacquot

4/16/2025

There aren't many cars in today's market that can give you real raw exhilaration without breaking the bank. The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a roadster that not only offers a fun driving experience without sacrificing fuel efficiency but is also affordable. Space is scarce in this lightweight brawler, but thrills are pleasingly abundant. The Miata received some minor updates for the 2024 model. For 2025, the Miata celebrates 35 years on the market with a 35th Anniversary Edition. It's available only as a soft top with a six-speed manual transmission. Mazda says it will only build 300 of them.

Edmunds spotlight: Fun behind the wheel

The MX-5 Miata will completely redefine your perception of a "fun" car. With 181 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque from its perky 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the performance numbers on the Miata seem unremarkable, but don't let them deceive you. The two-seater is one of the lightest cars on the market. That, plus its rear-wheel drive and standard short-shifting six-speed manual transmission, creates an engaging and well-balanced sports car. Trust us when we say you won't need the high output numbers to feel joy. Read our full Expert Rating below for all the details.

Competitors to consider

The closest rivals to the Miata are the larger Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ. The GR86 and BRZ are mechanically related and have the same directive as the Miata: Be a back-to-basics sports car experience. They, however, come only in a coupe body style. The redesigned Mini Cooper is another good option if you want something with more cabin refinement than the Miata can provide.

What’s it like to live with?

We had a long-term MX-5 Miata when this generation (ND) was brand-new way back in 2016. This brilliant roadster more than met our expectations by turning the mundane into the magical. Trips to get stamps put a smile on our faces. It's fun. It's not practical or comfortable. And we loved it anyway. Read about our experience here.

Which MX-5 Miata trim does Edmunds recommend?

For the purest MX-5 Miata experience, get the Club trim. It offers Bilstein dampers, a limited-slip differential and a premium Bose audio system. It's also only available with the six-speed manual transmission, which is the one you want to best enjoy the Miata.

Compare 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata trim levels

Helpful trims summary and side-by-side comparison chart

Mazda MX-5 Miata models

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a small two-seat convertible available in three trim levels: Sport, Club, Grand Touring and 35th Anniversary Edition. Each one is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (181 horsepower, 151 lb-ft of torque) driving the rear wheels through a standard six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic is optional with the Grand Touring trim. Note that there's also the Miata RF, which has a retractable hardtop and is reviewed separately. Standard feature highlights for the Miata include:

Sport
The base MX-5 Miata Sport is equipped with:

16-inch black alloy wheels with high-performance tires
LED headlights and taillights
Black manual convertible top
Keyless entry and push-button start
Leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift knob and parking brake
Cloth seats
8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Alexa
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration
Six-speaker audio system
Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning (alerts you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)

Club
The Club is the sportiest Miata, adding:

17-inch black alloy wheels
Sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers
Shock tower brace (stiffens the body structure to help with handling precision)
Limited-slip differential (enhances traction during acceleration)
Track mode for stability control system
Black front lip and rear spoiler
Upper door panel trim in exterior color
Gray contrast-color seat stitching
Heated seats
Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto
Nine-speaker Bose audio system

The Club's exclusive Brembo/BBS Recaro package includes:

Brembo front brakes with red front and rear calipers
17-inch dark gray forged alloy BBS wheels
Aerodynamic body kit
Heated Recaro sport seats

Grand Touring
The Grand Touring is the most luxurious MX-5. It builds off the Club (minus the front and rear spoilers) and adds:

17-inch metallic black alloy wheels
Automatic headlights with automatic high-beam assist
Adaptive headlights (swivel as you turn the steering wheel for better illumination in curves)
Automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers
Heated side mirrors with auto-dimming driver's side glass
Auto-dimming rearview mirror
Automatic climate control
Leather upholstery
Navigation system
Road sign assistance (detects certain road signs and displays them on the instrument panel)
Adaptive cruise control (automatic transmission only; maintains a driver-set distance between the Miata and the car in front)

The sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers, limited-slip differential and shock tower brace aren't available with the optional automatic transmission.

35th Anniversary Edition
This limited-edition model builds on the Grand Touring trim and adds:

17-inch bright finish alloy wheels
Exclusive Artisan Red Metallic exterior paint
Exclusive beige soft top
Body color rear spoiler
Unique badging
Tan leather upholstery with 35th anniversary embossed seats
Artisan Red Metallic interior trim

Mazda MX-5 Miata Owner Reviews

4.8

5(85%)

4(15%)

3(0%)

2(0%)

1(0%)

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Most fun of any car ive ever been in.

Mark hoyle, 05/18/2021

2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)

Ive had a 2000 vette, two mini coopers (which I loved), multiple Chevy ford Lexus Nissan Mitsubishi land rover Honda Toyota cars and trucks (I'm old!) and this is the most fun of any car ive ever had. Its my daily driver. The handling is phenomenal. Its sweet spot is 90-100mph but even at slower speeds its a blast. The cornering is fantastic. Its like driving a comfortable go cart daily! …

Deja Vu Many Years Later

Should have done this sooner!, 03/12/2023

2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)

I just purchased a 2022 Grand Touring 6 speed manual in Soul Red. Many years ago, I went to buy a fully loaded Protege. they didn't have what I wanted and the salesman asked me if I wanted to have fun? I said yes and we took out a Miata. (1st gen.) Most fun I ever had buying a car until now. I went there looking at something totally different and ended up buying in right off the …

Best Miata Yet!

Dr. Roger Tilton, 05/17/2021

2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)

I just recently bought a new Miata grand touring manual shift. I should mention that I have driven only Miatas since they first came out in 1989, and this will be my sixth. My first very pleasant surprise was the appearance. I wanted the Soul Red Crystal but based on the pictures on the dealer's website it didn't look too good with the gray top which is all that any of the dealers had in … the grand touring. I went to test drive one, and when I saw the red with the gray top in person I almost fainted. The color combination looked just fantastic in person and nothing like the picture. My car until then was a 2016 soul red special edition with the tan interior which looked great, but this looked even better. The red is deeper and more beautiful than before which I didn't think was possible. In fact I think this is the most beautiful red I have ever seen in a car including Ferraris and Corvettes, and other people tell me that when they see my car. (I got the first compliment on the color on the test drive from another driver at a stoplight who said he loved the color.) I tell people it looks like a $100,000 car, but I honestly can't think of a $100,000 car that looks this beautiful. With the gray top it adds a sense of elegance. I had been a little concerned, because this car has a sports suspension which now comes with the grand touring manual, since I have always had the regular suspension desiring a smoother ride. However with the sports suspension it is just fine and in fact better overall. It felt a little bit rougher on a not so smooth road during my test drive, but then I decided I had better check the tire pressure. Mazda recommends 29 psi which is inside the driver's side door. Sure enough the dealer had 50 psi in all four tires which I then corrected. I have had the car for a week now and have driven 500 miles. All I can say is that as much as I loved my 2016 Miata this one is better in every way. The added horsepower added in 2019 is very noticeable and just puts the driving experience on a higher level. And on a decent road the ride quality is better than ever. It is even smoother than my 2016, and there's something about the overall feel of the car on the road that is just sensational. You feel this on the freeway at high speeds but even at just about any speed unless it's a really rough road. It's 0-60 time of 5.7 and it's quarter mile time of 14.4 is comparable to the former Honda S2000 and to the 2013 Porsche Boxster which were formidable cars. I used to love the Boxster, but I test drove one a couple of years ago and in the manual shift I was really disappointed. You almost couldn't drive it normally in the city, because you would be going 70 mph in second gear. I like the Miata better which is more like the Boxster use to be. When I say everything is better with this Miata than my 2016 that includes the clutch which is even easier than before and something, about the integration of the manual shifter and the clutch which seems even more seamless. With all of my Miatas I always thought they couldn't be improved upon, but each one is noticeably better than the one before. However this ND2 is really something else. The subjective enjoyment factor in driving this car is really off the charts. If you watch some of the current YouTube reviews with young guys who say they had never driven a Miata and had some negative preconceived ideas about it, they are noticeably blown away when they are test driving it. It's also nice to have the Apple Car Play which can be connected wirelessly on the grand touring, and the black leather with white stitching looks really nice. This Miata is the best ever and is truly a remarkable car. Given the looks, performance, and overall driving enjoyment there really is no car I would rather have.

Best bang for the buck!

Wes, 05/22/2021

2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring 2dr Convertible (2.0L 4cyl 6M)

I’ve owned several high end exotic sports cars and this car is more fun to drive than any of them. It’s unpretentious and a great value for top down sporty motoring and one of the few cars you can still buy with a fully manual transmission. Impeccable quality, fit, and finish - better than our BMW or Lexus and reminds me of the surgical precise feel of my Porsche C4S.

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata, so we've included reviews for other years of the MX-5 Miata since its last redesign.

2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata

2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata Review

Overview

Edmunds spotlight: Fun behind the wheel

Competitors to consider

What’s it like to live with?

Which MX-5 Miata trim does Edmunds recommend?

Mazda MX-5 Miata models

Mazda MX-5 Miata Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Most fun of any car ive ever been in.

Deja Vu Many Years Later

Best Miata Yet!

Best bang for the buck!

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