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Best Of

Best Sports Cars 2024

The best sports cars you can buy in 2024, all in one place.

Erin Baker

Words by: Erin Baker

Mark Nichol

Additional words by: Mark Nichol

Last updated on 22 December 2023 | 0 min read

If you're looking to buy a sports car, you're going to want something that's great fun to drive, whether that's down to speed, the way it goes around corners, or a combination of both.
That may mean you have to make some sacrifices – like having two seats instead of four, or having a boot that’ll fit little more than a few small shopping bags – but you don’t have to compromise on everything. The best sports cars provide plenty in the way of comfort, luxury equipment and everyday usability. And with many, even reasonable running costs aren’t out of the question. Tempted? You should be, so here’s our guide to the best of what’s available.

Mazda MX-5

It's sold over a million globally, making it the world’s most popular two-seat sports car. Available as a fabric convertible or with a folding hardtop, badged the RF, and with a 2.0-litre or 1.5-litre engine in the newest version. Very comfy, very nimble, very entertaining.
Read the full review.
Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5

Alpine A110

Astounded all the critics when it was launched, with its blend of light and perfectly distributed weight, meaning that you can feel the car pivot around your hips when skipping from corner to corner. The revival of a great badge with exemplary racing heritage and engineering know-how.
Read the full review.
Alpine A110
Alpine A110
Alpine A110
Alpine A110

Porsche 718 Boxster

One of the best-loved German sports cars ever gets the “718” badge in its latest iteration. Less power than the 911 but with the engine in the middle, it will dance beautifully to the tune of your right foot. Some miss the replaced six-cylinder engine, but the remaining four cylinder do a very nice job. The Cayman, a hard-top version of the Boxster, is equally desirable.
Read the full review.
Porsche 718 Boxster
Porsche 718 Boxster
Porsche 718 Boxster
Porsche 718 Boxster

Jaguar F-Type

Often overlooked, and we know not why. The recent facelift has made this possibly the best looking sports car out there right now, and Jaguar has a very nice history of making fantastic sports cars. For hardcore thrills verging on supercar territory, go for the flagship R version if your budget stretches to six figures, with its stonking 5.0-litre V8 engine and incredible noise. But hurry up - we're in 'while stocks last' territory now.
Read the full review.
Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar F-Type
Jaguar F-Type

BMW Z4

Sleek, sharp and fast. Don’t bother with the 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engine - save your money and stick with the entry-level 2.0-litre job for an airy, eager throttle response that suits the small, light nature of this svelte sports car. Rear-wheel-drive BMW handling equals satisfaction in spades.
Read the full review.
BMW Z4
BMW Z4
BMW Z4
BMW Z4

Toyota Supra

See above, because BMW and Toyota teamed up for the Supra/Z4. Toyota has taken the straight-six engine, and a large amount of stuff under the skin of the Z4, and put it into a slightly more spacious package in the Supra, with some crazy Japanese styling. Plus you get that badge, which is so embedded in Japanese car culture.
Read the full review.
Toyota Supra
Toyota Supra
Toyota Supra
Toyota Supra

Caterham Seven

Caterham does no fewer than nine versions of the Seven at the moment, from the sub-£30K '170' model to the 420R Race Package. Dozens have come and gone over the decades, too, but the fundamentals are always the same: lightweight, rear-wheel drive, open-top driving thrills of the purest type. There’s even an electric one on the way. Whichever you choose, you’ll get a raw, ‘backside on the ground’ driving experience that’s incredible fun and unlike anything else.
Read the full review.

BMW M2

How about something with a 3.0-litre 6-cylinder turbo petrol engine developing 460 horsepower and driving the rear wheels? You can even have an M2 with a manual gearbox. Sadly it’s a £1200 option because 90 per cent of M2s sold last time around were specced with automatics. BMW’s M Division had to fight with the accounts department to even make it available. That’s how committed it was to making this a ‘proper’ sports car. It’ll be the last one like this before everything goes electric too. Make the most of it while you can.
Find out more about the BMW M2 here.

Lotus Emira

The Emira will be the last petrol-powered sports car from Lotus. Sob. Thankfully, the genre is going out with a bang. The Emira is a bit special, everything a modern Lotus should be. You can have it with either a Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre turbo engine or a 3.5-litre V6, and you can choose a manual gearbox if you like. And with prices starting at £60,000 – for something mid-engined, and that looks and drives like this – it’s actually pretty good value.
Read the full review.

Toyota GR86

Toyota didn’t really have to make the GR86. It could have gone out with the mega GT86 before turning its attention to something electric. Thankfully, we get one more back-to-basics, petrol-powered rear-wheel drive sports car – a car that’s more about handling fun than raw speed. Because it’s relatively simple it’s really keenly priced (£32,000), although that’s almost academic now because the UK allocation sold out immediately. Toyota may decide to bring a few more to the UK, but If you want one now, there are plenty of low-mileage and virtually new examples available on Auto Trader.
Find a Toyota GR86 on Auto Trader.