DEATH OF THE CONVERTIBLE

AS SUV SALES SOAR, IS THE SUN SETTING ON THE ONCE-POPULAR DROP-TOP?

- Tom Jervis

CONVERTIBLES are becoming a critically endangered species, with sales of drop-top cars plunging over the past decade-and-a-half as buyers are instead tempted by more fashionable high-riding SUVs. While cars such as the Mazda MX-5 seem to boast enduring longevity, it’s very much the exception as other cabriolets, such as the BMW Z4, end production due to sagging demand.

According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), just 12,173 new convertible models were registered in the UK in 2024. That's a substantial 66 per cent decrease from the 36,193 examples that found homes in 2019. Wind the clock back even further to 2010 and there were just over 60,000 new drop-top vehicles registered, accounting for roughly three per cent of all new cars, compared with just 0.6 per cent in 2024.

Such a staggering slump in sales might be surprising given the undying appeal and benefits of a retractable roof; the Auto Express Convertible of the Year, the Mazda MX-5, remains an absolute thrill even more than a decade after the current model's release. Yet the roadster perseveres as one of the very few affordable convertibles still on sale today.

CONVERTIBLES ARE GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE

In 2025 we said goodbye to a handful of drop-top models, including the BMW Z4 and its sibling, the larger 8 Series Convertible. The Z4 in particular is emblematic of the seeming demise of the affordable convertible; while it’s hard to call a forty-odd-thousand-pound roadster from a premium German manufacturer ‘affordable’, most drop-tops nowadays are even more costly.

Convertibles and cabriolets have historically demanded a premium over their fixed-roof counterparts, given their added complexity; insight director at analytics firm Cox Automotive, Philip Nothard, points out how, for example .