Top 5 Affordable Convertibles to Enjoy This Summer

Let us set the scene.

It’s Saturday morning and the Sun is splitting the trees. You step outside of your house with shorts and your sunglasses on. The first thing you feel is a crisp bite of heat on your face. You look up at the sky and notice there isn’t a cloud in sight. The sky looks bluer than usual, just the grass looks greener. You’ve been waiting for days like this for a long time and now that they are here you can’t conceal the smile on your face. Summer is underway and this morning is the perfect morning for a leisurely summer drive.

The paintwork on your sporty convertible is glimmering in the Sun and you could swear that it has never looked as good as it does right now. You bought this car with days like this in mind. Of course, we live in England, so opportunities to lower the soft top and get the absolute maximum enjoyment from the car are few and far between, but on a day like this, there really is no other choice. You unlock the door, step into the car, lower the roof, turn on the engine and set off with a sense of anticipation and excitement that only the perfect choice of car can bring you.

If you like the sound of that scenario, we would like to share with you our five top picks for affordable convertible cars, so that you too can make the most of your leisurely summer morning drives.

DS 3 Cabrio

DS automobiles have made real efforts in recent years to forge their own identity since parting ways with Citroën in 2015. Where they were once known as an up-market sub-brand, they are now a fully-fledged standalone brand of their own, producing quality vehicles with their own identity.

The 3 Cabrio fits directly into this category, blending a stylish but functional design with that all-important convertible roof to guarantee you that lovely summer's day drive feeling. This car is based on a conventional hatchback design, meaning it has 5 seats and offers all the practicality of a family car and can serve you well all year round regardless of your requirements. When the sun does begin to shine, however, you can unleash the fun that the designers really intended this car for by peeling back the rail-mounted canvas roof to three different positions, offering a range of exposure to the elements however which way takes your fancy. From the side, the car will always look like a conventional hatchback as the window frames remain in place.

All of this is available at a very affordable price, giving you a golden ratio of price, style, practicality, and fun all in one great car.

Fiat 500C

Fiat 500’s has gained a reputation as being a small car, however, this statement, as known to those who own them, is something of a myth. The 500C can comfortably seat four adults inside, offering it a level of practicality you may not first expect and allowing this car to serve as more than a fun summer's day car.

It comes with a rail-mounted canvas roof which is fully adjustable allowing you to have complete control over just how sun-kissed you want your roof-down drive to be. The boot is also roomier than you might expect, so you can certainly take everything you might need for the beach. If you are packing for a holiday, the option to lower the back seats and make even more room is there.

This car is one of the most affordable on this list, and while some sacrifices may be made in comparison with other entrants such as in engine performance, if you are looking for a convertible without breaking the bank there aren’t many better options.

Mini Convertible

The Mini brand is synonymous with an iconic shape and style that any motoring enthusiast would be able to recognise instantly. The timeless design of the Mini has served the brand well and allowed them to remain relevant and retain an avid base of enthusiasts who simply love the design of their cars. With that being said, it would be hard to believe that Mini could improve upon the design of their cars, but with their convertible offering, they may well have done just that.

If nipping around in this fun and sporty convertible with the top down on a summer’s day does not bring a smile to your face, it’s difficult to imagine which driving experience would. The roof when retracted opens the car up entirely, unlike the DS and the Fiat, giving you the full open-top experience.

Mini has released convertible options for a range of their models, giving you options on just what type of convertible mini you want. This allows you to balance your requirements for a convertible car, between affordability, power, and fuel economy.

Mazda MX-5

If you need your convertible car to have the classically sporty shape and design that you would usually associate a convertible with, but still within an affordable price range, then look no further than the Mazda MX-5 Roadster. This car trades practicality for style and fun, but if your priority is those amazing wind-in-your-hair drives then it is simply a must-have.

The roof can come in a choice of soft-top or folding metal depending on your personal preferences, but of course, the folding metal option will fare better in the Winter months in rainy and snowy conditions as opposed to its soft-top counterpart. With either option in roof design, the drive and feel of this car is going to provide you with the experience you are looking for as the small and lightweight shape keeps it nimble on winding roads.

This certainly is not a family car and comes with a narrow interior, built for pleasure and not practicality, however that does play to the strengths of the car, keeping you low to the ground and in a comfy position that makes you feel at one with the car. The Mazda will deliver driving pleasure for less, and you will not have to break the bank to enjoy the sports car feeling usually reserved for those with a large budget.

Audi A3 Cabriolet

The Audi brand is synonymous with premium cars, performance and generally being a cut above a lot of their competition. These facts might at first make you think that a sporty, convertible Audi is guaranteed to not fall into the ‘affordable’ bracket, however, this could not be further from the truth. Enter the Audi A3 Cabriolet, a stylish, up-market-looking convertible that isn’t as expensive as first looks may have you believe.

The car comes with all the usual bells and whistles you would expect from an Audi, as well as sleek lines and high-end interior upholstery. The convertible roof is made from fabric and can be retracted quickly, wasting no time in letting you feel the sun on your face from the comfort of the driver’s seat. While not being the most practical offering on this list, it certainly beats the Mazda in that respect, without sacrificing much of the fun you can have on the road.