Starts at $29,530
Rank
What's New for 2025?
The Miata is generally unchanged this year, but Mazda has introduced a 35th Anniversary edition that includes unique 17-inch wheels, exclusive Artisan Red Metallic paint with matching interior accents, a tan soft top and tan Nappa leather upholstery with a matching leather-wrapped key fob sleeve. Production will be limited to 300 units.
2025 MX-5 Miata Selector
2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata
FAST FACTS
"The Miata stands out in this segment for a number of reasons. It's tiny, for one thing, and it also offers a delightful manual transmission that we strongly recommend. Is there a backseat? Is it at all luxurious? Is it even that fast? No, no and no — but as ever, it's one of those cars that you can't fully appreciate without driving it. Get behind the wheel and you'll feel the magic, too, even if it's not your cup of tea."—Ranked #1 out of 4 Mainstream Convertibles
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
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If you get what the Miata's all about, you know it's pound-for-pound one of the most entertaining cars on the market. This base configuration with the manual would be just fine with us — they all have the same engine, after all.
We have nothing against automatic transmissions in convertibles, but we think they pair much better with larger, heavier, more luxurious drop-tops. Mazda will happily put an automatic in your Miata, though — just know that it's only available in the top-shelf Grand Touring model, which is why the starting price for the automatic is so much higher.
The Miata RF is nearly identical to the regular Miata in most respects, but its folding hardtop adds quite a bit to the cost. In fact, the manual-transmission RF starts at about eight grand more than the manual soft-top, partly because its base trim — Grand Touring — is the soft-top's highest trim.
On the bright side, the automatic transmission actually improves the Miata RF's fuel economy incrementally, but let's be honest — this is a very fuel-efficient car either way. If you can justify the manual, we strongly recommend it. But the Miata is a lot of fun no matter how the gears are being shifted.
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
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