The best affordable sports cars - driven, rated and ranked

Even with its downsized four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, and even as we near its replacement by an all-electric Boxster and Cayman in 2025, the Porsche 718 remains by some distance the most complete mid-engined sports car on sale.

Misgivings about the way the car's crank is now turned have been voiced from plenty of quarters since 2016 and have now been persuasive enough that Porsche has returned a flat-six engine for the range-topping Cayman and Boxster GTS versions.

But whether fitted with a four- or a six-cylinder motor, be in no doubt: the Boxster and Cayman have always been, and remain, excellent sports cars.

The 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre turbo flat fours that were pressed into service in the car in 2016 attracted particular criticism for sounding toneless; for lacking smoothness, crispness of response, linearity and operating range; and for coming up short on the purist driver appeal typically associated with Porsche.

Later, Porsche retuned the car's 2.0-litre engine for WLTP emissions compliance and released the Boxster T and Cayman T, whose unresponsiveness made a controversial situation worse.

However, in one of the most unexpected industry U-turns in recent memory, in 2019 Porsche reintroduced a naturally aspirated flat-six engine in upper-level GTS, GT4 and Boxster Spyder models. It's a superb engine by any standards - based on the 3.0-litre unit in the '992' 911, only enlarged to 4.0 litres and shorn of the turbos.

The long-geared manual 'box it's partnered with doesn't flatter it nearly as well as it should, but you can avoid it if you plump for a two-pedal PDK or if you have the budget to progress all the way up to the super-short-geared, PDK-only, savage but brilliant Cayman GT4 RS.

At the other end of the model spectrum, both Boxster and Cayman remain practical, ever-engaging to drive, and plenty fast even in four-cylinder form. The 718 still has it all - and it takes a car of once-in-a-generation dynamic brilliance to beat it.

Anyone with a £50,000 budget to spend on something in which they just want to enjoy themselves would be remiss in the extreme to overlook one of the most direct and glaringly obvious solutions to their brief: the utterly brilliant Ariel Atom 4.

This lightweight two-seater is part motorbike, part car, part tubular curio. Clearly it’s not a car with any real practical use whatsoever.

But while demanding plenty of commitment from its driver, it’s superbly involving and characterful. Our favourite lightweight sports car, the Atom keeps it focus squarely on the essentials. A windscreen is an optional extra - and if you don’t go for one, a helmet is an absolute must. 

But huge pace and almost unrivalled excitement are this car’s crowning glories. The former comes from the car’s turbocharged Honda four-cylinder engine, which can be turned up as far as 350bhp in a car weighing little more than 600kg.

But the latter isn’t just about superbike-baiting acceleration. The Atom's chassis is singularly adjustable, and it can be made so easily to work every bit as well on a bumpy, flowing B-road as on a track day – something you can rarely say about cars of the Atom’s rampant outright circuit pace and visceral physicality.

Getting on top of an Atom on the track and getting every scrap of performance from it is a challenge like few sports cars can offer in 2024. Answering it and then loosening your belts, dialling down your dampers and gently bobbing your way back home makes you feel alive like little else on four wheels can.

How do you improve on perfection? If you're Toyota and you need to replace the already excellent GT86, you add a bit more power and grip, give the looks and interior a much-needed refresh and... well, you really needn’t do much else.

Okay, so there's rather more to the Toyota GR86 than that, but not much. For starters, the newcomer is built on a strengthened version of the old car's chassis and shell, while under the bonnet there's now a more muscular flat-four motor that has been stretched to 2.5 litres and 232bhp.

The suspension and steering have been subtly revised, while the GT86's Michelin Primacy tyres are swapped for gummier Pilot Sport 4s (for the UK market, at least, where Toyota’s sportier rolling chassis specification is the only one offered).

The GR86 is a slightly firmer, grippier car than the one it replaces, but for the most part it handles in much the same way: with a beautifully balanced rear-wheel-drive attitude that can be exploited at any speed on track, if a little less accessibly on the road than in the GT86. Yes, the engorged engine delivers more pace, but not much more.

Elsewhere, the GR86 looks smarter than before, while the interior is classier without sacrificing its predecessor's surprising practicality. Oh, and with prices starting at £29,995, it's cracking value too.

There is, however, a snag - and a big one at that. Changes to European-market safety laws mean the GR86 will only remain available in the UK until early 2024, and with all of the cars that Toyota expects to import already sold, it's effectively already off sale.

There isn't a single area in which this fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 fails to surpass its predecessor. It's shorter, lighter, more spacious and better laid out. It's sharper looking but still disarming and not at all ostentatious. It's also faster, more frugal and even more vibrant and engaging to drive.

In 2018, Mazda facelifted its iconic roadster, with the headline change being a 23bhp power hike for its feisty 2.0-litre engine. A steering column that also now adjusts for reach was also introduced, addressing one of the MX-5's only ergonomic drawbacks.

More minor tweaks have been executed since, the latest being for the 2023 model year. As part of it, Mazda UK changed the standard soft-top car’s model name convention from MX-5 Convertible to MX-5 Roadster; renamed its derivative trim levels (in place of SE-L, Sport and GT, now Prime, Exclusive and Homura); and added a Zircon Sand paint option.

Mechanically, no changes were made, so the 1.5-litre MX-5 still develops 130bhp, while the 2.0-litre model makes 181bhp but also gets a front strut brace, a limited-slip differential and uprated Bilstein dampers as standard. 

Whichever you choose, rear-driven chassis poise and lots of driver involvement is guaranteed. That’s because the MX-5 is still every inch the same zesty and inimitable car that it always has been. Its character hasn't really changed at all in three decades, and nothing on this list offers a better pounds-per-smile rating.

The Super 3 (the 2012 reinvention, not the 1909 original) proved to be a surprise hit for the Malvern maker. Around 2500 left the factory over a 10-year production run, which for the nichiest of niche manufacturers is as close to mass production as it gets.

With its all-new Morgan Super 3, the British brand can expect even greater success, as it oozes the same spirit and charm of its predecessor yet comes in a far more versatile and modern package.

The unique three-wheel layout remains the same, as do the upturned bathtub looks, but under the skin there's a stronger monocoque construction, more sophisticated suspension and a three-cylinder Ford Fiesta engine in place of a throbbing V-twin.

Tipping the scales at just 635kg, the 118bhp Morgan is brisk, its performance aided by a snickety five-speed manual sourced from the Mazda MX-5. Yet it's the way the skinny-tyred machine tackles corners that delivers the real delight, the modest grip levels and well-balanced handling making it huge fun at any speed - but especially accessibly so on the road.

Yes, the lack of weather protection means you need to be committed (and weather-protected) on longer journeys, while a price the wrong side of £40,000 stretches the definition of 'affordable' a little.

Most lightweight specials offer greater outright pace and better circuit suitability than this, and the last 3 Wheeler had a bit more character.

But when all you want to do is drive on the sort of roads that most of us use every day and grab every moment of joy you can while doing so, few cars will have your heart singing more loudly.

The sensible thing to do would be to buy an Audi TT or a BMW 2 Series Coupé, wouldn't it? Well, this is the sports car market, where sensible plays second fiddle. And, even in 2024, the Ford Mustang with a 440bhp V8 engine can still be yours for less than £50k.

The seventh-generation ‘Stang arrived this year, and given we named it our Best Dream Car at our annual awards, we believe it's better than ever. 

That said, the Mustang ownership experience has a few drawbacks in the UK. The car’s sheer size means you have to think twice about where you're going to park it in town and what kinds of country lanes you might seek out with it. 

With its dipsomaniac 5.0-litre V8, meanwhile, you will need to factor in a greater number of visits to the pumps than your peers in their German sports cars. Ford of Europe used to offer a four-cylinder engine in the car to soften the blow on this front but has since discontinued it. 

The Mustang is a throwback of a sports car, needless to say, yet few direct rivals have such obvious likability. Its powertrain brings with it an appeal that engines with fewer cylinders simply don't muster and its rear-drive chassis balance is pretty peachy too

For more than 70 years, the Caterham Seven in all its forms (Lotus and Caterham) has been setting a defining standard for pure driver thrills.

If you don’t care about refinement, disregard modern crash-safety tests and wonder instead what kind of sports car will entertain you most widely and vividly wherever you happen to be, this diminutive British sports car is hard to beat.

The most affordable way into a new Seven is the Caterham Seven 170, which starts at £28,990 if you're willing to wield the spanners and build it yourself.

With its 84bhp turbocharged 660cc Suzuki engine, the Caterham looks a little weedy on paper, but a kerb weight of as little as 440kg means 0-60mph can be done and dusted in less than 7.0sec, the gargling three-pot engine encouraging you all the way.

Above the Seven 170, Caterham now offers the retro-themed Super Seven 600 and Super Seven 2000. Extended front cycle wings and plenty of body chrome trim give these cars classic Seven looks, but they can still be bought and built in kit form, the latter offering 180bhp of Ford Duratec power.

Move up again and you’re into proper performance Caterham territory, where proper motorsport-ready models can be found with as much as 310bhp, sequential gearboxes, full roll cages, track-ready slick tyres and fully adjustable suspension systems.

Here even the madcap Caterham Seven 620R could be yours, fully factory-built and ready to go, for a lot less than the price of a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.

Cheaper Sevens get a live rear axle and lack the ride sophistication of the pricier De Dion-equipped cars, but with their skinny tyres and wrist-flick steering, they can still dance this way and that through corners, entertaining like only lightweight cars could.

The most innocent and exhilarating fun on four wheels? Quite possibly.

The BMW Z4 still the platform sibling of the Toyota Supra, but it's got its own trump cards to play that help it stand out. 

It comes with the option of a drop-top, and it's powertrain selection offers a little more versatility compared to other models on this list. 

The range opens with a 194bhp variant, but the more sporty models come with 255bhp or a range-topping 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six engine, offering 335bp and 369lb ft of torque.

The Z4' strengths are found in its handling and ride, which have been significantly improved over its predecessor, offering great levels of stability at high speeds. 

A six-speed manual has also been made available since the start of 2024, surprisingly, for the first time on this derivative.

This comes as part of the Handschalter Package which also reconfigures the Z4's springs and dampers, and adjusts the model's steering mapping for a more engaging driving experience. 

It might sometimes feel more like a drop-top cruiser than an out-and-out sports car, but that's okay. Sometimes it's important to relax with the knowledge you can leave most other cars for dead at a set of lights.