Great and affordable 4-seat convertibles

Better still is doing it with all the family along, so here’s out pick of affordable four-seat convertibles to suit even the tightest budgets. Cars are listed in alphabetical order:

Effortlessly, understatedly elegant, the Audi A5 Cabriolet that arrived in 2009 took the A5 coupe and made it even more desirable. It helped this sleek looker could carry adults in the rear seats, though like its direct rivals it was better suited to ferrying the kids in the back seats.

With the roof up, there was still ample headroom in the back of the A5 Cabriolet and the fabric hood has proven reliable. There’s a wide range of petrol and diesel engines to choose from, though the 1.8 turbo petrol is about all you’ll ever need. Stick with manual gearboxes for problem-free driving, and check the climate control blows cold as it’s pricey to fix.

BMW’s 1 Series Convertible offers an even more affordable entry-point to four-seat drop-top fun, but the back seats are very cramped even for older children. As a result, the moderately more spacious 2 Series gets our vote here, and it’s a handsome, compact cabrio with a range of peppy petrol and diesel engine options.

A 218i with the 1.5-litre petrol engine will be the most wallet-friendly way into a 2 Series Convertible and it’s plenty entertaining to drive. Early cars can suffer from engine stalling, which needs a new fuel pump to cure. Keep an eye on the exhaust for puffs of smoke when starting from cold, though this will affect mostly high mileage cars or those that have spent their lives in town traffic.

Bentley and affordable might not seem like obvious bedfellows, but everything is relative. When you can get one of these supremely luxurious four-seat drop-tops from £25,000, it feels like a steal. At this end of the market, you will need to be on your guard for missing service history or repairs from non-Bentley specialists.

On sale from 2006, there’s a good choice of GTCs available, so ignore anything with scruffy leather or hood as they cost a packet to put right. The W12 engine offers huge performance, but running costs are correspondingly high. Look for any oil leaks and failed head gaskets, which require the engine to be removed and can cost as much as the purchase price to put right.

You’ll find BMW 6 Series Convertibles for less than our £5000 starting budget, but they will likely be very tired or plagued with issues. Look from £5000 and you’ll find higher mileage but cared-for examples of this handsome soft-top where the styling seems to suit the Bangle-styled rear end better than the coupe.

The rear seats are roomier than most cabrios, while the hood is very well insulated when raised. A 6 Series party piece is the rear glass window that can be lowered with the roof still up. The V8 petrols and diesel engines are tempting but have their own issues, so we’d seek out the 630i that is more reliable, cheaper to run than the V8s, and no less enjoyable to drive. Hefty annual road tax bills are the main fly in the ointment.

Launched in 2013 as a Citroen before becoming a DS in 2015, it was claimed this was the most affordable five-seat convertible in the world, though only the skinniest trio of kids would achieve this feat. Better to think of it as a four-seater and the DS3 Cabrio is a very cost-effective way to enjoy the sunshine. Its full-length fabric roof slides back at the touch of a button, but does hinder rear vision for the driver when full retracted.

The DSport is the model to have for its improved specification and the only major point to look out for is a rattling noise from the engine that indicates a worn timing chain.

It will require some compromise on the part of the front seat passengers to fit four adults into a 500C, but it is possible, at a push. For £2500 for one of the cutest cabrios going, it’s worth the effort if you only need to carry friends on short hops. If it’s the kids going in the back, longer journeys can be contemplated.

The full-length fabric roof retreats electrically but doesn’t store so neatly and hinders rearward vision for the driver. Although it’s not as economical as official figures claim, we like the character of the two-cylinder TwinAir engine and the Fiat’s engines are generally reliable. Check for corrosion underneath, while inside listen out for rattles from loose trim.

Next to many coupe-derived convertibles, the Jeep Wrangler will seem rather basic, crude even. However, this is part of the Wrangler’s charm, similar to a Land Rover Defender’s, and like it’s British rival the Jeep is more than capable of being driven off-road for added enjoyment.

Raising and lowering the Jeep’s roof is more time-consuming than most convertibles’, but there’s decent space in the back. Roof down, the back seats are very exposed to the elements. Mechanically, check the engine for water and oil leaks, and look underneath for signs of off-roading damage.

It’s easy to forget Lexus ever made the IS250 Convertible. It was a direct rival to the BMW 3 Series Convertible between 2010 and 2015, yet it barely troubled the sales charts. Its folding metal roof makes it year-round practical and the rear seats can cope with older children. Performance form the V6 engine is adequate rather than quick, but the engine is very reliable.

The IS250 Convertible is subtle, easy to live with an unchallenging to drive, which makes it a decent choice if all you want to do is soak up the sun during daily driving duties. If you crave some entertainment, choose the BMW, which is what most buyers did when the Lexus was new.

Know as the C209 in Mercedes-speak, the 2003 to 2010 CLK Convertible was an instant hit as a tasteful open-top. There’s more room in the back seats than most similar-sized cabrios and the fabric roof does a fine job of insulating the cabin when raised. Just make sure it’s in full working order and rip-free as it can be expensive to replace.

There are plenty of engines to choose from with the CLK and we’d opt either for the low running costs of the 1.8-litre supercharged four-cylinder or the silky smooth charms of the V6s. With an auto ’box, both suit the CLK to a tee. Biggest concern when checking out this Merc is rust, so look all around the wings, sills and underside.

It comes as something of a surprise to realise how affordable the 2010 Mercedes E-Class Convertible is given how stylish it looks even now. Roof-up, the E-Class offers a snug cabin with lots of space in the back seats for passengers and it also has Isofix mounts for kiddy chairs. A big boot is another plus in a convertible.

Little goes wrong with this Mercedes, but any hesitation from the diesel engines under acceleration points to new injectors being required and this is an expensive job. The petrols are trouble-free and almost all E-Class drop-tops will come with a smooth automatic gearbox rather than the clunky manual transmission.

A thousand pounds to have a four-seat cabrio registered in your name seems like there should be a catch. With the Mini Convertible there doesn’t have to be, but you will have to choose your car carefully as a lot have been run on a shoestring. Even so, we found several around this price point with full service records and ready to give years more life. All of the usual Mini checks apply to the engines, coolant bottle, and electrics.

The fabric roof limits all-round vision when raised, but the front upper section slides back to work as a sunroof. With the roof down, the Mini’s profile is not the most elegant, but then you won’t see it from inside and there’s enough room for two kids in the back seats for this to work as a fun family runabout.

When Peugeot has a bulging back catalogue of convertibles with retracting metal roof, why have we chosen an older model in the 306 Cabriolet? Simple: no other modern Peugeot drop-top is anywhere near as stylish as the 306. Its Pininfarina lines are delicately elegant with the roof up or down, and the roof itself works quickly.

In the back, you can just about squeeze adults into the two seats but they are better held for younger occupants. In the front, the dash is utilitarian compared to more modern convertibles, but simplicity means the 306 is easy to maintain. It also comes with fine handling inherited from its hatchback sibling.

It’s a mark of how the 996 generation of Porsche 911 is gaining in reputation and desirability among fans of the brand. Once it was very much the poor relation and the cabriolet was seen as bottom of the pile. Now, prices are on the up as scruffy cars fall out of the market, leaving only the more cared for examples.

A well sorted 996 Cabrio is a fine car to drive, with plenty of performance and good handling. It’s not as spacious in the back seats as a BMW 6 Series Convertible, but it’s still usable for small kids. Running costs are the same as for the coupe version of the 911 and there are the usual checks to make, though worries over the infamous IMS bearing are more hyped than reality suggests.

You will need to pick your way through a lot of poor examples to find a decent Renault Megane Coupe Cabriolet at this price, but they are out there. It arrived in 2003 with the same sharp-edged styling as the Megane hatch, but the CC came with a folding metal roof that was de rigueur at the time. There’s sufficient space in the back for children to be comfortable, but the CC’s oddly shaped boot is tight on capacity with that large roof folded down.

Now, the roof needs careful checking to make sure it functions properly and is leak-free. Other checks are the same for any older used car, though there are a fair few low mileage Megane CCs available in good nick.

There’s an endearing and enduring charm to the Saab 9-3 Convertible, which explains why it remains a popular choice more than a decade after the company folded. Handsome looks certainly a play a part, along with a cabin that has more room than most four-seat drop-tops, plus a decent boot and good quality hood.

Ignore the tatty examples below our entry price and look for 9-3s with clean, mark-free interiors. Most have leather and heated seats to make all-year use practical. Listen for poor running on petrol engines that points to warped valves and check for evidence of the timing belt being routinely changed on both petrol and diesel motors.

It’s testament to the appeal of the Suzuki Jimny that used values remain so strong for this little terrier of an SUV. Superbly capable off-road, it also makes for an entertaining and compact four-seat convertible. The rear bench is fine for children, though the simple hood means it’s draughty back there with the roof up.

Roof down, the Jimny is fun. Not fast or great in corners, just fun for pootling about. The 1.3-litre engine is buzzy but happy to work, but check the oil filler cap for ‘mayonnaise’ as head gasket failure is common. The car’s small dimensions make it ideal for supermarket car parks even if the boot is on the small side.

We’d forgive you if you said ‘Vauxhall what?’ The Cascada made little impact on the sales charts during its life between 2013 and 2018, but prices make it a more tempting prospect now with values from £6000 for low mileage cars with warranty from a dealer. Based on the contemporary Astra, there’s little to fear with reliability.

The rear seats are among the most generous for space and padding you’ll find among affordable four-seat drop-tops. Cascada build quality also seems to be a notch above the standard Astra’s, so this is a convertible that makes far more sense now that it ever did when new. Two diesel and two petrol engines were offered, but we’d go for the 138bhp 1.4 petrol for a decent blend of oomph and economy, with no diesel clatter with the roof down to spoil the carefree convertible experience.

There are a lot of superficially very attractive Beetle Cabriolets out there, which is down to the solid materials and build quality of the car. Based on the Mk4 Golf, the Beetle was off to a good start, but low prices often mean mechanical neglect lurks under tidy exterior and interior finishes. As a result, make sure the engines have been serviced properly, particularly oil and filter changes, and belt tensioners.

The big hood is well made and keeps the cabin warm when raised on cold days. There’s a tiny boot due to the styling, but the rear seats are more accommodating than you might at first think.

The Golf Cabriolet was something of an institution for Volkswagen until it went down the route of an SUV-based convertible more recently. The 2011 Golf Cabriolet is a neat looking car and its high waist line means the roof stashes away out of sight when lowered. Rear seat space is decent for two and the high sides protect better than most from blustery winds.

You can choose between petrol and diesel engines. We’d look for the 1.4-litre TSI unit as it gives the Golf peppy performance coupled to good fuel economy and low maintenance costs.

We’re going to step back a generation of Volvo C70 here to the ragtop version based on the second-generation V70 platform. The reason for this is the earlier C70 doesn’t come with the problems associated with the folding metal roof of its younger sibling. Also, there’s a classy feel to the older car if you find one in good nick, which is quite easy now most of the dog-eared examples have shuffled off to the scrapyard.

Comfy, spacious and laid back to drive, the five-cylinder petrol and diesel engines are strong and easy to look after. The T5 model is quick but challenges the chassis’ ability, so we’d look for a less powerful but no less enjoyable version.