The best Mazda MX-5s ranked

6. 2005 Mazda MX-5 NC1

The third-generation Mazda MX-5 is widely and perhaps unfairly dismissed as the very worst of the breed. It’s the heaviest, largest, and as such, is probably the least MX-5-like. So when it arrived, it left most wanting, for Mazda to whip it into shape. Right from the off though, the NC introduced new levels of refinement, a new level of creature comforts and just generally, a palatability to the MX-5 for normal drivers the prior cars hadn’t yet enjoyed. That’s something MX-5 people can’t appreciate. But I’m not an MX-5 person, so I can.

5. 2015 Mazda MX-5 ND1 1.5

The ND was the MX-5 debug, was it not? It put to the past the sins of the NC, reducing its weight and footprint to that of the original NA, but without being rid of certain creature comforts. But as with the original NC, the ND is a car that got better with age, with extra toys, a more powerful engine, a limited-slip diff and so on. So, in the middle the original ND sits.

4. 2000 Mazda MX-5 NB / 10th Anniversary

The job of succeeding the original MX-5 was an unenviable one and truthfully, many of the NA’s charms were at best diluted and worst lost in the second-gen. It was objectively better in real performance terms, in that it braked better, was a little faster, cornered better and so on. But rounding off the edges of the NA isn’t necessarily always a good thing. In the rear-view, the curvier body doesn’t have the timelessness of the pill-shaped original and the less said about ditching the pop-ups, the better. The 10th Anniversary brought a bit more to the party, with some fun blue suede trim inside and a high spec, including a Torsen LSD. We say again, any MX-5 is still an MX-5. We’re just climbing up the ladder.

If you’re in the market for the most MX-5 in terms of that original chassis, that underpinned the first from 1990, to the last of the second, ending production finally in 2004, then you need a later NB, with a VVT-equipped 1.8, more serious suspension and brakes and a six-speed manual box. If you’re looking to build a higher-performance MX-5, late NBs are a great base. They are however arguably the harshest MX-5, without the compliance of the earlier NA, or interior comfort, quality and equipment boost of the later cars.

3. 2014 Mazda MX-5 NC2/3 25th Anniversary 

I will die on the hill of loving the NC Mazda MX-5, at least when in its latest, fullest, finest form. On our 1,000-mile sustainable fuel road trip, the 25th Anniversary folding hard-topped car was a little honey. Spacious (very odd for an MX-5), well-equipped, better-built with nicer materials, more sure-footed when cruising at speed and with 160PS (118kW) of usable power; this was the most enjoyable car to spend extended amounts of time in, while still being fun to drive. For a more general audience, it’s an excellent car and – little-discussed – it’s arguably the most stylish.

2. Mazda MX-5 ND 2.0/30th Anniversary

But the only reason you’d have it over a later ND is if you really need the extra millimetres here and there of cabin space. Because the ND is more compact inside than the NC. Otherwise, a later ND – with the power and added capability of the 181PS (133kW) 2.0, slightly more serious suspension, bigger brakes and limited-slip diff – is a vastly better MX-5. It’s lighter, smaller, more interactive, better-handling, and more fun to drive. But it still has an infotainment system (a better one, being a newer car), heated seats, cruise control and so on. It is the MX-5 de-bugged, in that it marries the essential grassroots dynamics you expect with a high-enough equipment and quality appointment.

1. 1990 Mazda MX-5 NA

But there’s no replacing the original, something I never thought I’d say before I drove one. It is just magical – the compliance in the chassis, the transparency of its attitude, the feel of the steering, the snatchiness of the five-speed gearbox, the freeness of the engine. Being 35 years old, with no catalytic converter and no airbag, it really is getting on for a proper classic, and it feels every bit of it. But it has double the charm of any of the others. This car cast the mould for the MX-5 and they arguably perfected it first time out.