When it comes to affordable sports cars, there might not be many choices left. But at least many of the cars that remain on the market are reaping the benefit of reduced competition. Sales of the Mazda Miata, Nissan Z, and the Toyota GR Supra were all strong in 2025, though Toyota’s GR86 and its Subaru BRZ sibling did not fare so well.
Z-Car A Surprising Sudden Hit
2025 Nissan Z in grey on trackNissan
The Nissan Z might be the highlight of all of them. Nissan’s two-seater managed to move 5,487 units for 2025. That’s not a huge number when Ford sells 97 F-Series trucks every hour. But in context with its history and the sports car segment, the Z is up 73.4% for the year. Perhaps more impressive, it achieved that gain despite a fourth quarter where sales actually dropped by a third.
2025 Mazda MX-5 ND Top Down Gray Overhead Rear Angled ViewMazda
Nissan hasn’t moved anywhere close to this number of Z cars since 2016, back when it was still the 370Z. What changed for 2025? Not much, really. Nissan seems to simply be capitalizing on its status as the most cost-effective way to get into a 400-horsepower car in 2025 (and 2026). Oh, and it’s now the only manual twin-turbo V6 sports car in the US.
The sports car with its classic Z styling started with a price tag of $42,970 in 2025, well under the average new vehicle cost. Plus, for much of the year, Nissan was offering some solid deals to cut that MSRP even more.
Where research meets the right deal
For 2026, Nissan has held the price. It is also adding a new heritage design Z32 model, and we’re expecting a six-speed Nismo version to show up sometime during the year.
Related
The Only Sports Car In America With 200 HP For $30k Or Less
As far as new cars go, $30,000 doesnt get you much in performance. One sports car sold in the USA will get you to the 200 hp mark, though.
Mazda’s MX-5 Miata is another hot-selling sports car. Mazda moved 8,727 copies of its roadster in 2025, up 7.7% from the year before. It’s not an outstanding year for the car, but it is above average. Interestingly, the sales delta between roadster and RF hardtop has grown. Sales of the soft-top car were up 19.5% for the year, while RF sales were down 3.3%. That’s 4,684 convertibles and 4,043 fastbacks to save you the math.
Will The Supra Return In Time For 2026 Figures?
2026 Toyota GR Supra Mk5 A90 Final Edition Black Side ViewToyota
Toyota’s sports cars saw mixed results. The GR Supra, which is in its final year and no longer offers a four-cylinder engine, sold well. Relatively speaking, at least. The brand moved a total of 2,953 copies, up 12.9% year over year, while sales in December were up a humorous 295%. That December figure is a bit misleading, since Toyota sold just 70 in 2024 and 277 in December 2025. Supra’s future is unclear, though. The model ends production this spring. We expect a new model, but it hasn’t yet been revealed.
2026 Toyota GR86 Yuzu Yellow Rear Angled ViewToyota
Meanwhile, the Toyobaru twins sold in higher volumes than the rest of this list, but fewer vehicles left showrooms than the year before. The Toyota GR86 moved 9,940 units in 2025. That’s down 13% from 2024 despite special editions like the Hakkone and Yuzu. Making those special editions more than just unique paint shades might have given the car a boost.
2024 Subaru BRZ tS grey with trees behindJared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet
Subaru’s version, the BRZ, did worst of all. Only 2,882 BRZs found new homes in 2025, down 13.8% from the year before. In December, Subaru sold just 229 copies, 32.1% fewer than December 2024.
Related
The Sports Car With The Best Resale Value After 5 Years – And The Runners Up
These sporty offerings hold their value better than any others and will give you value for money when it’s time to resell.
It’s encouraging to see that affordable fun cars aren’t dead. Even if they aren’t pulling huge figures, their builders are mostly seeing figures that are average or better for each model. Hopefully, that’s what’s needed to keep them going for a few more years, if not a new generation.
