Top 10 best affordable sports cars 2020

The four-cylinder 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 also coming up short on the purist driver appeal typically associated with Porsche. Later still, Porsche retuned the car's 2.0-litre engine for WLTP-emissions compliance and released the Boxster- 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. It’s a superb engine by any standards, although the long-geared manual 'box it's partnered with doesn't flatter it as nearly as well as it should.

Practical, upmarket, superb-handling, ever engaging to drive, and plenty fast even in four-cylinder form, the 718 has it all - and it takes a car of once-in-a-generation dynamic brilliance to beat it.

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3. BMW M2 Competition/CS

The BMW M2 Competition was the only M2 model you could buy here in Britain until the recent introduction of the extra-special M2 CS. Neither has long to run until BMW winds up M2 production later this year. When it does, what has latterly become one of the very best M cars of recent years will regrettably leave the stage.The previous model’s single-turbo straight-six was swapped out for a twin-turbocharged straight-six with proper M Division 'S'-prefixed engine code in 2018, when the M2 Competition was unveiled. Albeit in slightly detuned form relative to the larger M3 and M4 models that shared it, the engine provided sizable hikes in performance and responsiveness for the M2, while a handful of tweaks to the chassis and suspension mean it’s now even sharper and more controlled on battered UK roads than ever before. Weighty steering allows you to point the car’s nose into a corner with confidence, and handling is supremely adjustably on the throttle too.

When BMW M introduced the M2 CS in late 2019, it applied a hardcore makeover to its smallest model for the first time. The CS also became the first M2 with adaptive damping, the first with 'cup' tyres, and power shot up to an eyebrow-raising 444bhp. The car is a real bruiser brimming with muscle car attitude, and has supreme trackday handling smarts - but it's very expensive and, while compelling, isn't quite the fluent, versatile on-road performance car it would need to be in order to propel BMW to the very top of this chart.  

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4. Toyota GR Supra

Was the Toyota Supra the most hotly anticipated new car of 2019? Quite likely. After an absence lasting some two decades, Toyota’s iconic sports car finally returned to the UK. But were it not for a collaboration with BMW - out of which the new Z4 was also spawned - it’s likely this icon would never have been reborn. As such, beneath the Supra’s striking exterior, you’ll find an engine, platform, transmission, slippy diff, electrics and plenty of switchgear all distinctly Bavarian in origin.

And yet, when it comes to driving, the Supra succeeds in carving out its own distinct dynamic identity. The suspension, steering and diff calibration are all unique to the Supra, so much so that Toyota sees the Porsche 718 Cayman - rather than the Z4 - as its key rival. 

Toyota certainly isn’t pulling its punches, then. And in many ways, it’s the Supra that makes for the superior sports car. It might not be able to quite match the handling purity and balance of the Porsche, but it isn’t far off. Its ride is impressively supple, its engine is smooth and far more characterful and it’d be far easier to live with on a daily basis. 

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5. Mazda MX-5

There isn’t a single area in which this new 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 distinctive. It’s 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 fiesty 2.0-litre engine. A steering column that also now adjusts for reach was also introduced.

All that and yet the MX-5 is still every inch the same zesty and inimitable car that it was. Its character hasn’t altered at all. Nothing on this list offers a better pounds-per-smile rating.

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6. Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ

It is necessary not only to accept a few compromises with the co-developed Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ but also, as with a Caterham Seven, positively embrace them. They make the car what it is.

They’re visible, audible, tangible characteristics that serve to remind you that you’re driving the keenest, sharpest, most enjoyable and lovable small sports car for a generation.

Importantly, it's an accessible sports car - one that won't break the bank to run, either - and it's a refreshing alternative to the likes of the Mazda MX-5 for those seeking simple, affordable rear-drive fun.

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7. BMW Z4 M40i

In a recent group test, the range-topping BMW Z4 M40i actually came out victorious against a lower-order Porsche 718 Boxster T. Although we concluded that it ultimately wasn’t as composed, incisive or keen-handling as the daintier Boxster, its refinement, powerful and responsive straight six engine and bruising straight-line pace won it a great deal of affection from our testers. That it also has a distinct sense of street-fighter character also weighs heavily in the BMW’s favour.

That said, the higher-order strains of the 718 still provide a purer, more enticing take on an affordable sports car. And while there’s undoubtedly plenty of scope for excitement on offer in the BMW, as a precision tool it’s still not quite as sharp as some of the lighter, smaller contenders in this class.

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8. Lotus Elise Sport

The Lotus Elise is utterly brilliant to drive if you’re in the mood. It has one of the world’s best-handling chassis and exquisite steering. But this Lotus is old and could be seen as expensive if you like to judge your cars objectively. 

Yet many of the Elise’s drawbacks can be overlooked when you’re wrapped up in the deliciously analogue, tactile act of driving it. At its core, the Elise is still magnificent, and it gets better the sportier the model is.

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9. Audi TT RS

This second-generation TT RS feels like the response of a company that’s defended a popular car for decades against claims that the TT has all the style and none of the substance to be taken seriously by really keen drivers.

It feels that way because you simply have to take any sports car with an engine this strong – it's capable of genuine supercar-baiting pace – very seriously indeed.