Best Sports Cars for 2024
The best sports cars are ranked based on a data-driven analysis of over 330 million vehicles' reliability, resale value, and safety.
iSeeCars applies data science to over 330 million vehicles in order to understand each model’s reliability and how long-lasting it is, its safety, and its ability to retain value over time. This analysis allows iSeeCars to rank sports cars by a data-driven and objective methodology, instead of relying on subjective editorial criteria.
The best sports car is the Ford Mustang (coupe). Its iSeeCars Quality Score of 8.5 out of 10 reflects the Mustang's reliability, value retention and safety scores. A new Ford Mustang (coupe) costs between $30,920 and $58,935 while a used version costs between $20,998 and $77,955. This sports car can seat up to 4 people and is EPA rated to deliver up to 26 miles per gallon in mixed city/highway driving.
The Sports Car category consists of 15 models priced between $25,390 and $86,645 for new vehicles and between $18,987 and $77,955 for used vehicles. iSeeCars has sufficient vehicle data to rate and rank 10 of these 15 models based on their reliability, value retention and safety scores.
Why Should I Buy a Sports Car?
A sports car is a vehicle designed to provide an engaging driving experience on twisty roads or at high speeds. Typical attributes of a sports car include strong horsepower, responsive handling, and easy maneuverability. While all sports cars are bound by their thrilling driving performance, there is diversity among the sports car segment. This guide not only lists the best sports cars, but will help shoppers decide which sports car will best suit their needs.
What are the Best Sports Cars?
The sports cars on iSeeCars’ list come in multiple body styles, including coupes, convertibles, or sporty hatchbacks with two doors, and are either two-seaters or have both front and rear seats. They also have a wide range of engine choices including four-cylinders, six-cylinders, or V8s. Some sports cars only have one available engine, such as a peppy 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, while other sports cars have a diverse lineup ranging from a turbo four-cylinder to a range-topping supercharged V8.
In the past, sports cars typically included a fairly basic powertrain: a normally-aspirated six-cylinder or V8 engine with a six-speed manual transmission and a rear-wheel-drive layout. But many of today's sports have automatic transmissions, and some have available all-wheel drive. These sports cars also have the latest infotainment features to bolster their pleasurable driving experience.
While they all thrive on the open road, the best sports cars vary in terms of practicality and function. Some have muscle car characteristics, while the smaller coupes make for worthy daily drivers thanks to their comfortable front seats, spacious cargo area and high fuel efficiency. Drivers don’t have to sacrifice safety for performance, as modern sports cars have an available suite of driver safety features like forward collision warning and blind spot monitoring.
What Other Vehicles Should I Consider?
Keep in mind that this list only includes mainstream sports cars, with the most affordable sports cars on the list costing under $35,000. For more luxurious sports cars that blend supercar performance with luxury sedan appointments, check out iSeeCars’ Best Luxury Sports Cars list. And be sure to check out the list of Best Convertibles for hardtop or softtop convertibles.
Why Should I Buy a Sports Car?
A sports car is a vehicle designed to provide an engaging driving experience on twisty roads or at high speeds. Typical attributes of a sports car include strong horsepower, responsive handling, and easy maneuverability. While all sports cars are bound by their thrilling driving performance, there is diversity among the sports car segment. This guide not only lists the best sports cars, but will help shoppers decide which sports car will best suit their needs.
What are the Best Sports Cars?
The sports cars on iSeeCars’ list come in multiple body styles, including coupes, convertibles, or sporty hatchbacks with two doors, and are either two-seaters or have both front and rear seats. They also have a wide range of engine choices including four-cylinders, six-cylinders, or V8s. Some sports cars only have one available engine, such as a peppy 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, while other sports cars have a diverse lineup ranging from a turbo four-cylinder to a range-topping supercharged V8.
In the past, sports cars typically included a fairly basic powertrain: a normally-aspirated six-cylinder or V8 engine with a six-speed manual transmission and a rear-wheel-drive layout. But many of today's sports have automatic transmissions, and some have available all-wheel drive. These sports cars also have the latest infotainment features to bolster their pleasurable driving experience.
While they all thrive on the open road, the best sports cars vary in terms of practicality and function. Some have muscle car characteristics, while the smaller coupes make for worthy daily drivers thanks to their comfortable front seats, spacious cargo area and high fuel efficiency. Drivers don’t have to sacrifice safety for performance, as modern sports cars have an available suite of driver safety features like forward collision warning and blind spot monitoring.
What Other Vehicles Should I Consider?
Keep in mind that this list only includes mainstream sports cars, with the most affordable sports cars on the list costing under $35,000. For more luxurious sports cars that blend supercar performance with luxury sedan appointments, check out iSeeCars’ Best Luxury Sports Cars list. And be sure to check out the list of Best Convertibles for hardtop or softtop convertibles.
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
8.2
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.9
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
8.0
/ 10
-
Value Retention
9.0
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.9
/ 10
-
Value Retention
9.0
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
4. Nissan 370Z (coupe)
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
8.0
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.5
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
8.0
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.4
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.2
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.5
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.8
/ 10
-
Value Retention
7.8
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.3
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.2
/ 10
-
Safety
10
/ 10
9. Nissan 370Z (convertible)
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
7.1
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.3
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
6.3
/ 10
-
Value Retention
8.4
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
Toyota 86
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
9.1
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
9.1
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
Hyundai VELOSTER N
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
8.8
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
8.6
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
FIAT 124 Spider
iSEECARS SCORE
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on an analysis of data from over 12 million cars that assesses how long each vehicle lasts and how well it retains its value over time, along with safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
See how we rank these cars
-
Reliability
Coming soon
-
Value Retention
8.6
/ 10
-
Safety
Not Available
Related Rankings
How We Rank These Cars
iSeeCars Best Car Rankings are calculated based on the latest analysis by our data science team of more than 330 million cars.
The overall iSeeCars Quality Score combines analyses of these three factors: reliability, resale value, and safety. It is calculated based on the latest research and analysis by our data science team. The data analysis comes from over 330 million vehicles as reported in our Longest-Lasting Cars and 5-Year Depreciation Studies. These two factors are combined with NHTSA and/or IIHS Safety Ratings to determine a car’s Quality Score. Only cars with recent model years are included.
Each vehicle is rated on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest Quality Score. Vehicles within a given category are sorted to show the highest-scoring ones first. If two cars have the same ratings, the tie is broken by the Reliability Rating, Value Retention Score, and Safety Score. iSeeCars displays comprehensive Quality Scores along with the subscores for each model because multiple factors should be taken into account when buyers are seeking the best overall vehicle.
Vehicles are scored in three categories:
Reliability
The reliability score represents an analysis of iSeeCars' proprietary research on the longest-lasting vehicles.
Value Retention
The value retention score is based on our data science team's statistical analysis and prediction of 5-year depreciation from MSRP to determine which cars hold their value best, using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to adjust for inflation.
Safety
The safety score is calculated based on the last five years of crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and incorporates the latest Top Safety Pick information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).