The 4 Sports Cars That Outsold The Mazda MX-5 Miata In 2024
The 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata and its predecessors represent the best-selling two-seat roadster of all time, with over 1.2 million sold globally as of 2023. But where did it end up after a full year on sale in 2024? We know others have been catching up, so the Miata may not always be the answer.
8,103 people took home a new Miata in 2024, which is a 9.7% drop compared to 2023 when 9,973 units found new homes. Mazda’s famous roadster had a particularly strong December, when 614 units were shifted, which was roughly 200 more than in 2023. This likely has something to do with the announcement of the newly-formed Mazda Spirit Racing and the brilliant spiritual successor to the Mazdaspeed Miata. While the fourth-generation Miata is already 11 years old, it’s clear Mazda still has plans for its most iconic car.
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Sales figures and sales performance data have been compiled from official manufacturer press information. We rank the vehicles that outsold the MX-5 Miata from the least units sold to the most units moved in 2024. This article was originally published in July 2024 and compared Q2 sales figures, but it was updated in March 2025 to reflect a full year’s worth of sales. For this article, we stuck to the classic definition of a sports car, which is a two-door built first and foremost for fun. Muscle cars were not included, except for one model that straddles the line between muscle car and sports car beautifully. The tables below include the specs for the base model of each car.
4
Toyota GR86
11,426 Units Sold In 2024
|
Engine |
2.4-liter NA flat-four |
|---|---|
|
Power |
228 hp |
|
Torque |
184 lb-ft |
|
0-60 mph |
6.6 seconds (manual) |
|
Top speed |
140 mph |
The Toyota GR86 may not be a two-seat roadster, but it’s the Miata’s closest competitor on the market. Last year, Mazda won the sales battle, with the Miata outselling the GR86 5,513 to 5,263 units. 2024 is a different story, as the Toyota sports coupe saw a massive spike in sales. Those numbers don’t count the GR86’s identical twin, the Subaru BRZ. Only 3,345 BRZs found homes in 2024. Perhaps the updated 2025 BRZ will have a bigger impact on the market.
A Subaru-sourced boxer-four produces 228 hp, a fair bit more than the Miata’s 181-hp inline-four. Buyers may have also gravitated towards the GR86 because it has a small back seat and a larger trunk than the Miata. We’re also sure models like the limited-edition Trueno helped with sales.
3
Porsche 911
14,128 Units Sold In 2024
|
Engine |
3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six |
|---|---|
|
Power |
388 hp |
|
Torque |
331 lb-ft |
|
0-60 mph |
3.9 seconds |
|
Top speed |
183 mph |
It may cost four times more than a Miata, but the 2024 Porsche 911 outsold the Mazda by a huge margin. Porsche sold 14,128 units, split up among the Coupe, Cabriolet, and Targa body styles and countless trims. The 911 is by far the most expensive sports car on this list, with the base model costing $120,100. And we all know how quickly the price of a Porsche increases once you start adding options.
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For 2025, Porsche also added the first-ever hybrid 911 variant, the Carrera GTS. This model produces 532 hp, giving it performance that gets close to 911 Turbo territory. And let’s not forget about other brilliant models, like the Carrera T. Sports cars may be slowing as an overall segment with buyers pivoting towards practical SUVs and crossovers, but the 911 proves that if a car is great enough, enthusiasts will pay big money for it.
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2
Chevrolet Corvette
33,330 Units Sold
|
Engine |
6.2-liter V8 |
|---|---|
|
Power |
490 hp |
|
Torque |
465 lb-ft |
|
0-60 mph |
3.0 seconds |
|
Top speed |
194 mph |
In another example of the price not mattering, the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette was the second best-selling sports car in America despite being more than double the price of a Miata. Chevy sold 33,330 Corvettes in 2024. Sales have remained consistent since the C8 was introduced as the first mid-engine Corvette in the 2020 model year, but the best sales year on record remains 2022, when 37,510 units found homes. Still, the C8 is well on track to become the best-selling mid-engine car of all time.
Even the base Stingray model is impressive, powered by a naturally aspirated V8 producing 490 hp. The Z06 and E-Ray models bring supercar-level performance, and both are outgunned by the 1,000-hp ZR1.
1
Ford Mustang
44,003 Units Sold
|
Engine |
2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder |
|---|---|
|
Power |
315 hp |
|
Torque |
350 lb-ft |
|
0-60 mph |
5.6 seconds |
|
Top speed |
155 mph |
It should come as no surprise, but the best-selling American sports car from 2023 remained the best-seller in 2024. With the Challenger out of the way, the 2024 Ford Mustang now holds the title of America’s favorite sports car. The recently-introduced seventh-generation ‘Stang bolstered sales to the tune of 27,444 units through the first half of 2024, a 7.7% increase compared to last year.
Ford now offers the Mustang with either an EcoBoost four-cylinder or the iconic 5.0-liter Coyote V8. There’s also the specialty Dark Horse, a new V8 variant that delivers 500 hp. But the big news for this generation is the Mustang GTD, which hasn’t gone on sale yet. We don’t expect Ford to sell many at $300,000, but the EcoBoost and GT represent great value, starting at $31,920 and $42,860, respectively.
