What’s new for 2026?

The 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata remains what it has always been: a small, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat roadster built around lightness, balance and open-air driving rather than raw horsepower, though it can fool you in second gear going uphill and you can back up quick-like-a-bunny in your driveway or in alleys.

Pricing starts at $30,430 for the soft-top Sport, $33,930 for the Club and $35,730 for the Grand Touring, before Mazda’s $1,235 destination charge. The RF starts higher, at $38,450 before destination. For the amount of sport you get, it’s hard to do better price-wise in today’s current market.

Looks

The car-that-needs-no-introduction is compact and low with short overhangs, a long hood, muscular rear haunches and a cabin set well back toward the rear axle. Need to wash and dry it? You’ll be done in 5 minutes. It’s tiny, folks. I shared my driveway with a pal’s Ford F-150 and we both fit nicely, side-by-side. I couldn’t have done it with an Accord or Prius. Another advantage to being tiny is people next to you are less likely to smack your doors in parking lots.

Inside

Inside, the Miata is snug by design. You do not so much climb into it as pour yourself. The driver faces a simple layout centered around the steering wheel, pedals, tachometer and shifter, with little or wasted space. Materials are better than the car’s size and price might suggest, and upper trims bring nicer finishes, including leather and a Bose audio system that does its best.

Options

For 2026, the Brembo/BBS/Recaro package adds black Alcantara interior trim, light gray contrast stitching, black interior accents, a piano-black lower bezel and black accents on the heater-control dial and engine starter ring. That package also includes heated Recaro sport seats, BBS forged wheels, Brembo front brakes and an aero kit. It’s easy to class it up, but it’s not free, of course.

Tech

The Miata hosts an 8.8-inch Mazda Connect center display, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, both of which I typically ignore, preferring to keep my information to myself. Wireless charging is available on the higher trims. Mazda also lists Alexa Built-in, dual USB-C inputs, available navigation and Mazda Connected Services. Have a look here.

Engine

The only engine is Mazda’s 2.0-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder, making 181 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 151 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The redline is 7,500 rpm, which tells you a lot about how this car wants to be driven. The engine is paired with a six-speed manual transmission on Sport and Club trims, while the Grand Touring can also be had with an automatic. EPA fuel economy is 26 mpg city, 34 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined with the manual. Automatic versions are rated at 26 city, 35 highway and 29 combined.

How’s the drive?

You may be conservative on your first day, but by the second you’ll be doing the Jake Blues pedal technique, hang the mileage. It’s just that much fun. The steering is quick, the chassis is playful, the manual gearbox is one of the great remaining pleasures in new cars and the car’s modest weight lets the engine feel more alive than the horsepower number suggests. It’s entertaining as hell, and I couldn’t wait to drive it every day I had the vehicle.

Room for improvement

The complaints are familiar, and fair. Tall drivers will find headroom and legroom tight. The cabin gets noisy on the highway with the top up. Storage is minimal - the trunk measures just 4.6 cubic feet.

Conclusion: The 2026 MX5 may be the most perfect version of itself and it may remind you of simpler times.