New car buyers are spending much more for a new set of wheels than they did 10 years ago. What’s more, the cheapest cars in multiple segments are heading out of production, including beloved sports car models. However, a smaller segment doesn’t mean that car buyers can’t find affordable joy in a small, budget-friendly sports car like the Mazda MX-5. 

The cheapest sports cars on the new car market are a stable of four-cylinder fun factories

The affordable performance car market looks a bit different for 2025. Most notably, Americans won’t be able to opt for the Ford Mustang’s closest long-running rival: the Chevrolet Camaro. Moreover, the full-bodied Dodge Challenger will be absent for its second model year after its discontinuation in 2023.

However, several familiar faces return for the 2025 model year, including the mechanical siblings from Subaru and Toyota. And just because they’re the cheapest sports cars on the market doesn’t mean they don’t offer the sort of smiles per gallon you’d get with higher-dollar performance nameplates. 

What better fun formula is there than a rev-happy naturally aspirated engine, a six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, and a price tag lower than the Ford Mustang? Enter the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86, sibling sports cars with a couple of the cheapest starting prices on the market.

The GR86 and BRZ share a grumbling 2.4L flat four-cylinder engine producing 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. While that might not seem like much, the twins’ limited-slip differentials, grab-a-gear manual transmissions, and light curb weights make for an instigating driving companion.

In addition to the cheapest sports cars from Toyota and Subaru, the Mazda MX-5 Miata returns for 2025. Tenure like that establishes the Miata as one of the longest-running sports car models in America. Better yet, unlike the BRZ and GR86, the fourth-generation MX-5 is available as a traditional softtop and an electric hardtop.