The convertible, once the ultimate symbol of freedom and rebellion, is disappearing from British roads. Sales of new open-top cars have collapsed by nearly 90% over the past two decades, from 109,171 in 2005 to just 11,484 last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The decline has been mirrored by the relentless rise of the Sports Utility Vehicle – large cars with at least a passing resemblance to four-wheel-drive off-roaders – which now account for 59% of car sales across Europe, according to research company Dataforce GmbH.
The convertible's fall from grace is a sharp reversal of its cultural status. In the 1950s and 60s, owning one showed you had style. Hollywood deities Grace Kelly and Cary Grant cruised along the French Riviera in a sleek Sunbeam Alpine in *To Catch a Thief*, epitomising silver-screen elegance. Later films like *The Graduate* and *Thelma and Louise* cemented the open top car as a symbol of escapism. For a while, manufacturers were happy to make them. Today, the celebrity endorsement has shifted: upmarket SUVs such as the Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-Benz G Wagon and Bentley Bentayga are favoured by reality TV stars, footballers and music artists.
“Convertible car sales in UK dropped 90% over 20 years, from 109,171 in 2005 to 11,484 last year, as SUVs surge.”
Steve Fowler, founder of the car review website Carblah, says the SUV offers the style and image of a convertible without its limitations. “It's a simple fact of people wanting more practicality these days,” he explains. “I always say SUVs are sports cars for people who can't have sports cars any more. They've got that kind of image that perhaps a convertible used to have. And it's very difficult to put the kids, the dog, the bike, and everything else we have in our lives into a convertible.”
Building convertibles is also costly. “It costs so much money to build any car these days,” Fowler adds. “And it's not just as simple as chopping the roof off… with safety regulations and everything else, there's a lot of work that goes into building a convertible.” Philip Nothard, insight director of Cox Automotive Europe, agrees.
The result: manufacturers are increasingly reluctant to invest in open-top models. With sales at just 11,484 last year, the convertible – once a dream car for generations – is now an endangered species on British roads. Whether the trend can ever be reversed remains an open question.