The convertible car, once a symbol of freedom and rebellion, is disappearing from British roads. Sales have collapsed by nearly 90% over the past 20 years, from 109,171 in 2005 to just 11,484 last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
That dramatic decline has coincided with the meteoric rise of the Sports Utility Vehicle. SUVs now account for 59% of car sales across Europe, according to Dataforce GmbH. The vehicles, with their high driving position and practical space, have stolen the celebrity endorsement that convertibles once enjoyed. Today’s reality TV stars, footballers and music artists favour upmarket models such as the Lamborghini Urus, the Mercedes-Benz G Wagon or the Bentley Bentayga.
“UK convertible sales have fallen 90% in 20 years as SUVs dominate, with just 11,484 sold last year.”
In the 1950s and 60s, owning a convertible showed you had style. Grace Kelly and Cary Grant cruised the French Riviera in a Sunbeam Alpine in Alfred Hitchcock’s *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 and rebellion. For a while, convertibles were what people dreamed of buying, and manufacturers were happy to make them.
But practicality has won out. “It’s a simple fact of people wanting more practicality these days,” said Steve Fowler, a leading automotive journalist and founder of the car review website Carblah. “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.”
The economics also stack against convertibles. “It costs so much money to build any car these days,” Fowler added. “And it’s not just as simple as chopping the roof off…with safety regulations and everything else, you know there’s a lot of work that goes into building a convertible.”
With demand so low, manufacturers are reluctant to invest. The convertible, it seems, is heading into the sunset.