The Lemon Index
Head to head
Each car's headline trim of its newest generation. Green check = the better of the two on that line (more power, quicker, lighter, cheaper, fewer recalls).
Mazda MX-5 Miata
ND MX-5 Club · 2016–2025
ND MX-5 Club · 2016–2025
Subaru BRZ
ZD8 BRZ tS · 2022–2025
ZD8 BRZ tS · 2022–2025
Horsepower
181
228
Torque
lb-ft
lb-ft
151
184
0–60 mph
seconds; magazine test, else maker
seconds; magazine test, else maker
5.4
5.5
Top speed
—
—
Weight
—
2,851 lb
Price new
base, when new
base, when new
$29,590
$35,345
Engine
Mazda Skyactiv-G 2.0
2.0-liter inline-4, direct injection
2.0-liter inline-4, direct injection
Subaru FA24
2.4-liter flat-4, naturally aspirated
2.4-liter flat-4, naturally aspirated
YouTube owner tone
out of 100, these years
out of 100, these years
61
56
Owner complaints
NHTSA, raw count, these years
NHTSA, raw count, these years
80
14
Recalls
these years
these years
0
0
Owner complaints are raw counts from NHTSA, not per car sold: performance cars sell too few for a fair per-car score, and the busier seller usually draws more. YouTube owner tone = how positively the most-watched videos about those model years talk about the car (100 = all praise).
Pick other generations or add a car
Every generation
Mazda MX-5 Miata
| Generation | Trim | hp | 0–60 | Engine | YouTube tone | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ND · 2016–2025 | MX-5 Club | 181 | 5.4 | Mazda Skyactiv-G 2.0 | 61 | 80 | 0 |
| NC · 2006–2015 | MX-5 Miata | 170 | 6.5 | Mazda MZR 2.0 | 57 | 71 | 0 |
| NB · 2000–2005 | MX-5 Miata | 142 | 8.1 | Mazda BP 1.8 | 48 | 97 | 0 |
| NA · 1990–1997 | MX-5 Miata 1.6 | 116 | 9.2 | Mazda B6ZE 1.6 | — | 167 | 0 |
Subaru BRZ
| Generation | Trim | hp | 0–60 | Engine | YouTube tone | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZD8 · 2022–2025 | BRZ tS | 228 | 5.5 | Subaru FA24 | 56 | 14 | 0 |
| ZC6 · 2013–2020 | BRZ | 200 | 6.3 | Subaru FA20 | 51 | 87 | 3 |
Everything on the Mazda MX-5 Miata · Everything on the Subaru BRZ · Specs and their sources are on each car's page.