2027 Mazda MX-5 Drops 2.0-Litre Engine as Emissions Rules Change

The Mazda MX-5 loses its 2.0-litre engine option for 2027, after changing emissions regulations ended the extended sales derogation that had kept the bigger engine alive in the UK after it disappeared from the rest of Europe in 2024. Every 2027 MX-5 will now come exclusively with the 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G engine, arriving in UK showrooms in January.

Mazda says it has enough 2.0-litre stock to cover demand until the new model year lands, so buyers who specifically want the bigger engine still have a window to order one. Once that stock runs out, the 1.5-litre becomes the only way into a new MX-5, a car that has sold more than 1.2 million units worldwide and remains the best-selling roadster ever built.

More Power From the Smaller Engine

The 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G engine gains a modest bump for 2027, up to 136PS and 155Nm of torque, alongside reduced CO2 emissions of 139g/km and what Mazda describes as improved engine acoustics. Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson said the 1.5-litre “remains at the heart of the MX-5,” pointing out that the current-generation car was originally developed around this engine before the larger 2.0-litre option arrived.

“The 1.5-litre ensures customers can continue to enjoy the lightweight, engaging and fun to drive experience that has defined the Mazda MX-5 for more than 35 years,” Thomson said, adding that the car “continues to win awards as one of the best driving cars on the road today.”

New Homura and Homura Plus Grades

The 2027 MX-5 line-up expands to eight models across Prime-Line, Exclusive-Line, Homura, and Homura Plus grades, each available in both Roadster and RF hard-top body styles. The new Homura and Homura Plus trims bring 16-inch metallic black RAYS alloy wheels, red Brembo front brakes, red rear brake calipers, and black mirrors on the outside, with Recaro seats and black air vent surrounds inside.

More significantly for how the car drives, Homura and Homura Plus models get Bilstein dampers and a front strut brace fitted to the 1.5-litre engine for the first time, hardware that previously required stepping up to the now-discontinued 2.0-litre. That should sharpen handling on the entry-level engine in a way it couldn’t manage before.

Safety Catches Up With the Rest of the Range

Driver Monitoring becomes standard across every grade for 2027, while the Homura Plus adds Adaptive LED Headlights, Smart Brake Support Rear, Rear Crossing Alert, Vehicle Exit Warning, and a rear-view camera, features that bring the MX-5 closer in line with safety kit buyers now expect even on a small sports car.

A new Zinc Green Metallic paint colour joins the palette, described by Mazda as drawing inspiration from zinc chromate primer, an industrial undercoat. It’s one of roughly 80 green shades the brand has offered across its history.

Still One of the Cheapest Ways Into a New Sports Car

Mazda has not confirmed full pricing for the 2027 range yet, saying figures will follow later this year. But the outgoing MX-5 has consistently ranked as one of only three sports convertibles on sale in the UK for under £30,000, and the only one of that trio that’s a genuine sports car rather than a softer convertible. It’s also one of just two sub-£30,000 rear-wheel-drive cars in Britain still available with a combustion engine and a manual gearbox, at a time when automatics dominate most of the market.

The loss of the 2.0-litre marks the end of an era for buyers who wanted the extra mid-range shove that engine offered, but it also simplifies the range and lets Mazda focus development on the lighter unit that’s always been closer to the MX-5’s original character. For a car built around the idea of driver and machine feeling like one, Mazda is betting that most buyers were choosing the 1.5-litre anyway.