Fresh air: We have lift off: this is the summer of the convertible

However, perhaps the single greatest reason for convertible sales rocketing has been the introduction of the folding metal roof. This is not a new idea: the Peugeot 401 was shown with an electrically retractable hard top at the 1934 Paris Motor Show. It is only over the past few years, though, with the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz SLK in 1996 and the Peugeot 206CC in 2001 that the hard-top convertible has finally come of age.

“When we used to make convertible 205s with fabric roofs, they sold in very limited quantities,” says Andrew Didlick, public relations director at Peugeot. “People were worried about them being broken into and having their roofs slashed, as well as their lack of refinement with the roof up. Now you can have a convertible when you want and a coupé when you don’t.”

That’s not just spin. So far this year Peugeot’s 206CC is the bestselling convertible in the country, just as it has been every year since sales began, consistently beating traditional favourites such as the BMW 3-series and MG TF convertibles into second and third places.

However, which convertible suits you best depends on your means and your mood. Here’s our guide to getting the wind in your hair.

The affordable convertible

The £14,920 Peugeot 206CC has had this market to itself since its launch but the signs are that things are unlikely to stay this way for long. Daihatsu’s new £13,495 Copen has the looks, the price tag, the folding metal roof and a love of the open road — everything needed for success in this class save rear seats and a coveted name.

Smart’s roadster has the name but not the metal roof or anything more than vestigial luggage space. Even so, if you want one of the best-looking convertible runarounds and can put up with its sluggish steering and gearchange, it will attract appreciative looks wherever it goes. Best of all, if you go for the stripped-out “light” version, it’ll set you back just £11,995.

If you really want to pose on a budget, though, the new Mini Convertible is undoubtedly the car of the moment. Built by — and like — a BMW with a simple, all-electric folding soft top, Mini reckons it’s going to account for a remarkable 20% of all Mini sales, despite prices starting at £13,325 for the Mini One and the still pretty sluggish Cooper model costing £14,625.

If people have historically been put off buying convertibles with fabric roofs, they appear prepared to make an exception with the Mini. Of the 6,500 cars allocated to the UK for the rest of this year, 5,500 already have homes.

While the 206CC’s reign as the country’s bestselling convertible appears to be well and truly over, it is worth noting that if you like the look of the Mini, and order one today, you won’t be sunning yourself in it this summer, autumn or early winter. Delivery is currently quoted as February next year. By contrast, you can have a 206CC in six weeks.

Sporting convertibles

There is a wealth to choose from here and in almost all price ranges. Although the bestseller is MG Rover’s attractive but ageing TF, were I in the market for such a car, my money would still go on a Mazda MX-5. Its design is 15 years old now yet it wears its years brilliantly and still offers more pure fun for £15,000 than many exalted roadsters that are twice as expensive.

Raise the price bar a little and this is where serious driving machines start to make their presence felt. Legalised insanities such as the Caterham Seven start at a little over £15,000, but if you wish to retain even a modicum of civility and give a passing nod to practicality, you should look at the likes of the Lotus Elise and the conceptually similar — and Lotus-built — Vauxhall VX220 Turbo.

The Elise starts at £22,995 and so responsive is its handling, it makes almost all other cars feel like Routemaster buses. However, if it’s sheer performance you are after, Vauxhall’s new VXR220 Turbo produces Ferrari-like acceleration for £29,995. You can argue over its looks all day, but nobody is going to quibble about 0-60mph in 4.2sec.

Yet if you want real style with your substance, this is the kind of money that also buys prestige convertibles such as the BMW Z4 (from £24,355) and Porsche Boxster (£31,630). The Z4 is currently the deserving bestseller in the sports convertible class but it will come under heavy fire next month when the all-new Mercedes SLK goes on sale, the entry-level (and quite excellent) SLK200 costing £27,420.

Unsurprisingly, the SLK is proving somewhat popular and if you’re planning on giving somebody one for Christmas you need to order it now to make sure it is under the tree on December 25.

Family convertibles

It should come as no surprise that six of the 10 top-selling convertibles in the country offer space for four. However, there is no such thing as a four-door convertible in this country, and accommodation in the rear is usually more suited to children than adults.

The two newest are the conceptually similar Peugeot 307CC (starting at £18,340) and Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet (£16,820). Both have folding hard tops (the Peugeot’s is metal, the Renault’s, uniquely, is glass) and offer just about enough space in the back and boot for a small family and belongings for a short break.

Of the two, the Renault should probably gain your attention first thanks to its better looks, wider range (there’s even a diesel) and mildly more engaging driving experience. Neither is thrilling but both are convincing in their dual roles as coupé and convertible.

Interestingly, Renault’s is a lead that the four-seat convertibles offered by quality German marques have yet to follow. The Mercedes CLK, Audi A4 and BMW 3-series cabriolet are all entirely conventional fabric-roof convertibles, and while all are as well engineered as you would expect, there is no escaping the fact that refinement levels with the hood up, going at speed, do not approach those of their steel-roof stablemates.

Then again, a fabric roof stows in a much smaller space than one made out of folding metal, liberating room in both the back and the boot and making them more spacious long-distance family cars.

You can pay as little as £24,615 for a basic A4 cabriolet or as much as £61,470 for AMG’s version of the CLK cabriolet, but it is still the BMW 3-series model that is outselling all other convertibles save the 206CC, and on balance it deserves to. It starts at £26,275, while the super-sporting M3 cabriolet looks particularly good value at £43,025. But hurry, from July 1 this goes up to to £43,875.

Executive convertibles

The latest newcomer at the top end of the market is BMW’s £55,355 6-series convertible and it looks set to be a popular choice. It lacks a steel roof but the canvas top has a unique vertical glass rear window, which can be left in place when the roof is down, to reduce wind buffeting. It’s an effortless cruiser and the absence of a metal roof also leaves space for rear seats.

If two seats are enough, the Mercedes SL should be top of the shopping list for most people with more than £60,000 to throw at a convertible. The six-cylinder SL350 (£58,510) is slightly lacking in occasion but the V8 SL500 (£72,160) and SL55 AMG (£94,590) models are both fabulous to drive and live with.

Of all the cars yet to use a steel roof in an attempt to be two vehicles in one, the SL comes closest. Its only other conceptual rival, the Lexus SC430, is nowhere by comparison, nor are canvas-topped opponents such as the Jaguar XKR and Maserati Spyder. Neither is lacking in charm, but the Jag is getting old and the Maserati’s terrible ride quality rules it out of contention.

Which just leaves the Porsche 911 Cabriolet. It’s not the best-looking nor the most practical: in fact it’s hard to see how it can be worth £62,730 — until you drive it. If pure motoring pleasure is your chief priority, not even the SL can get close.