The Best Convertible to Rent, Timed From Roof Up to Roof Down

The best convertible to rent is the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder, and its roof folds away in 17 seconds. Ours is black with a red cabin and rents for $1,195 a day. It carries a V10 behind your seat, drives all four wheels, and drops the top at up to 31 mph. For more speed, four seats, or a lower rate, three other open cars in our fleet each win one of those.

The light turns green outside a restaurant in Costa Mesa. You thumb the switch before the car behind you has moved, and by the next block the roof is gone. The red leather is sitting in the streetlight now, and the V10 isn't behind glass anymore, so the people at the crosswalk hear the car before they see it.

Roof times and the numbers that matter

An open car is only as good as its roof, so start with how fast each one opens. These are the four convertibles we'd put on a shortlist. Every rate and deposit below comes straight from that car's own listing in our fleet.

• Lamborghini Huracan Spyder, black. Roof folds in 17 seconds at up to 31 mph, 602 hp V10, all wheel drive, 2 seats, $1,195 a day, $1,000 deposit, $4 per extra mile.
• Ferrari 488 Spider. Metal roof folds in 14 seconds at up to 30 mph, 661 hp twin turbo V8, 0 to 60 in 3.0 seconds, 2 seats, $1,295 a day in white with a $2,000 deposit, or $1,395 in grey with a $1,000 deposit.
• Rolls Royce Dawn, white. Roof folds in about 20 seconds at up to about 30 mph, 563 hp V12, 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds, 4 seats, $1,195 a day, $1,000 deposit, $5 per extra mile.
• Porsche 718 Boxster, black. Roof folds in about 9 seconds at up to 31 mph, 300 hp turbo flat four, 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds, 2 seats, $295 a day, $1,000 deposit, $3 per extra mile.

Two numbers in that list surprise people. The $295 Boxster gets to 60 exactly as fast as the $1,195 Rolls Royce. Then it keeps pulling to 170 mph, while the Dawn tops out at 155.

Why the Huracan Spyder is the best convertible to rent

The Huracan sits right in the middle of what people rent an exotic for. Half of it is the image, the wedge shape and the badge everyone recognizes. The other half is the drive, a naturally aspirated V10 that pulls all the way to 8,500 rpm with no turbo lag. Most convertibles lean hard one way, while this one gives you both and lets the roof turn the second half up.

Dropping the top costs a fraction of a second to 60, and it buys you the engine with nothing between it and your ears. In Strada mode the exhaust is quiet enough to hand the key to a valet without a scene. Press Corsa and the muffling comes off, and the same car sounds like a different machine on the first on ramp.

I'll be straight about one thing, the Huracan Spyder isn't the fastest open car we run. The 488 Spider has 59 more horsepower and gets to 60 quicker. However, the Huracan is easier to live with for a whole day, and all wheel drive means the power goes down clean even when you get greedy with the throttle.

Black with red works best after the sun drops. Pull into a lit restaurant forecourt at dusk with the roof stowed, and the body keeps its shape under the lights and the red cabin runs through the middle like a stripe. At noon the same paint flattens into a silhouette, so plan the open drive for the evening.

A luxury convertible rental with a metal roof

The Ferrari 488 Spider is the one for the driver who wants the fastest thing with no roof. Its top is two pieces of metal, not fabric, and it folds in 14 seconds. It stows in its own compartment, so the trunk holds the same bag whether the car is open or closed.

The twin turbo V8 builds in a rising wave instead of one hard hit. Each gear feels stronger than the last, and the only clue it's turbocharged is a faint whoosh behind your head. On Mulholland Drive, the first corner still shows up faster than you expect. Ferrari's slip control lets the rear move a little, then quietly gathers it back up.

Roll the white car up to a valet stand in Beverly Hills with the roof down. From the sidewalk, people are looking down into the car, and the red seats are the only saturated color in the frame. The white body holds every edge in the late light.

Here's the part nobody tells you. Our white 488 Spider is $100 a day cheaper than the grey one, and it carries double the deposit, $2,000 against $1,000. The grey car has a black and yellow cabin and holds its shape in flat, overcast light. Pick the one whose numbers fit your weekend, because both drive the same.

The Rolls Royce Dawn seats four in the open

The Dawn is the last open top V12 Rolls Royce ever built, and it's the only car on this list with room for four adults. Every passenger rides in view, not behind glass. That's the reason to book it, since it leans all the way toward image and nobody in it is in a hurry.

The roof is six layers of fabric, and when it's closed the cabin is quieter than most hardtop sedans, which is an unusual thing to say about any convertible. It folds in about 20 seconds and will do it while you're still rolling past the harbor in Newport Beach. Sixty comes in 4.7 seconds, and it arrives as a swell rather than a shove.

Ours is white with orange and black leather. With the top down, the orange runs the whole length of the car. Take it down Pacific Coast Highway through Laguna Beach at golden hour with three friends aboard. The coach doors open backwards, and the Spirit of Ecstasy sits on the hood where everyone at the light can read it. The trunk is small, so pack light and leave the airport run to another car.

The Boxster as a convertible rental under $300

The Porsche 718 Boxster is mid engined, meaning the engine sits between the axles instead of behind the rear wheels. That balance is why it turns in with a precision a 911 can't match at legal speeds. At $295 a day, it's the cheapest way we have to drive with the roof down.

Leave Irvine for Santiago Canyon Road with the top stowed and the steering does the talking. It's the most communicative wheel in our fleet. The nose goes exactly where you point it, and 300 horsepower is plenty when the corners come one after another.

The honest criticism is the sound. The turbo flat four doesn't sing the way the V10 or the V12 does, so this is a car for the road, not for the valet line. Ours is black with a white interior, and it looks best shot from slightly above with the cabin open. There are 2 cargo areas, 9.6 cubic feet in total, which covers a weekend bag for two.

Miles, deposits, and where the car sleeps

Every car includes 100 miles a day, and a multi day rental pools them. A 2 day rental gives you 200 miles total. Extra miles bill at the car's own rate, from $3 on the Boxster to $5 on the Dawn. If you know the coast run is going long, tell us at booking and we'll price the miles in ahead of time.

The deposit is a hold on your card, not a charge. It's released once the car comes back the way it left. You'll need to be 18 or older, with a valid license and full coverage insurance in your own name, and a larger deposit may apply under 25.

We deliver across Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire, and Palm Springs. The car can be waiting at your hotel in West Hollywood with the roof already down. Overnight, it goes to valet or the hotel garage, the keys stay with you, and it never sleeps on the street.

The roof is the whole rental. A convertible driven with the top up is a coupe you paid extra for, so the right car is the one you'll leave open from the first mile to the last.