If you’re looking for a fun and sporty new car and you have $50,000 to spend, we have good news and bad news. The bad news is $50,000 doesn’t go nearly as far in today’s Canadian automotive market as it did just a few years ago. It also doesn’t go as far as the same budget would for our American neighbours. The average purchase price for a new vehicle in Canada is just shy of $50,000, and that figure is starting to include the higher trims of popular run-of-the-mill compact SUVs.
The fact that electrification is threatening to traditional sports cars with extinction certainly doesn’t help matters. Several cars previously featured on this list have been discontinued in recent years, including the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, and the former iteration of the Dodge Charger. (A new Charger in coupe and sedan formats is currently being launched, though Canadian pricing for the gas-powered version hasn’t been announced as of this writing.)
But the good news is there are still some great sub-$50,000 sports cars out there. You won’t find supercars on this list, or luxury cars from brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or even the Porsche Cayman. You also won’t find cars that have recently been priced out of this budget, including the Nissan Z and the Toyota GR Corolla. But you will find some seriously fun cars that deliver thrills and punch above their weight. Take a look below to find our list of the best cars in Canada for performance car enthusiasts priced under $50,000.
Prices shown include manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) plus destination charges and dealer fees but not options or sales taxes. While current at time of publication, prices are subject to change.
The Best Sports Cars in Canada Under $50,000
- Ford Mustang
- Honda Civic Si
- Hyundai Elantra N
- Mazda MX-5
- Subaru BRZ
- Subaru WRX
- Toyota GR86
- Volkswagen Golf GTI
- Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Ford Mustang
The Blue Oval is the final holdout among the American muscle car manufacturers. As its competitors have fallen to the wayside, the Ford Mustang lives on and entered its seventh generation for the 2024 model year. While the V8 lives on in the Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse models, if you’re looking to spend less than $50,000 in 2025, you’re looking at the EcoBoost engine. This 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger produces 315 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque when it’s fed 93-octane fuel. It’s offered in two trims, base and Premium, each offered in fastback and convertible body styles with a standard 10-speed automatic transmission. Pricing on the 2025 Ford Mustang starts in Canada at $40,675 for the base EcoBoost fastback, while the base EcoBoost Convertible starts at $47,575. The EcoBoost Premium Fastback starts at $46,875. Only the EcoBoost Premium Convertible lands higher than our $50,000 budget, priced from $52,175.
Honda Civic Si
In the U.S., a $50,000 budget will get you into a Honda Civic Type R. Here in Canada, if your budget caps at 50 grand, you’ll have to settle for a Honda Civic Si. Instead of arriving from Japan, your Civic Si will ship from Alliston, Ontario. Here in the Civic’s eleventh generation, the Si’s powertrain includes a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine generating 200 hp and 192 lb-ft. True to character, it’s only available with a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive (FWD). In Canada, the 2025 Honda Civic Si is priced from $38,066.
Hyundai Elantra N
The Hyundai Elantra may be an economical runabout, but the Elantra N is an honest-to-goodness race car. It can be seen competing alongside cars like the Honda Civic Si in touring car series around the world. It’s fitted with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine creating 276 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque, sending power to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT). Opt for a manual transmission, and pricing on the 2025 Hyundai Elantra N starts in Canada at $42,759. With the DCT, the 2025 Hyundai Elantra N has a Canadian starting price of $44,359.
Mazda MX-5
Mazda’s affordable little roadster, known as the MX-5 Miata south of the border and with old-school driving enthusiasts, needs no introduction. But what Canadians may not realize is that we can access almost every MX-5 configuration, soft top or hard top, within a $50,000 budget. Pricing on the 2025 Mazda MX-5 soft top starts in Canada at $37,095 and tops out at $44,195 for the GT trim. With the 2025 Mazda MX-5 RF hard top, Canadian pricing starts at $44,095 and caps at $50,795 for a GT with the Grand Sport Package. In either case, you’ll have a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine under the hood producing 181 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, with rear-wheel drive (RWD) and either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
Subaru BRZ
Here’s the Subaru side of one of the latest Subayota collaborations. The Subaru BRZ and the closely related Toyota GR86 detailed below both launched as second-generation cars for the 2022 model year. Unlike most Subies, the BRZ is available in RWD format only. Every version of this little 2+2 seater falls within our $50,000 budget. The base 2025 Subaru BRZ has a Canadian starting price of $34,970 and comes with a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission. The mid-grade 2025 Subaru BRZ Sport-tech includes a six-speed automatic transmission and is priced at $39,470. The BRX tS equips the manual transmission and the Sport-tech’s features for the same price. Either way, you drive away with a 2.4-litre displacement with four horizontally opposed cylinders generating 228 hp and 184 lb-ft..
Subaru WRX
We’d love to be talking about the Subaru WRX STI here, but sadly it has been dropped. If your preferred performance driving experience leans more toward the rally side of things, though, the non-STI WRX is still worth considering. It’s the only car on this list that comes with all-wheel drive (AWD). The WRX comes with a 2.4-litre turbo boxer four-cylinder engine that creates 271 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. If you’re looking for performance, you may wish to choose the six-speed manual over the Subaru Performance Transmission, which is a fancy name for the brand’s latest continuously variable transmission (CVT). If you take the manual, though, you’ll lose some functionality from the EyeSight safety suite such as reverse automatic braking and pre-collision throttle management. The Subaru WRX has a Canadian starting price of $36,174 and tops out at $47,374 for the GT trim. (2024 pricing; 2025 prices were not yet available as of publication time.)
Toyota GR86
While you can’t get a GR Supra for less than $50,000 in Canada, you can get a GR86. The Toyota GR86, renamed from Toyota 86 to include the brand’s Gazoo Racing motorsport division, is very closely related to the Subaru BRZ outlined above. It comes with the same 2.4-litre boxer four-cylinder engine making 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, sent to RWD through the same transmissions. The main differences are in bodywork and feature packaging. Pricing on the 2025 Toyota GR86 starts in Canada at $35,350 and tops out at $41,705 for the Hakone special edition with the manual transmission.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Conversion woes strike again. While a $50,000 budget will net an American a Volkswagen Golf R, Canadians will have to drive home in the Golf GTI to stick to that price limit. At least the Golf GTI is still around: VW’s lesser-powered hatchback models disappeared from the Canadian new car market back in 2021. While 2025 heralds the arrival of a new Golf GTI, pricing hasn’t yet been announced and power specs are the same from its 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder engine at 241 hp and 273 lb-ft. If you’re looking for a manual transmission, though, you’ll want to grab a 2024 Golf GTI while you can as it will be the last model year that lets you row your own gears. The Golf GTI comes with FWD only, while AWD is reserved for the Golf R. Pricing for the 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI starts in Canada at $37,381.
Volkswagen Jetta GLI
With a four-door sedan body style and plenty of pep, the Jetta GLI might be the biggest sleeper car on this list. Its 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine generates 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, and it’s available with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT to go with its default FWD. The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta GLI sports sedan is sold in Canada in in a single well-equipped trim priced at $37,581.
