Gas prices may be higher than ever, and some cities are experiencing congestion.

But if it's a sunny day and you're behind the wheel of a convertible, you probably won't care all that much. Think a top-down drive is out of reach? That’s a mistake. Today, there's a convertible available to just about every type of driver, in every price range.

From expensive to affordable, luxury to simple, and safe to fuel-efficient, there's almost too much to choose from if riding with the top down is your only requirement.

There are 51 convertible models available on the market, according to Edmunds.com, a consumer automotive information Web site, with the cheapest costing about $20,000 and the most expensive luxury models running well over $100,000. And there's a whole lot in between.

In Pictures: 10 Convertibles For Every Consumer

"That whole vehicle segment is exploding [with options]," says Mark Pauzé, senior solutions consultant at R.L. Polk & Co., an automotive consultant agency.

It all started about 20 years ago, when Mazda (other-otc: MZDAF.PK - news - people ) rolled out the Miata two-seater in 1989 and Chrysler launched the $25,840 four-seater Sebring in 1996. Shortly after the affordable convertibles arrived, next came the widespread use of power retractable hard tops, making convertibles more appealing to those who hadn't necessarily been interested in the past (and didn't want to remove the top by hand).

"The shift to retractable hard tops broadens the appeal for cold-weather drivers, who now see it as more functional, and the hard top helps some to feel safer than in a soft top," says Pauzé.

Behind The Numbers

We used various measures to find the best convertibles for price, safety, affordability, fuel-efficiency, reliability and speed, as well as to identify the best newcomers to the market. If a vehicle was the best in one category, it was not used as the best in another. The new Smart fortwo, for example, is the newest non-luxury convertible in the market, but it is also the most affordable, as well as the most fuel-efficient.

The most expensive convertible is the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, with a base MSRP of $495,000. This roadster built for two has a power retractable hard top that you can lower with the touch of a button. But the real draw is the 5.4-litre V8 engine producing 617 horsepower. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.

While the SLR McLaren is a bit of a budget-buster, there is the most affordable convertible on our list, the Mazda MX-5 Miata, another two-seater roadster. The car starts at a much more modest $28,195, with a power folding soft top, but a power retractable hard top is available for a model that costs an additional $4,000. The Miata is also much more practical for everyday driving, with its EPA rating of 22 mpg (10.6 L/100km) in the city and 27 (8.7 L/100km) on the highway. The McLaren only gets half as much.

Rounding out our top 10 list of best convertibles are the Ford Mustang as the best-selling, with 32,694 registered vehicles last year; the Chrysler Sebring as the best four-seater; the Mini Cooper as the most fuel-efficient; the Smart fortwo as the best new non-luxury convertible; the Volvo C70 as the safest; the BMW 3 Series as the most reliable; the BMW 1 Series as the best new luxury convertible; and the Dodge Viper as the fastest (it goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds in some tests, 3.9 according to Dodge).

A close second behind Ford's Mustang is the Chrysler Sebring, which was updated for 2008. It had 20,373 registered vehicles last year. This year, the Sebring could overtake the Mustang as the most popular convertible, says Pauzé, as for the first three months of 2008 Sebring registrations are at 11,879 compared with 5,374 registered Mustangs. Whenever a car gets upgraded as the Sebring was, notes Pauzé, it experiences a boost in sales while the competing, aging model suffers.

Also well positioned for popularity is Smart's fortwo, which could work well as an urban commuter car. Though Americans typically shy away from tiny cars, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently rated it "good" for front- and side-impact crash tests. Smart says it has sold 6,159 vehicles since the beginning of the year, 2,082 of which are convertibles. But auto-industry experts say it's still too early to fully gauge Smart's potential.

While sales of convertibles may be flat for the time being, auto experts say consumers are always looking to treat themselves to something special. And with more than just high-end options to choose from, the convertible-driving dream is easier than ever to fulfill.

In Pictures: 10 Convertibles For Every Consumer

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