An electric roadster uses a traction battery and electric motor; a gas-powered convertible burns gasoline in an internal-combustion engine. That changes how each car gets energy, how its range is reported, and what you experience behind the wheel. It does not determine whether the car is open-top: “roadster” and “convertible” describe body styles, while “electric” and “gas-powered” describe propulsion.
The examples below are deliberately dated. Mazda’s 2026 MX-5 Miata is a current gasoline roadster with soft-top and retractable-fastback options. Tesla’s currently presented Roadster is a planned model, not a delivered production car established by the specifications discussed here. Tesla’s first-generation Roadster, by contrast, was a production car whose manual and 2010 filing provide historical specifications.
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What changes when the powertrain is electric?
A gasoline convertible stores chemical energy as liquid fuel. Its engine burns that fuel and sends power through a mechanical drivetrain to the wheels. An electric roadster stores energy in a high-voltage traction battery and uses an electric motor to drive the wheels. The broad distinction matters for everyday use: the electric car needs access to charging, while the gasoline car is replenished at a fuel pump.
Those categories do not tell you everything about either car. Body style, roof mechanism, performance, range and price are separate questions. Nor does “electric roadster” necessarily mean a car with no roof: Tesla describes a removable glass roof for its currently presented Roadster, while Mazda offers the MX-5 as either a soft-top or a retractable-fastback RF. Both can provide open-air driving, but their roof hardware and energy systems differ.
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How do you replenish each car?
Charging a first-generation Tesla Roadster
The first-generation Tesla Roadster’s service manual describes charging with a Home Connector or Mobile Connector. It recommends leaving the car connected to the home connector when it is not in use and notes that mobile charging takes longer. That is practical guidance for that vehicle generation—not a charging specification for Tesla’s planned successor or for electric cars generally.
A 2010 Tesla Motors SEC filing gives historical estimates for particular electrical setups: approximately seven hours using a 240-volt, 40-amp outlet, or 4.5 hours with a professionally installed 70-amp circuit. These are configuration-specific estimates for the first-generation car, not universal charging times. Actual charging access and elapsed time depend on the vehicle and its electrical supply; the supplied figures should not be transferred to another model.
The manual also warns that the first-generation Roadster’s high-voltage battery system can reach 420 volts. High-voltage service requires care; battery or electrical-system repair is not a casual do-it-yourself task. For a specific vehicle, owners should use its applicable service guidance and qualified service support rather than treating a charging connector as permission to work on high-voltage components.
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Fueling a gasoline MX-5
A gasoline MX-5 does not need a plug-in charging stop. Mazda’s September 2024 UK specification guide lists a 45-liter fuel tank for the specified MX-5 variants and recommends unleaded 95 RON for its listed petrol versions. That fuel specification is for the UK-market variants in that guide; check the manual and fuel requirements for the particular car and market rather than assuming the UK figure applies everywhere.
Fueling and charging are different kinds of interruption, not simply two ways to spend the same number of minutes. Refueling requires a suitable pump and a compatible fuel; charging requires a compatible electrical connection and enough time for the car to take on energy. The sources here do not establish a universal time comparison, nor do they establish how often an individual owner would stop. That depends on the model, travel, available charging, fuel or electricity access, and driving habits.
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How far can they go, and what does “range” mean?
Range figures need their vehicle generation and measurement basis attached. The first-generation Roadster illustrates why: Tesla’s service manual says it can travel approximately 200 miles depending on conditions, while Tesla’s 2010 filing gives 236 miles of EPA combined two-cycle range for a specific version. These figures are not interchangeable promises for every first-generation car or every trip; one is a conditional approximation and the other names an EPA test basis.
Tesla’s current Roadster product page advertises 620 miles of range for the planned/currently presented model. That is a manufacturer claim for that model description, not an independently verified specification for a delivered production car in the material available here. It should not be conflated with either first-generation Roadster figure.
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| Example and date | Reported energy or range figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| First-generation Tesla Roadster service manual | Approximately 200 miles | Conditional estimate; the manual says range depends on conditions. |
| First-generation Tesla Roadster, 2010 SEC filing | 236 miles | EPA combined two-cycle range for a specific version. |
| Currently presented Tesla Roadster, product page accessed October 9, 2026 | 620 miles advertised | Manufacturer claim for a planned model; not established here as a delivered-car result. |
| Mazda MX-5, UK 2024 specification guide, listed 2.0-liter variants | 41.5 mpg combined WLTP; 45-liter tank | Fuel-consumption and tank-capacity figures, not a directly comparable tested range; real use may differ. |
For a real trip or ownership decision, use the exact car’s generation, version, market and test basis. Then account for the driving conditions that affect energy use. A single number without those qualifications can make an old production car, a planned vehicle’s marketing claim and a gasoline car’s consumption rating look more comparable than they are.
How do the performance claims compare?
Electric motors and gasoline engines deliver power differently, but the figures available here do not support a controlled electric-versus-gas acceleration test. The Tesla numbers refer to different generations, and Mazda’s UK figures use a different speed interval. They are useful as named specifications, not as a head-to-head result.
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| Vehicle and source date | Acceleration claim | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Currently presented Tesla Roadster | 0–60 mph in 1.9 seconds | Tesla product-page claim for the planned/currently presented model; not independently verified here for a delivered production car. |
| First-generation Tesla Roadster | 0–60 mph in 3.9 seconds | Figure in Tesla Motors’ 2010 SEC filing. |
| Mazda MX-5 2.0-liter soft top | 0–62 mph in 6.5 seconds | Mazda UK’s 2024 specification guide. |
| Mazda MX-5 2.0-liter RF | 0–62 mph in 6.8 seconds | Mazda UK’s 2024 specification guide. |
Two details prevent a misleading ranking. First, 0–60 mph and 0–62 mph are different intervals. Second, the current Tesla claim is for a planned model, while the earlier Tesla number is historical and the Mazda values are for named 2024 UK variants. Tesla’s current page also advertises a top speed over 250 mph for its planned Roadster; that, too, is a manufacturer claim rather than a verified production-car result established here.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What are the roof and open-air differences?
Mazda’s 2026 US release lists the MX-5 with a cloth soft top or as an RF, the retractable-fastback version. Mazda says the RF roof operates in about 13 seconds. The two versions offer different roof designs within the same model line; the UK guide’s 2024 performance figures also distinguish the 2.0-liter soft top from the RF.
For the planned/currently presented Roadster, Tesla describes a lightweight, removable glass roof that stores in the trunk for an open-air, convertible driving experience. This is a manufacturer description of the planned model. It does not describe the roof of the first-generation Roadster, and it should not be treated as proof that a delivered successor has the specified hardware.
The useful comparison is therefore not “electric roof versus gasoline roof.” Propulsion does not dictate the roof. Instead, compare how each particular car opens, removes or stows its roof, and whether the chosen body version fits how you want to use the car. In the examples here, Mazda gives a specific operating time for the RF, while Tesla’s current page describes roof removal and trunk storage without a time figure.
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What do the price and emissions figures establish?
Prices belong to a date, market and purchase context
Mazda North American Operations’ January 27, 2026 US model-year release lists starting MSRPs from $30,430 for the Sport soft top to $41,900 for the Club RF among the selected trims cited. These are stated starting MSRPs for specified 2026 US configurations, not a promise of the transaction price for a particular car. They do not establish a price for other trims, markets or model years.
Tesla’s 2010 SEC filing gives a historical effective base price of $101,500 for the first-generation Roadster after an assumed federal tax credit. That is a historical figure and is not a current price. The Tesla product-page material reviewed for the currently presented Roadster does not provide a price. The Mazda and Tesla figures therefore cannot serve as a current, like-for-like purchase comparison: they differ in year, market, vehicle status and price context.
Tailpipe emissions are not life-cycle emissions
Tesla’s 2010 filing describes the first-generation Roadster as producing zero tailpipe emissions. That wording is about emissions from the vehicle’s exhaust at the tailpipe; it does not establish that electricity generation, vehicle manufacturing or the full life cycle has zero emissions.
Mazda’s September 2024 UK guide reports 140–153 g/km WLTP CO₂ for the specified petrol variants. Those are market- and variant-specific figures under the named test basis, and Mazda cautions that the figures are intended for comparability and may not reflect real-world results. The sources cited here do not provide a matched life-cycle assessment for the electric and gasoline examples, so they cannot establish which has lower total emissions under a particular electricity mix, manufacturing footprint and usage pattern.
Which details matter most when choosing between them?
Start with the actual vehicles you are considering, not the labels “electric” and “convertible.” A planned model’s advertised specification is not the same evidence as a delivered car’s specification, and a historic production model’s range or price does not describe a current successor. Make comparisons within the same generation and market wherever possible.
- Energy access: Identify where you can charge or refuel and which connector or fuel specification the vehicle requires. The first-generation Roadster manual’s home and mobile connector guidance is specific to that car.
- Travel distance: Compare figures only after checking whether they are conditional estimates, named test-cycle results, fuel-consumption ratings or manufacturer claims. The Tesla and Mazda examples above do not share one measurement basis.
- Roof use: Choose between the Mazda soft top and RF based on the roof arrangement you want; assess Tesla’s removable-glass-roof description as a planned-model feature rather than a delivered-car observation.
- Performance: Keep the acceleration interval and model year beside every number. A 0–60 mph claim is not the same measurement as 0–62 mph.
- Ownership cost: The available figures do not support a current total-cost-of-ownership verdict. A meaningful calculation would need local electricity and gasoline prices, distance driven, charging access, insurance, maintenance, depreciation and comparable vehicle purchase prices.
- Environmental impact: Separate tailpipe emissions from life-cycle emissions. A whole-life comparison needs matched assumptions for the vehicle, electricity mix, manufacturing and use.
In short, an electric roadster changes the energy source and replenishment method, while the car’s roof style remains a separate design choice. The first-generation Tesla Roadster, Tesla’s planned successor and Mazda’s 2026 gasoline MX-5 are distinct examples—not interchangeable specifications in a single electric-versus-gas contest.
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