Mazda Roadster (Eunos Roadster / MX-5)

• Four generations in Japan: September 1989 (Eunos Roadster), January 1998, 25 August 2005 and 21 May 2015.
• Mazda Japan's grades, PS ratings and dates are used throughout; export MX-5 and Miata names and packages are labelled as comparisons.
• Mazda's own records give different months for several early launches, including the 1993 arrival of the 1.8-litre engine; both are published.
• The Power Retractable Hard Top and the RF are bodies of the third and fourth generations, not new generations.
• Mazda's 2014 press kit gives worldwide production of 431,506, 290,123 and 225,494 (through July 2014) for the first three generations.
• Import age counts from each car's own build date; production start and sale dates do not decide it.

• Two-seat open sports car sold in Japan since September 1989 in four generations.
• The guides use Japanese grades and PS ratings, with Mazda's dated releases and catalogues alongside attributed automotive reporting.
• The Power Retractable Hard Top (third generation) and RF (fourth generation) are bodies of their generations, not separate generations.
• Export names and packages such as MX-5 Miata, M Edition and Club Sport are labelled comparisons.
• Import age is counted from each car's own manufacture date.

Dates are Mazda Japan's sale dates where Mazda gives them. For the first generation, Mazda's records give different months for several launches and both are shown. Each generation page has its own specification tables and checklist.

Generation names are broad families. The factory chassis codes below identify the variants represented in JDMBUYSELL's current Mazda Roadster (Eunos Roadster / MX-5) guide data.

NA (1989–1997) — Eunos Roadster / first generation

Chassis codes: NA6CE and NA8C

NB (1998–2005) — second generation

Chassis codes: NB6C and NB8C

NC (2005–2015) — third generation

Chassis code: NCEC

ND (2015–present) — fourth generation

Chassis codes: ND5RC and NDERC

Confirm the complete code on the vehicle's frame or VIN plate; drivetrain, body, and market variants can use different prefixes within one generation family.

Mazda sold the car in Japan as the Eunos Roadster from 1989, and its history lists the export name MX-5 Miata at the February 1989 Chicago show. The second generation is listed in Japan as the Roadster. Export grades, packages, model years and outputs differ from the Japanese ones, so this guide labels them as comparisons and does not carry them across.

Engine options

How many generations of the Mazda Roadster has Japan had?

Four so far. Japan received the Eunos Roadster in September 1989, the second generation in January 1998, the third on 25 August 2005 and the fourth on 21 May 2015. Mazda's Japanese genealogy lists an update in June 2026, so the fourth generation is still current.

Is the Eunos Roadster the same car as the MX-5 Miata?

Mazda's history lists the MX-5 Miata, Japanese name Eunos Roadster, at the February 1989 Chicago show. The Japanese car carries Mazda Japan's grades and PS ratings, so export packages and outputs are not Japanese specifications.

Are the hard-top and RF models separate generations?

No. Mazda added the Power Retractable Hard Top to the third generation on 23 August 2006 and the RF to the fourth generation, with orders from 10 November 2016 and sale from 22 December 2016.

Can I import a Japanese Mazda Roadster to the US or Canada?

The US 25-year rule counts from each car's manufacture date under 49 CFR 591.5(i). EPA expects the original engine configuration or an equivalent or newer EPA-certified engine and emission-control systems. Canada counts 15 years from the month and year of manufacture. Each generation page repeats this for its own cars.