Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Mazda Miata is probably a practical enough car for one person. There's a decent-sized trunk and an extra seat. The game changes if you have a pet. Especially a big one, like my dog. He's huge. An 85-pound pooch that (fortunately) grew up sneaking into the passenger seat of more than a few silly sports cars. He's got some practice. Needless to say, the Mazda Miata isn't quite the best car for large dogs, but smaller lap dogs will be more than comfy in the little sports car.Ease of AccessChase BierenkovenFor larger dogs you can't pick up, ease of access is critical when considering how your new car might fit into your dog's life and yours. Luckily, the low sills and wide doors of the Mazda Miata's coupe body make getting in and out a snap, even for older dogs. Counterintuitively, sports cars are great for older dogs for this reason.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Miata in particular is solid in this respect, thanks to its open-roof design. Even tall dogs will have (literally) miles of headroom. Seats aren't too high off the door sills, either, which means most good-sized dogs can simply step up onto the seat.Space: The Miata Is Only Good For Smaller DogsBeorn in the 2026 Mazda MX-5 MiataChase BierenkovenPredictably, the Miata's sole passenger seat will only be good for dogs under around 15 pounds. Large dogs won't be able to fit on the seat, much less fit under the steeply raked windscreen. The Miata's windscreen cuts headroom for Beorn, who does know he needs to sit upright in seats such as these. This Miata's Brembo/BBS Recaro package is great for track use, but its steep bolsters also mean large dogs can't spread their feet out on the seat either.Smaller dogs should fit just great, though, so long as their bodies aren't longer than the seat. The Miata's suite of airbags means they'll be safe, too. Larger dogs may want to stretch onto the center console, which can be an issue in models equipped with the manual transmission. Beorn, in an effort to find somewhere to lie, spread across the center console and blocked not only the ebrake, but managed to turn on a bunch of the infotainment functions, which are located in the console.Chase BierenkovenMaterials Meant For People May Not Stand Up To DogsChase BierenkovenThe svelte suede and leather aren't exactly hardy materials for dogs. They feel nice for people, but they're not robust materials. On BBS package cars, these materials mean suede in the seat inserts, which will trap all of your dog's dirty items. This can be fixed with a seat cover, though. I used a simple blanket, but there are other options. Having a dog inside the Miata can, depending on its size, also impact visibility.Chase BierenkovenAdvertisementAdvertisementAs you can see, Beorn will have a look around once in the car, and that often leads to his big ol' flat head getting in the way of both the rearview mirror and the general view out the side, which is severely impacted by his height.The Miata is a great car, but it's not anywhere near large enough to fit a large-sized dog. Instead, we recommend a trip to the hardware store. A homemade extension for the seat made of wood feet and a platform will give your dog somewhere to lie, but out of the box, this can't be recommended.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Jul 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Reviews section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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