McLaren 720S (2017 – present) | Expert Rating [hide]
Summary
The McLaren 720S is mid-engined supercar available as both a coupé and convertible (720S Spider). The 720S forms the ‘middle tier’ of the McLaren range, knows as the Super Series. The coupé model was launched at the 2017 Geneva motor show, with the Spider following in late 2018.
The 720S, like all McLaren models, is built at McLaren’s production facility in Woking, Surrey, in a new factory next door to the McLaren Formula One team’s base.
There is a higher-performance model called the 765LT, which is not covered here. We are working on a separate page for this model so be sure to check back again soon.
The McLaren 720S and 720S Spider have received unanimously positive reviews from the UK motoring media (which is not all that surprising, really). There has been plenty praise for both its incredible performance and everyday usability.
As of November 2021, the McLaren 720S has an excellent Expert Rating of 87%, which is one of the top scores of all the 300+ cars in our database – but about two points behind the Ferrari F8 Tributo.
Key specifications
Body style: coupe / convertibleEngine: petrol
Price: From £218,020
Launched: Spring 2017Last updated: Summer 2020
Replacement due: TBA
Image gallery
Media reviews
Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.
The Car Expert
Model reviewed: 720S Spider“The British-built McLaren 720S Spider is an ultra-focused and highly polished supercar that deserves a place among the greats from anywhere in the world.”
Read review
Auto Express
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 10 / 10“The McLaren 720S takes on the Ferrari 488 – with more power, greater performance and a dash of practicality.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 9 / 10“There are few cars on the road that are as savagely quick as a McLaren 720S. The drop-top Spider version ups the excitement levels even further, and we loved it.”
Read review
Auto Trader
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 8.6 / 10“Even when compared with other supercars, the McLaren 720S really is something special. Engaging, absorbing and thrilling, and for our money, it’s the best of the supercar breed.”
Read review
Autocar
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 10 / 10“The McLaren 720S’s class-transcending performance comes combined with a remarkable breadth of ability on the road, with excellent usability, too, and with more indulgent on-the-limit track handling than any McLaren we’ve known before.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 9 / 10“With the roof up, the driving experience is indistinguishable from that of the coupé.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S Track PackScore: 10 / 10“It’s an awful lot of money considering you might never use the telemetry or the cameras or the six-point racing harnesses, but for some it will be worth paying simply for the palpable sense you’re driving the most focused McLaren 720S that exists.”
Read review
Car
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 10 / 10“The amazing thing about the McLaren 720S Spider is its range of virtues. It goes as hard as any supercar with all the exhilaration and high-speed prowess, and yet it rides with astonishing suppleness.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S Track PackScore: 10 / 10“If you’re all about hot laps, the track-optimised 600LT would be a better bet. And if you’ve decided it has to be the 720S, be clear about what you’ll use the car for. You may be better off going for a few options and put the saved money into financing some unforgettable pan-European road trips.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 10 / 10“If you can get on with those headlights, and are rich enough not to flinch at paying more for the McLaren 720S than its rivals, the only real sticking point is the standard car’s too-quiet exhaust.”
Read review
Carbuyer
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 8 / 10“Breathtaking performance combined with unadulterated engine noise makes the McLaren 720S Spider an even more visceral experience than the coupe.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 7.8 / 10“The stunning McLaren 720S offers all you want in a supercar, and more.”
Read review
Daily Mirror
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 10 / 10“The two-seat mid-engined McLaren 720S supercar is beyond brilliant. It’s incredible.”
Read review
Evo
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 9 / 10“Top-down motoring to the list only increases the McLaren 720S’ appeal, however the compromises felt dynamically still makes the coupe our choice.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 10 / 10“Wild looks, warp speed acceleration, delicious handling balance and surprising civility mark out the remarkable McLaren 720S.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 10 / 10“The McLaren 720S is an improvement over its predecessor in every respect.”
Read review
Parkers
Model reviewed: CoupeScore: 9 / 10“Latest Brit bruiser one of the best yet”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 9.8 / 10“An astonishingly capable all-round supercar”
Read review
The Sun
Model reviewed: 720S Spider“Aside from its monstrous capabilities, the McLaren 720S Spider is just as pleasing to the eye. You just want to drive it over the horizon and into the sunset.”
Read review
The Sunday Times
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 6 / 10“It may look brilliant, but you cannot get around the fact that it simply doesn’t have the soul of a Ferrari. It’ll kick a Fezza’s arse in any race, anywhere, anytime, but you can’t help feeling it’s a car built after a meeting in a Travelodge with a flip chart.” (Jeremy Clarkson)
Read review
The Telegraph
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 8 / 10“Better looking than the coupé with none of the drawbacks of a convertible in terms of chassis twisting and/or reduced performance; it also has minimal weight gain for a drophead.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S Luxury coupéScore: 8 / 10“Faster and more stable, the new McLaren 720S is a more dynamically competent than its predecessor, although whether it could be genuinely described as “all-new” is debatable.”
Read review
Top Gear
Model reviewed: 720S SpiderScore: 9 / 10“All the best bits of the coupe, now with added fresh air.”
Read review
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 9 / 10“Probably the single most accomplished supercar we’ve ever driven.”
Read review
What Car?
Model reviewed: 720S coupéScore: 8 / 10“The McLaren 720S is staggeringly fast and involving yet perfectly usable every day.”
Read review
Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
No safety rating
The McLaren Super Series (720S and 765LT) has not been crash tested by Euro NCAP. Based on its price and exclusivity, it’s unlikely to happen.
Eco rating
Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP
No eco rating
The McLaren Super Series (720S and 765LT) has not been lab tested by Green NCAP. This is a new initiative, launched in 2018 as a sister organisation to Euro NCAP.
Awards
Trophies, prizes and awards that the McLaren 720S has received
2019
- World Car Awards – World Performance Car
2018
- Red Dot Design Awards – Best of the Best
2017
- evo Awards – Car of the Year
- Scottish Car of the Year Awards – Sportscar of the Year
Similar cars
If you’re looking at the McLaren 720S, you might also be interested in these alternatives
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera | Ferrari F8 Tributo | Lamborghini Huracan | Mercedes-AMG GT R | Porsche 911 Turbo
Buy or lease a McLaren 720S
Regardless of whether you’re looking for a new or used 720S, The Car Expert’s partners have thousands of cars to choose from
Search less, live more. We make finding the right car simple.
We only have the best used cars for sale from selected dealers.
Personal contract hire deals from Leasing.com.
Personal contract hire deals from Pink Car Leasing.
Keyword: McLaren 720S