Summary
After being unveiled at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show, the Rolls-Royce Dawn arrived on UK roads in early 2016 as a luxury two-door convertible. It was removed from sale in Spring 2023.
With the subsequent discontinuation of the Phantom Drophead Coupé, the Dawn was the only open-top model on offer from Rolls-Royce during its time on sale. It was based on the Wraith coupe and powered by a 6.6-litre V12 engine that puts out 571hp in standard form – a Dawn Black Badge model launched in 2018 uprated the power to 601hp.
Like most Rolls-Royce models, there were regular special edition and bespoke models that went above and beyond the already extensive specification of the regular versions.
Reviewers were highly positive about the Dawn, a car Parkers described as “highly impressive automotive art as well as a means of getting from A to B.”
At more than five metres long it was a massive car, which meant plenty of room for four adults to travel in ultimate luxury. Pity the driver however, because you couldn’t squeeze this giant into a typical supermarket parking space.
The car was considered elegant in looks, the electrically folding soft top exquisite in operation, and the interior top-class. “This is feelgood motoring with a capital F,” said Car. “The interior has a clear focus on pampering: the seats are huge and plump and upholstered in the finest leather front and rear.”
There were some minus points – for an adult, getting into that roomy rear was not that easy, while some of the tech grates a little, interior details such as the drive controller and key rather too reminiscent of the BMW 7 Series they are evolved from. “While Rolls has added its own fonts and colours to the infotainment system, fundamentally, it’s still BMW’s iDrive,” said Auto Express.
Overall, however, the Dawn was considered a one-off experience, summed up by Top Gear; “It’s not for shrinking violets and is a jaw-dropping thing to behold in the flesh: needless to say, the quarter-million pound price tag is just the starting point.”
As of May 2024, the Rolls-Royce Dawn holds a Used Car Expert Rating of E, with a score of 53%. While motoring journalists loved it, the Dawn obviously scores very poorly for running costs and CO2 emissions, which drag down its rating. Potential Rolls-Royce customers are unlikely to be concerned about either, however.
Rolls-Royce Dawn highlights
- Spacious four-seater
- Smooth and powerful
- Highly luxurious
- Impressive electric soft-top
Rolls-Royce Dawn lowlights
- Gargantuan car is hard to park
- Big car, tiny boot
- Tech detailing slightly low-rent
- Hugely expensive
Key specifications
Body style: large convertible
Engine: petrol
Price: From £282,000 on-road
Launched: Winter 2015/16
Last updated: Summer 2021
Removed from sale: Spring 2023
Image gallery
Media reviews
Reviews, road tests and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.
Auto Express
Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The Rolls-Royce Dawn is the brand’s most opulent and extravagant drop-top ever, but such luxury doesn’t come cheap.”
Read review
Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The Rolls Royce Dawn manages to mix complete luxury with surprisingly adept driving manners.”
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Auto Trader
Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“There are plenty of luxury convertibles on offer these days, but none quite like the Rolls Royce Dawn. Hand-built from the finest materials, and with the on-road character of a luxury limousine, the Dawn is a car with virtually no direct rivals.”
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Autocar
Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The Rolls-Royce Dawn’s silken refinement, debonair sense of deportment and traffic-stopping roof-down presence can’t be matched by any other maker of convertibles, and so its price is – believe it or not – perfectly justifiable for anyone looking for such qualities above all else.”
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Car
Model reviewed:
Score: 10 / 10
“The Rolls Royce Dawn has real substance behind it – with quality, roominess and a fabulously hushed drive to make you feel special every single day.”
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Carbuyer
Model reviewed:
Score: 7.6 / 10
“The Rolls-Royce Dawn is incomparable to any other convertible in its luxury and extravagance.”
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Daily Mail
Model reviewed:
Score: 10 / 10
“When you travel in such luxury, in such a marvellous machine, you feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven.” (Chris Evans)
Read review
Model reviewed:
“If you could bottle up sex appeal from a motor car, Rolls-Royce could be on course to make a mint from the Dawn convertible.”
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Eurekar
Model reviewed:
“The Rolls-Royce Dawn is a superbly elegant long-distance tourer powered by a 6.6-litre turbocharged V12 that whisks it effortlessly and silently to 62 miles per hour in just five seconds. Despite its size, the Dawn handles superbly. There is a little body roll but it’s all beautifully controllable.”
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Evo
Model reviewed:
“The Rolls Royce Dawn blends the very best in refinement with the finest of opulence.”
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Honest John
Model reviewed:
“The Dawn is the most elegant recent Rolls Royce.”
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Parkers
Model reviewed:
Score: 9 / 10
“Cabriolets don’t come more luxurious than the Rolls Royce Dawn.”
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The Sun
Model reviewed:
“The Rolls-Royce Dawn is truly special and as calm and relaxing as a spa. It has four full-size seats lavished in butter-soft leather, sumptuous carpets, the finest wood and a fabric silk-lined roof that opens and closes in complete silence.”
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The Sunday Times
Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The Rolls Royce Dawn is in a class of its own.”
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The Telegraph
Model reviewed:
Score: 10 / 10
“The Rolls-Royce Dawn represents a crushing demonstration of luxury motoring, easy-yet-invigorating to drive, beautiful to behold and an event to even be around, let alone travel in. Sublime.”
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Top Gear
Model reviewed:
Score: 9 / 10
“Another incredible achievement from Rolls. The Dawn is immeasurably fine.”
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What Car?
Model reviewed:
Score: 10 / 10
“The daunting sums involved buying a Rolls-Royce Dawn will not concern its tiny pool of buyers one bit; they’ll simply be interested in its comfort, refinement and quality – and in that regard, the Dawn sits in a class of one.”
Read review
Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
No safety rating
To absolutely no-one’s surprise, the Rolls-Royce Dawn was never crash-tested by independent safety authority, Euro NCAP. Having to buy a few Dawns for testing would probably blow Euro NCAP’s budget for a whole year.
Eco rating
Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP
No eco rating
The Rolls-Royce Dawn was not lab tested by Green NCAP, so you’ll have to use your imagination to work out how environmentally friendly an enormous convertible powered by a 6.8-litre petrol V12 might be.
Awards
Trophies, prizes and awards that the Rolls-Royce Dawn has received
2017
- UK Car of the Year Awards – Best Luxury Car
2016
- Telegraph Cars Awards – Best Luxury Car
Similar cars
If you’re looking at the Rolls-Royce Dawn, you might also be interested in these alternatives
Bentley Continental GT Convertible | Mercedes-Maybach S 560
There really is no obvious rival to the Rolls-Royce Dawn. Buyers spend this kind of money because they want a Rolls-Royce and they choose the Dawn because they want a soft-top with the Spirit of Ecstacy badge.
The nearest luxury offering, the Bentley Continental GT Convertible, is a very different kind of car and if you are looking for ‘proper’ four-seat convertibles you go to the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz – and you could buy two or three or four for the price of a single Dawn…
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