Demand for manual gearboxes has reached a record low, with new data showing that only one in 12 new-car buyers now enquires about a vehicle with a traditional stick shift. According to Carwow, just 7.9% of new-car enquiries are for manual vehicles, a sharp drop from 21% just two years ago.
Fewer Models Offer Manual Transmissions
The number of cars on sale with a manual gearbox has also plummeted. Data from Auto Express reveals that only 72 of the 356 unique car models available come with a manual transmission. This means fewer than one in five models still offer the option.
Tom Jervis, consumer reporter at Auto Express, said: "The decline of the manual gearbox is being driven by a combination of changing buyer habits and the industry's rapid shift towards electrification. With fewer than one in 12 new-car enquiries now for a manual, and only one in five models still offering one, it's clear that demand is shrinking fast."
Convenience and Electrification Fuel the Shift
Drivers increasingly favour the convenience of an automatic, especially in stop-start traffic. Meanwhile, the growing popularity of hybrids and electric cars—which are almost exclusively automatic—means many buyers no longer have the option of choosing a manual in the first place. Jervis added: "Manual cars aren't disappearing overnight. Although used cars account for around a third of the vehicles listed on Carwow, almost three-quarters of those are less than five years old."
Used Market Still Has Plenty of Manuals
Given that manual gearboxes were the default choice for most new cars until relatively recently, and with the average car on UK roads now approaching 10 years old, there will continue to be plenty of second-hand manual cars available for years to come. Jervis concluded: "That means buyers who still enjoy changing gears themselves won't suddenly run out of choice. But the pipeline of new manual cars is shrinking rapidly, so while they'll remain a familiar sight on the used market for the foreseeable future, they're set to become an increasingly rare option in new car showrooms up to the end of the decade."
