The manual gearbox, a staple of driving for decades, is rapidly becoming obsolete in the UK. New data reveals that demand for manual transmissions has hit a record low, with only one in 12 new-car buyers enquiring about a vehicle with a traditional gearbox.
Record Low Demand for Manual Transmissions
According to data from Carwow, just 7.9% of new-car enquiries are for manual vehicles, a dramatic drop from 21% just two years ago. The number of car models available with a manual gearbox has also plummeted. Data from Auto Express shows that only 72 of the 356 unique car models on sale in the UK come with a manual transmission.
Industry Shift Towards Electrification
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."
Drivers increasingly favour the convenience of an automatic, especially in everyday traffic. 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.
Manual Gearbox Benefits and Future Outlook
The manual gearbox gives drivers direct control over engine speed and torque, offering benefits such as better efficiency. However, experts at Vehicle Data Global (VDG) have suggested that manual gearboxes could completely disappear within the next three years.
Tom 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. 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."
He 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."
