In 2020, only 5% of passenger cars and 1% of SUVs bought in Australia had a manual transmission. During 2019, even sales of electric vehicles were higher than sales of new manuals in the US. Electric vehicles are auto transmission only. It looks like we are witnessing the death of the manual transmission.
What are manufacturers doing?
Most manufacturers appear to favour automatic transmissions in the Australian market. Some brands, such as Jeep and MG, don’t sell any manual transmissions in this country. Ferrari and Lamborghini are automatic only and Peugeot and Mercedes-Benz offer manual in commercial vehicles only. However, manuals are more widely available in Utes and vans.
Toyota
- Less than 5% of Toyotas sold are manual transmission
- The popular Toyota Yaris and Corolla no longer have manual transmissions.
Ford
- The Ford Fiesta ST is available in manual only
- 29% of Mustang buyers chose manual but only 4.6% of Ranger buyers chose manual
- Latest Ford Ranger models are automatic only.
Volkswagen
- The brand will phase out manual transmissions by the end of this decade.
Hyundai
- The basic i30 is still offered in a manual
- Australians bought more than 2,700 i30 manual-only hot hatches
- The i20 N will be manual-only when it launches later this year.
Hyundai appears to be taking a more nuanced approach.
Even so, Australian preferences are not necessarily shared all around the world. For example, manual transmissions are still dominant in the UK.
Brits still want to buy manuals
A decade ago only a quarter of new cars bought were automatic. By 2019, 49% of sales were automatics.
Yet UK data show 88.9% of driving tests were taken in manual cars in 2018-19 (latest figures). This was lower than 95.5% in 2011-12, but still dominant. Interestingly, pass rates are lower for those taking their test in automatics – only 39.5% v 45.9% in manuals.
With sales of petrol and diesel cars phasing out before 2030 and hybrids before 2035, all cars will be electric and automatic. That means new drivers won’t be able to drive many typical ‘first’ cars, and they won’t be able to drive a classic car with a manual transmission.
Learning to drive with a manual transmission
In NSW, if you got your P1 licence in an automatic, you can drive only automatics until you pass your P2 licence.
There is an upside to learning in manual cars. Controlling a clutch, listening to and changing gears keeps young drivers on the task.
For example, a study on the driving performance of teenage boys found manual driving kept their attention. Clearly, having hands and feet occupied makes it harder to multitask. Perhaps this is why UK manual drivers were more likely than automatic drivers to pass their tests.
Is it possible automatic transmissions have diluted driving skills and allowed us to become more distracted? If that is so, it may be worthwhile updating the driving test to increase skills in driving electric vehicles.
More skilled drivers may get cheaper greenslips.
FAQs
In the US, less than 1% of new models have stick shifts (compared to 35% in 1980), according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It's really only sports cars, off-road truck SUVs and a handful of small pickups that still have clutches.
Is manual transmission going extinct? ›
Manual transmissions will start to become extinct. Mini is offering you what could be the last chance to learn how to navigate a manual transmission. Twenty years ago, about 8% of cars for sale were offered as manual transmissions. Today, that has dropped to just over 2%.
Why is manual transmission dying? ›
Despite car enthusiasts' best efforts, the manual transmission's days are numbered. Blame it on electrification, future autonomous technologies, or the fact that kids these days just don't care about driving. Whatever helps you cope with this inevitability, the demise of the stick shift is not an "if," it's a "when."
Is it the end of manual cars? ›
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, an industry body, two in three cars on British roads were fitted with manual gearboxes in 2022. New manual cars are set to disappear over the next decade as the Government's 2035 ban on petrol and diesel vehicles draws closer.
Will manual transmissions ever come back? ›
According to reports, cars with manual transmissions are slowly witnessing a renewed interest in the US market. The sales of manual transmission cars had dipped below 1% of all auto sales in the USA in 2021. However, the percentage grew to 1.2% in 2022 and has further increased to 1.7% in 2023.
How many Americans still drive manual? ›
For the 1980 model year, 35 percent of cars produced for sale in the United States had manual transmissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the share is about 1 percent. And just 18 percent of American drivers can drive a stick, according to U.S. News and World Report.
What percent of Americans can drive manual? ›
Only around 18% of American drivers can handle a manual transmission, according to U.S. News and World Report. You know: the clutch pedal and the stick shift—three on the tree, four on the floor or, I don't know, five to drive maybe. Different gears, manually engaged.
Will manual cars go up in value? ›
It's here that the scarcity of this feature cuts both ways, making a manual car unappealing to the majority of buyers, even though it might be prized among a small subset of shoppers. This tends to lower the residual value of most manual-equipped models.
What is the life expectancy of a manual transmission? ›
How Long Does Your Transmission Last?
| Transmission Quick Facts |
|---|
| Transmission Lifespan Without Maintenance | 100,000 miles or less |
|---|
| Transmission Lifespan with Proper Maintenance | 300,000 miles or more |
| When to Change Automatic Transmission Fluid | Every 30,000 miles |
| When to Change Manual Transmission Fluid | Every 30,000 to 60,000 miles |
California didn't ban the manual-trans 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 after all Back to video. It's a running joke that most fun things are illegal in California, but this is an actual instance where the idiom is true.
Manual transmissions require less servicing to remain functional and don't need the same type of oil as an automatic transmission. Cars with a stick-shift usually last longer than an automatic of the same make and model.
Why do people still drive manual cars? ›
You'll Have Better Control Over Your Vehicle
When you drive a manual, you have control over exactly how much power is going from the engine to the wheels. This will come in especially handy during bad weather, or when ice and snow cover the roadway. It's also great to have manual control when you're off-roading.
Are manual cars becoming rare? ›
After falling to 2.4% of sales in 2020, manual sales increased to 2.8% in 2021 and 2.9% in 2022.
What percentage of cars sold are manual? ›
Manual sales made up less than a percent of cars sold in the US in 2021, but last year, that number was around 1.7 percent. Not a lot, but not nothing. Many automakers have expanded their manual offerings, too, perhaps most notably Toyota bringing a manual to the Supra for the 2023 model year.
Does anyone drive manual anymore? ›
In 2000, more than 15 percent of new and used cars sold by the auto retailer CarMax came with stick shifts; by 2020, that figure had dropped to 2.4 percent.
Which cars still come in manual 2024? ›
Cars that Still Come in Manual Transmission in 2024
- 2024 BMW M2, M3, and M4: German Engineering at its Finest. ...
- 2024 Ford Bronco and Mustang: Legends Reborn. ...
- 2024 Honda Civic: Reliable and Fun. ...
- 2024 Jeep Wrangler: Off-Road Adventure Awaits. ...
- 2024 Kia Forte GT: Sporty and Affordable.
While stick-shifts still make up a small percentage of new-car sales, a recent study finds that demand for the manual transmission is increasing. Citing data compiled by J.D. Power, industry trade journal WardsAuto wrote that stick-shifted models represent 1.7% of new-car sales in the United States in 2023 so far.
