The manual car is disappearing fast

The manual gearbox has been losing ground for years, and that trend is continuing exactly as expected.

−700,000 manual cars

To illustrate how fast this is going, we turn to the figures from the leading magazine Autoweek. The growing share of electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid models in new-car sales naturally affects the downward path the manual is currently taking. On top of that, new cars with a — mild-hybrid or not — petrol engine are barely offered with a manual gearbox any more.

Share of passenger cars with a manual gearbox (2018–2025)

The expectation is that by the end of this year (2026) the number of manual cars will head toward half (50%).

You see the same development in the used-car market. In the listings of the leading Autoweek, for example, November 2025 showed around 134,000 used cars with an automatic gearbox versus nearly 80,000 second-hand manuals. On sites such as AutoScout, automatics are firmly in the majority too.

Buying a new manual? Limited choice

If you still want to buy a new manual car, the overview below shows that the affordable range is now very limited. Many large brands make few or no manual cars. We have left out the more expensive brands (Audi, BMW, Jeep, Lotus, Porsche).