A staple of British motoring could disappear from new cars within the next 15 years as younger drivers prefer high-tech options.
Manual gearbox options for new cars in the UK have plummeted to their lowest level in a decade, with just 82 models now available with a manual transmission.
This marks a dramatic 57 per cent decline since 2015, when 192 models offered manual options, according to new research.
The study examined offerings from the UK’s most popular manufacturers, revealing that manual transmissions now make up just 29 per cent of available options.
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Manual gearboxes could disappear from new cars within the coming years as more drivers switch to electric vehicles
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Automatic-only models dominate the market with 196 vehicles available across the top 30 manufacturers.
This shift represents a significant change in the automotive landscape compared to 10 years ago, when manual gearboxes were commonplace in new vehicles.
The findings highlight the rapidly changing nature of car manufacturing and consumer preferences in Britain’s automotive market.
The decline has accelerated in recent years, with an eight per cent decrease from 89 models in 2024 and a 25 per cent drop from 109 models in 2023.
At the current rate of decline, CarGurus predicts manual gearboxes will disappear entirely from new models by 2037.
This projection is based on the current decrease of approximately seven models per year, as observed between 2024 and 2025.
Six major manufacturers now offer no manual transmission options whatsoever, up from five in 2024.
Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volvo, Tesla, Mini and Lexus have all abandoned manual gearboxes across their entire model ranges.
Both Land Rover and Mini made the switch in 2025, having offered just one manual model each the previous year.
Jaguar has paused new car sales until its planned 2026 relaunch, but had already eliminated manual options in 2024 and has announced plans to go all-electric.
The trend is further reinforced by new market entrants like Polestar, BYD, and Leapmotor, which exclusively produce vehicles with automatic transmissions.
Chris Knapman, CarGurus UK editorial director, commented on the trend: “With an increasing number of new cars being fully electric, and the market’s general push to larger and more premium vehicles, it is no great surprise to see the decline of the manual gearbox continuing.
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“Increasingly, an automatic gearbox is no longer a luxury that buyers must pay extra for, but an expected standard feature.”
Several popular cars with a manual transmission are still found on UK roads, including the Honda Civic Type R and the Mazda MX-5, as well as plenty on the used car market.
A 2024 CarGurus survey of 2,000 people found only 26 per cent of people aged between 18 and 24 would miss manual gearboxes, compared to 35 per cent for those over 65.