Of the 278 different new car options available in showrooms today, only 82 have a much-loved feature that has been a key factor in driving enjoyment for decades.
The choice of new models available to UK motorists wanting this once commonplace motoring element is at its lowest in 10 years, marking a 57 per cent decline from 2015 as it rapidly accelerates towards extinction.
At the rate in which it is disappearing annually, experts believe it will be lost forever in new motors by 2037.
However, the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030 will almost guarantee that no mainstream models sold in Britain will have one far earlier than that prediction.
The part in question is the manual gearbox.
Having been a prominent component in cars since the 1891 Panhard et Levassor - widely recognised as the model with the first manual transmission - it will soon die out entirely.
Of the 278 different new car options available in showrooms today, only 82 have a manual gearbox. And the ability to change gear in a new motor will be extinct from 2030
CarGurus, the new and used car marketplace, carried out a market review to crunch the number of new models in dealerships with manuals. Below we reveal which cars from major brands still have one today.
The rise of the manual gearbox was a post-war phenomenon. Most cars available between the 1890s and 1940 were rear-engined with a simple belt-drive, meaning one gear only.
However, from the 1950s it became a common feature, and as years passed it was the norm for new models sold in Britain to have a gear shift.
But it is nearing extinction in 2025, according to CarGurus' report with only 29 per cent of models in showrooms having a manual 'box.
Compared to 2024, available options decreased by 8 per cent, from 89, and are down by a quarter on 2023 volumes, when there were 109 manual transmission models to choose from.
CarGurus says that of all the models from the 31 best-selling manufacturers, 72 per cent are sold with automatic gearboxes only.
And there are seven brands in total that don't sell a single model with a gearstick today.
Land Rover had just one manual new car on sale last year, but that model has been axed in the last 12 months meaning customers can only buy vehicles with automatic gearboxes
Mini is another of the 7 brands that no longer sells a manual transmission car in Britain
Mercedes-Benz also now exclusively sells cars in the UK with automatic gearboxes, killing off the manual gear change in its premium German models
Land Rover and Mini are now entirely auto only - both of them losing their last manual gearbox option in the last 12 months.
Other makers that also don't have manuals includes Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo - as well as EV-only makes, Polestar and Tesla.
Jaguar did not have applicable models for this year's study due to its decision to pause the sale of new cars until its planned 2026 relaunch; however, the brand did not include manual options in 2024.
These figures mark a stark contrast to just a decade ago, when manual gearboxes were by far the more common option.
It's bad news in terms of new car prices too, with an automatic typically around £1,000 pricier than the same model with a manual gearbox.
Below is the full list of 31 mainstream brands and which models they currently sell with a gearstick.
- Audi: 4 - A1, A3, Q2, Q3
- BMW: 3 - 1 Series, 2 Series (Gran Coupe), M2
- Citroen: 6 - Berlingo, C3, C3 Aircross, C4, C4 X, C5 Aircross
- Cupra: 2 - Formentor, Leon
- Dacia: 5 (all) - Duster, Jogger, Sandero Stepway, Sandero, Bigster
- Fiat: 2 - 500, 500C
- Ford: 6 - Focus, Kuga, Mustang, Puma, Ranger, Tourneo
- Honda: 1 - Civic TYPE R
- Hyundai: 5 - Bayon, i10, i20, Kona, Tuscon
- Jaguar*: 0
- Jeep: 1 - Avenger (hybrid)
- Kia: 4 - Ceed, Picanto, Sportage, Xceed
- Land Rover: 0
- Lexus: 0
- Mazda: 5 - CX-30, CX-5, Mazda2, Mazda3, MX-5
- Mercedes-Benz: 0
- MG: 3 - MG3, HS, ZS
- Mini: 0
- Nissan: 2 - Juke, Qashqai
- Peugeot: 2 - 2008, 208
- Polestar: 0
- Porsche: 3 - 911, Boxster, Cayman
- Renault: 2 - Clio, Captur
- Seat: 4 - Arona, Ibiza, Leon, Ateca
- Skoda: 5 - Fabia, Kamiq, Karoq, Octavia, Scala
- Suzuki: 4 - Ignis, S-Cross, Swift, Vitara
- Tesla: 0
- Toyota: 3 - Aygo X, GR Yaris, Hilux
- Vauxhall: 3 - Astra, Corsa, Mokka
- Volkswagen: 7 - Golf, Polo, Taigo, T-Cross, T-Roc, Touran, Transporter
- Volvo: 0
TOTAL: 82
Source: CarGurus
*Jaguar current sells no new cars but had no manual gearbox models in 2024 and will be all-electric in 2026, meaning only automatic transmissions
The 1891 Panhard et Levassor is widely recognised as the first car to have a manual transmission
CarGurus says there has been a 57% decline in the number of new models in showrooms with manual gearboxes between 2015 and 2025 as manufacturers accelerate towards culling the gear stick for good
At the current rate of decline, CarGurus predicts that there will likely be no manual gearbox offerings available on new models by 2037 (based on a rate of seven models a year, the decrease from 2024 to 2025).
However, the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 means manual transmissions are likely to disappear entirely from mainstream showrooms at the end of the decade.
From 2030, only conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric cars will be available from new in dealerships.
Currently, not a single model across these three fuel types have a manual gearbox. This is because an electric drivetrain with instant torque simply requires a single gear.
That said, Hyundai's Ioniq 5 N hot SUV (costing from £65,000) has a 'simulated' manual gearbox using paddleshifts behind the wheel.
Despite having a single-speed gearbox, the N e-shift system replicates the sensation and engine sound of a combustion engine.
It even has a rev counter redlined to 8,000rpm - once you hit this in a gear, it will accelerate no more, as with a conventional manual transmission. Change down the gears and it will simulate the blipping of the throttle.
It's a clever feature design to make EVs more engaging, with Toyota also developing its own simulated manual gearbox.
That said, the mechanical transmission most licence holders have learned to drive in will soon be extinct when new cars transition to electric power.
Supercars and niche models built in low production volumes - think small sports car like Caterhams and Ariels - have also been given a stay of execution from the ban on new petrol and diesel models at the end of the decade.
It means only the super-rich and petrol head enthusiasts will theoretically still be able to buy manual cars after 2030.
However, by 2035 these are also likely to be forced to go electric, almost certainly rendering the gear shift extinct.
Toyota in 2022 filed patents for a 'simulated' manual gearbox for electric cars. Here's how it would work...
The system will mechanically be a single-speed transmission but will limit the amount of power the electric motor can produce - and the speed it can reach - depending on which 'arbitrary virtual' gear is selected
When the driver uses the fake gear stick and clutch to select first, the system will allow for lots of torque but have a low limited top speed in that gear. In sixth, there will be less torque available but will not have a limit on the electric motor speed
Chris Knapman, CarGurus UK editorial director, said: '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 in the 12 months since we last conducted this study.
'Increasingly, an automatic gearbox is no longer a luxury that buyers must pay extra for, but an expected standard feature.
'There is some good news for those who do still value the additional layer of interaction that comes with a manual gearbox, however.
'Drivers can still buy a new car with a truly great gear-change like the Honda Civic Type R and Mazda MX-5.
'Or, of course, they can look to the used market, where manuals are in plentiful supply.'
Just 28% of drivers polled by CarGurus said they will miss the manual gearbox when it is lost forever
Research conducted in 2024 by CarGurus on driver preferences for analogue versus technological features in cars found that only 28 per cent of the 2,000 people surveyed would miss manual gearboxes. The same percentage said they would miss clutch pedals.
This is somewhat surprising, given that a manual gearbox provides more driving engagement and flexibility in terms of the control you have over how a car performs.
But it seems only an older generation of motorists will yearn for a gearstick when they are no long available in new models.
When comparing age groups, those over 65 were most likely to miss manual gearboxes (35 per cent), compared to just a quarter of 18-to-24-year-olds.
A mere 22 per cent of drivers aged 25 to 34 said they will miss manual 'boxes.
These findings underline the decreasing demand for manual transmissions, leading to less customer choice in the new-car market.
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