In car sales terms, the automatic gearbox is king. Last year four in five cars (78 per cent) left UK showrooms with a self-shifting transmission. It’s a dramatic fall from grace for the traditional manual gearbox: sales of cars with clutch pedals were only overtaken by autos in 2020.
What’s more, AA Driving School figures show that in 2024 one in five new drivers chose to take their test in an automatic. This was nearly double the number from five years previously.
Red Driver Training’s chief executive Seb Goldin added: “We’ve seen a marked increase in automatic-only drivers taking the test, typically in urban areas.”
There are multiple reasons for the shift towards autos. For a start, manufacturers are increasingly following customer demand for autos and not offering manual gearboxes on some or even all of their models. Automatics are becoming more affordable and more widely available, too. And the default transmission for electric vehicles is effectively an automatic.
But despite the manual gearbox seemingly having had its day, drivers are still divided on its benefits. Here we look at the case for and against changing gear yourself.
Manual pros
Driving enthusiasts love them
Driver coach Ivan Thompsett from Total Car Control is a fan: “A manual gear change is so much more fun. On a good, open and flowing road, an auto is never as engaging, as stirring, as a manual gear stick.
“Get a good manual in the right car on a good road and you’ll struggle to find a more satisfying driving experience.”
They are great for performance cars
Andreas Preuninger, the head of Porsche’s GT division, says: “For me personally, it has always been super important to have a manual gearbox. A manual gearbox is lighter, which helps with fuel efficiency and reduces emissions.
“It also allows for more horsepower because the internal resistance is significantly lower than in a PDK [semi-automatic] transmission.”
They are cheaper to buy
The big-selling Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Turbo with a manual gearbox is £21,555; the same car with an auto costs £23,285. Manual technology has been around for years and manufacturers have been able to spread the development costs over time and vehicles.
In addition, manuals are less complex: the driver changes gear by pressing the clutch pedal and moving the lever rather than relying on electronics or twin clutches, now featured on many autos, for controlling and ensuring seamless changes.
Learning to drive is cheaper than with an auto
Although being taught with a manual will give you a more versatile driving licence, it will also cost less than qualifying for an automatic-only licence. Driving schools charge a premium for automatic-only lessons.
Seb Goldin, the chief executive of Red Driver Training, explains: “On average, a lesson costs £35 an hour and we’ll charge £5 more for lessons in an automatic. This reflects the additional cost of a vehicle with an automatic gearbox.”
Cheaper insurance for manuals than autos
Admiral insurance says: “Automatics can be more expensive to insure due to higher claims costs, while automatic gearboxes cost more to replace than a manual.
“The Admiral pricing team did some research by looking at the average premium for both automatics and manual cars. Interestingly, we found the average premium was 5.63 per cent higher for automatic cars.”
Stops drivers becoming lazy
With a manual gearbox, you have no choice but to engage with the car. Driver coach Thompsett reveals: “So many cars now do so much that drivers become lazy. People don’t drive any more. They travel.
“A manual gearbox makes people think about their driving. That might make them safer than someone who is completely switched off.”
Manual cons
It’s easier to design cars for automatics
Now car makers have worked out that they can replace the clunky old gear lever with little more than a switch, it has given designers greater freedom. Matthias Hossann, Peugeot’s head of design, told us: “With a gear lever, a lot of the cockpit environment was occupied. Now we can think about how we can re-engineer a new experience for our customers. We can provide places to rest your arm and storage.
“It opens up many interesting options regarding the touch and feel of the car.”
Clutch control can be a turn-off
With the increasing number of auto-only EVs around, young drivers are increasingly viewing changing gear as irrelevant. “I think the only barrier to larger scale take-up of automatics has been, and is, cost,” said Red Driver Training’s Goldin.
“I think it will be a while until the second-hand market for accessible small automatics catches up with manuals. But it will happen. And when it does, even more young drivers will go auto only.”
They can feel a bit clunky in traffic
No matter how much drivers love the experience of manuals, it’s a reality in this country that everyone spends some time in stop-start traffic. And constantly pushing in the clutch pedal in stop-start traffic can become rather tedious.
With an automatic, on the other hand, you’re simply dabbing the accelerator and brake to creep forward at a snail’s pace.
Automatics are more fuel efficient
On the face of it, manual transmissions are more efficient. For example, the Volkswagen Polo 1.0 95PS with a five-speed manual gearbox returns 55.3mpg, the identical car with a seven-speed automatic gives 53.1mpg. The auto Vauxhall Corsa is thirstier than the manual model, too. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Volkswagen’s Trevor Rickwood explains: “Small manual cars can offer better fuel economy when driven in the best possible way – and the official numbers quoted are always ‘best case scenario’ – but few people use manual gears in the perfect way.
“While official figures are correct in saying that manual cars such as the Polo 1.0 are more fuel efficient than their automatic counterparts, an automatic gearbox is still usually the most economical choice for most drivers.”
Verdict
Although the manual gearbox has a lot going for it, the automatic has one great benefit: convenience. And, as the statistics suggest, for most drivers, that’s key.
How do you rate the manual gearbox? Let us know your view.
Comments