Manual Cars Account for Just 8% of UK New-Car Enquiries as Automatic Demand Dominates

Manual cars accounted for just 8% of new-car enquiries on the Carwow platform during the first half of 2026, down from 14% in the same period last year.

The latest figure marks a further decline from the 21% share recorded during the first half of 2024, highlighting the continuing shift in demand towards automatic vehicles.

Carwow’s figures measure enquiries made through its platform rather than total UK new-car registrations. They nevertheless provide an indication of the transmission preferences of consumers actively researching new vehicles.

Manual gearboxes also appeared in 11% of vehicle configurations on the platform during the first half of 2026. That was down from 14% of configurations in the first half of 2025.

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The figures are particularly relevant as the UK market moves towards electric vehicles. Battery-electric cars generally use single-speed drivetrains and require no manual gear changes, so the growth of EVs is contributing to the declining demand for traditional manual transmissions, meaning the growth of electric vehicles is closely linked to the declining availability and demand for manual cars.

Manual cars now represent less than one in 12 new-car enquiries recorded by Carwow. The share has fallen by 13 percentage points since the first half of 2024, while automatic vehicles have become the dominant choice among users researching new cars on the platform.

The data does not represent the full UK market, but shows how quickly manual gearboxes are losing ground in new-car consideration. For motorists choosing a new vehicle, automatic transmission is increasingly the standard configuration rather than an alternative to a manual gearbox.

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