Question of the week: Will all cars eventually have automatic gearboxes?

David Ross, Editor
Fri, 28 Feb 2025

Dear Honest John,

"I've been looking at new cars and a lot of them seem to be automatic only. Will all cars eventually be automatic? Why can't I have a manual?"

 - AP

Dear AP,

Your eyes are not deceiving you - most new cars are automatic.

Official new car registration figures for 2024 show that 62% of new cars were automatic, with only 38% fitted with a manual transmission.

This is in part due to the increasing popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles, which almost universally use an automatic gearbox. This is because an automatic can seamlessly blend the twin power outputs of a combustion engine and an electric motor in a hybrid, as well as provide the seamless acceleration that is a big plus of the EV driving experience.

Generally speaking manual gearboxes are cheaper to produce than automatics, as the former has fewer components and doesn't need electronics to govern its operation. It's why most small cars come with manual gearboxes.

However, economies of scale also play a part. If the majority of a manufacturer's models use an auto, the production of a manual gearbox for a handful of variants makes less sense.

There is also the argument that manual gearboxes are something of an anachronism in modern driving. Of course if you are a driving enthusiast then there is satisfaction to be had from a cleanly-hooked gearchange, but for how much of a typical journey is manually shifting just more effort than an auto?

There will still be manual gearboxes for some time though. Sports car manufacturers - those still using combustion engines at least - are more likely to offer drivers the choice of a manual, and Toyota is working on a manual gearbox that will work with forthcoming electric vehicles, although it remains to be seen how popular an option this will be.

And don't forget that the majority of the 33 million cars already on the UK's roads are manual.

But the reality is that in the next decade or so, manual gearboxes will likely become the preserve of specialist and low volume cars.

Ask HJ

Should I hold my CVT gearbox on the brake?

Having replaced the earlier model we now have a Jazz CVT which does twice the mpg on narrow hilly Cornish lanes. I drive as economically as I can but wonder what happens when I hold the car on the brake at traffic lights. There seems to still be energy applied from the transmissions and as soon as the brake and it is pulling as the brake is released. So my question is should be held on the brake, Does this involve wear and battery usage? How long should I hold on the brake rather than moving top P which means a delay before getting away?

CVTs operate slightly differently to torque converter automatics. Typically they do not 'creep' - that is move forward when you release the footbrake and the gearbox is in Drive, but some manufacturers have engineered in this feature so they are more similar to conventional automatics in how they drive. There is a very small degree of wasted energy and potential wear if you hold the car on the footbrake and in Drive, but unless you do this for extended periods on every journey it will not cause problems. You should hold the car on the footbrake in the same way that you would with a manual gearbox - for momentary stops. If you are going to be stationary for more than a few seconds you should engage the handbrake and ideally shift into Park so that the gearbox is locked. This is the safer option as it stops the wheels turning should you be hit by another car, and also means you can release the footbrake to avoid dazzling drivers behind you - this is explained in Rule 114 of the Highway Code. Although this means the potential for a short delay when pulling away, good anticipation and practice will allow you to shift from Park efficiently - you also have the option of shifting to Neutral and using the handbrake, which means a shorter shift into Drive.

Answered by David Ross

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