Earlier this week, a story emerged that in 2024, over a quarter of UK driving tests were taken with a view to getting an automatic-only licence, a figure that’s only going up – in fact, the AA reckons that by next year, the number could be as many as one in three.
It’s a sad trend for those of us who love driving, but not a surprising one – with automatic gearboxes getting ever better, and EVs and hybrids becoming more prevalent, manuals are slowly disappearing from new cars, and so fewer and fewer people are bothering to learn to use them. Which got us thinking – how many new cars in the UK can you actually still buy with three pedals? We’ve combed through every manufacturer’s current ranges to find out, and unsurprisingly, it’s a mix of little hatchbacks and crossovers and enthusiast-focused performance cars.
We’re keeping this to relatively mass-market companies – obviously, cottage industry concerns like Caterham and Ariel still sell nearly exclusively manual cars. We’re staying away from vans and pickups – anything that’s technically a commercial vehicle rather than a car.
Audi
Audi A1
Audi’s three smallest models, the A1, A3 and Q2, still come with a manual in conjunction with their petrol engines. For the little A1, it’s even a very old-school five-speeder when hooked to the base 94bhp engine. The A1 and Q2 are soon set to die without direct replacements, though, which will see the number dropped to one.
BMW
BMW Z4 Handschalter
Once a stronghold of the manual gearbox, BMW now only offers it in two performance cars in Britain – the M2 and, following the introduction of the Handschalter pack last year, the Z4 M40i. It’s highly likely that these will be the two final Beemers to get three pedals, as the company’s said it plans to fit all its future M cars with automatics. Other markets can still get a base model RWD M3 and M4 with a manual, too, but in Britain, we only get them with AWD and an automatic.
Citroen
Citroen C3
As a champion of affordability, it’s no surprise that Citroen still offers a couple of budget-conscious three-pedal options. The C3 and C3 Aircross are both offered with one, and it’s recently confirmed that it’ll reintroduce combustion versions of the currently EV-only van-with-windows Berlingo with manual gearboxes too.
Cupra
Cupra Leon
Sporty Seat spinoff Cupra will still sell you the basic 148bhp versions of the Leon hatch and Formentor crossover with a manual. For any of the brand’s hotter offerings, though, you’re looking at auto-only.
Dacia
Dacia Duster
As perhaps the most budget-friendly brand out there, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that all of Dacia’s combustion-powered models – the Sandero, Jogger, Duster and Bigster – all come with standard manuals with at least one of their powertrains. Only the little Spring bucks the trend in its range, and that’s because it’s EV only.
Fiat
Fiat 500 Hybrid
At the very moment we’re writing this, Fiat, rather surprisingly, doesn’t sell any manual cars in the UK. However, it’s soon introducing the new 500 Hybrid, which does have a good old-fashioned three-pedal. In mainland Europe, you can also get the new Grande Panda in pure petrol manual form, but that version’s not coming to Britain for now.
Ford
Ford Mustang
Ford, refreshingly, has rather kept the faith in the manual gearbox. The Puma, Kuga, Focus, Tourneo Courier and Tourneo Custom all offer them with their base powertrains, although the Focus is soon set to die without a direct replacement. The manual Ford that interests us most, though, is the Mustang, the only car left in Britain – and the world, as far as we can work out – offering the combination of three pedals and eight cylinders.
Honda
Honda Civic Type R
Technically, you can still buy a Honda Civic Type R, complete with one of the best manual shifts in the business, in the UK, but that won’t be the case for much longer at all. Once it’s gone, it’ll leave Honda’s UK range as hybrid and EV only, with not a manual in sight. Sad face.
Hyundai
Hyundai i20
Somewhat impressively, all of Hyundai’s current pure petrol or mild hybrid cars – the i10, i20, i30, Bayon, Kona and Tucson – still come with a manual as standard. Nice work, Hyundai – just a shame the brilliant i20 and i30 N hot hatches are no more.
Jeep
Jeep Avenger
Jeep will currently sell you a single manual, and unfortunately, it’s not the otherwise ultra-analogue Wrangler. Instead, it’s the basic 99bhp, front-wheel drive petrol version of the little Avenger.
KGM
KGM Korando
We’ll be honest, we weren’t 100 per cent on top of the cars KGM – formerly Ssangyong – is selling in Britain right now. Turns out, though, that two of them – the Tivoli and the Korando – can be had with manuals. The more you know.
Kia
Kia Picanto
As with its sibling brand Hyundai, a number of Kia’s petrol or mild hybrid models – the Picanto, Stonic, XCeed and Sportage – all still offer manuals. It’s also just confirmed UK sales of the funky looking K4 hatch, which will get three pedals in its basic 113bhp guise.
Lotus
Lotus Emira
There was a time when a manual gearbox in a Lotus was a given, but as the company shifts towards making high-performance EVs and hybrids, it’s only the mid-engined Emira sports car that keeps the faith with three pedals – and only with the 3.5-litre supercharged V6. Opt for the 2.0-litre turbo four-pot instead, and it’s a DCT for you, my friend.
Mazda
Mazda MX-5 RF
Ah, Mazda, a company we can always rely on to throw a bit of enthusiast appeal at otherwise fairly pedestrian cars. The 3 and CX-30 both offer manuals, as does the CX-5, but that’s soon to be replaced by a new auto-only model. But of course, the ultimate Mazda manual champion is the evergreen MX-5 roadster, something the company has confirmed will continue into its next generation. We have a feeling the three-pedal MX-5 won’t be going down without a fight.
MG
MG3
Opt for the basic, non-hybrid versions of the MG3 supermini or ZS crossover, and you get an old-school five-speed manual to play with. The bigger HS, meanwhile, gains a turbo and a sixth gear in its petrol-only form.
Nissan
Nissan Juke and Qashqai
Nissan may still be outwardly committed to only introducing EVs in Europe from now on, but a couple of its models, the Juke and Qashqai, can still be bought in petrol manual form. Obviously, other markets get the Z sports car, complete with three pedals, but it’s not sold in Britain. And yes, we’re still bitter about it.
Peugeot
Peugeot 208
Peugeot still offers the petrol versions of its smallest hatch and crossover, the 208 and 2008, with a manual. Everything else the company currently sells, though, is auto-only.
Porsche
Porsche 911 GT3 Touring and GT3
It seems odd to type, but with the end of UK sales of the 718, only a single Porsche model is available with a manual. It is, of course, the 911. Even then, as of the 992 facelift, only two of its many, many variants offer three-pedals – a manual is the sole choice for the Carrera T, and a no-cost option on the GT3.
Renault
Renault Clio
Renault’s two littlest petrol cars, the Clio and Captur, both come with a manual hooked to their base 89bhp engines. The newly-revealed next-gen Clio will come with a stick too, although we’ll have to wait until 2027 to get our hands on it in Britain.
Seat
Seat Ibiza
Seat’s in a rather strange place right now, having been left to wither a little as all of parent company VW’s efforts have been focused on spin-off brand Cupra. The upside of that is that its entire ageing range of cars – the Ibiza, Arona, Leon and Ateca – all come with standard manuals. Some life is finally being breathed back into the brand, though, with facelifts for the Ibiza and Arona coming soon – whether they’ll retain their three-pedal options remains to be seen.
Skoda
Skoda Fabia
The ever-sensible, budget-conscious Skoda unsurprisingly still offers three pedals in several of its smaller cars – the Fabia, Scala, Octavia, Kamiq and Karoq. You can forget about a manual Octavia vRS, though – that’s no longer a thing, sadly.
Suzuki
Suzuki Swift
Another company where it’s not all that surprising to see the manual alive and well, small car specialist Suzuki offers a stick in the Swift, S-Cross and Vitara.
Toyota
Toyota GR Yaris
Toyota’s manuals are currently in a bit of sales limbo. The GR Yaris, our 2024 car of the year, currently isn’t available to order in Britain, although we’re expecting it to make a return at some point, as well as being joined by its bigger sibling, the GR Corolla, when UK production of that car starts next year. The GR86 and GR Supra, meanwhile, are no longer available to order here. Away from the performance stuff, the little Aygo X has a standard manual, but that won’t be the case for much longer, as it’s being replaced by a full hybrid version.
Vauxhall
Vauxhall Astra
Ever the mass-market player, Vauxhall will still sell you a Corsa, a Mokka or an Astra with a manual.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen Golf
You’ve still got a fairly healthy amount of choice if you want a manual Volkswagen: the Polo, Golf, Taigo, T-Cross and T-Roc all still offer three pedals in one form or another, although that won’t be the case much longer for the T-Roc, as an auto-only second-gen is coming soon. The manual VW hot hatch is dead and gone, too – the Polo GTI, as well as all versions of the Golf GTI and R, are now auto-only. Boooo.
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