87% of new cars in the UK don’t have a manual handbrake
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Recent data shows that just 13% of new cars available to UK buyers come with a traditional manual handbrake.
There has been a near 20% drop in the classic car feature since 2019 as almost 9 in 10 new cars sold in the UK today come without the manual handbrake.
CarGurus’ Manual Handbrake Report highlights how vehicle manufacturers are swiftly making the transition to the electronic handbrake. In 2018 37% of new cars came with a manual handbrake which dropped to 30% in 2019, 20% in 2020, 17% in 2021 and now 13% in 2022.
The steady decline also coincides with the rise in electric vehicles as manufacturers shuffle their line-ups to include more environmentally friendly electrified cars.
Many carmakers have even scrapped the manual handbrake altogether. BMW and Peugeot are both examples of brands that have opted for the electronic handbrake to appear on all of their new cars over the past year.
Abarth remains the only manufacturer to offer a manual handbrake across its entire line-up.
CarGurus editor, Chris Knapman, commented: “The fifth instalment of our Manual Handbrake Report shows the number of new models featuring a traditional handbrake has continued to fall.
“The discontinuation of some well-known models, along with the increasing prevalence of EVs, has contributed to the 4% drop over the last 12 months.
“Since 2018, we have seen a fall of 24% in the number of new cars being fitted with a manual handbrake. It was always likely that the expected 2030 ban in sales of new petrol and diesel cars would spell the end of the manual handbrake – the question now is whether it can even last until then.”