Moreover, if you factor in maintenance costs, manual car repairs may also be cheaper. But that could be because of consumer demand – with more choices available the prices will naturally be lower. Are automatic or manual cars cheaper?Ĭurrently, second-hand manual cars are cheaper to buy than used automatic cars. For example, if you need to drive at high speeds (perhaps you are commuting around the M60 or M62), a manual car transmission will likely give you faster speeds.īut if you plan to drive around the streets of Manchester, using an automatic gearbox will mean that you don’t need to worry about constantly shifting gears, which is helpful when sitting in heavy traffic. When you look to buy a used car, you should always think about your likely usage. What is faster - a manual or automatic car?

If drivers have taken out three-year PCP car loans on their automatic vehicles, we can anticipate that next year will see an increasing number of automatic cars entering the used car market. But this could be good news for drivers looking to buy a used car in the next year or two. This could be because motorists are now choosing to invest in electric or hybrid cars, which are exclusively automatic gearboxes. And big car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz are phasing out their manual gearboxes, preferring to focus on automatic transmissions. In fact, in 2020, for the first time, sales of new vehicles with automatic gearboxes outsold sales of new cars with manual transmissions. Are automatic cars becoming more popular in the UK?ĭrivers shouldn’t immediately discount automatic cars because they are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. With the sheer volume of manual cars on the road, it is clear that when it comes to the used car market, drivers have more consumer choice if they are looking for a vehicle with a manual transmission. However, last year over half (54 percent) of new cars sold in Britain were automatic, compared to around 20 percent a decade ago.” Many drivers automatically default to manual cars because we are used to it.Īccording to research by the Department for Transport (as reported by Directline), “Currently, manual cars still account for 70 per cent of the 31.7 million cars on UK’s roads. Let’s take a look at some of the common questions that we are asked about the differences between manual and automatic cars. So, how do you figure out which car is right for you? Similarly, automatic drivers may become flustered at driving a vehicle with a manual transmission.īut the reality is that each transmission type has its own pros and cons, just like choosing between petrol, diesel, or electric models. However, many Manchester motorists have only ever driven cars with manual gearboxes, and the thought of an automatic car could take them way out of their comfort zone. When you are looking to purchase a second-hand car from Dace Motor Group, you may have already decided what type of transmission you are looking for.

Manual vs automatic uk