The percentage of American car shoppers who opt for a manual transmission has nearly doubled in just two years.
That sounds impressive, but a little perspective deflates it – the new number is 1.7%.
Researchers from J.D. Power report that 0.9% of buyers chose a stick shift in 2021. About 1.2% did so last year. And, so far in 2023, 1.7% have opted for a third pedal.
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Used car buyers, too, are showing new interest in the stick shift. Wards Auto reports that 2.9% of the cars used car giant CarMax sold last year were manual-equipped. The chain had seen stick sales fall to a low of 2.4% in 2020.
The stick-shift buyer was once a bargain hunter. But that’s not often true today.
“Customers have expressed interest in manual transmission vehicles due to a variety of factors, including nostalgia and throwback culture,” says Mark Collier, CarMax regional vice president and general manager.
Automakers have removed the manual transmission option from many inexpensive cars – even the Toyota Corolla, the affordable, best-selling nameplate in history – no longer offers one. (The more expensive, track-derived GR Corolla does offer a manual.)
Related: Stick Shift Survivors – All the New Manual Transmission Cars Still in Production
But three pedals are still an option on some performance-oriented cars, like the latest Ford Mustang.
The stick shift, for some, is now a fun item. A recent survey sponsored by luxury automaker Cadillac found that interest in learning to drive a manual goes up with income.
Young people deserve some credit for the third pedal’s survival, too. “CarMax says 20-something car buyers are driving the slight resurgence of stick shifts,” Wards reports.
CarMax has also found that parents shopping for teens are driving some of the resurgence. “They find stick shifts appealing because they require the use of both hands, which may serve as a deterrent for texting while driving,” Collier explains.
