The CarGurus Manual Handbrake Report 2024

by Chris Knapman

Only 8% of new cars on sale today can be ordered with a manual handbrake, as the demise of this once-standard feature continues. In fact, of the 42 new cars launched in 2024, only one - the Dacia Spring - is offered to customers with the option of a manually operated handbrake.

Taking over from the once-ubiquitous (and joyously simply in nature) manual handbrake is an electronically operated parking brake, which is now standard equipment on 538 of the 587 new models currently on sale.

This research, carried out by CarGurus, is part of an annual audit of the new car market that focuses on the availablity of manual handbrakes. In 2023 it found that only 9% of models available to buy new were equipped with this once-standard feature, and that this has fallen further again in 2024 to just 8% (or 49 of the 587 new cars available to buy). Furthermore, there has not been a major manufacturer to offer only a manual handbrake across its entire range of vehicles since 2022, when Abarth adopted an electronic parking brake for its then-new 500e electric hot hatch.

The CarGurus Manual Handbrake Report

Car manual handbrake

Background to the Manual Handbrake Report

CarGurus UK has been monitoring the prevalence of the traditional manual handbrake in new car price lists since 2018. In the first iteration of our Manual Handbrake Report, the once-standard feature was already on the decline, and appeared in just 37% of new cars. While several car-markers including BMW, Hyundai and Renault continued to offer manual handbrakes on many of their cars, others such as Jaguar, Audi and Mercedes had already moved the entirety of their product offerings to electronic parking brakes.

By 2019 the number of new cars available with a manual handbrake had fallen to 30%, and a year after that it was down to 24%, with newer versions of cars including the BMW 1 Series and Peugeot 208 making the switch to electronic parking brakes. Over a two-year period from 2019 to 2021, the number of new BMWs offered with a manual handbrake fell from 14 to 3.

Fast forward to 2021 and less than a fifth (17%) of new cars featured manual handbrakes, with the sharp drop partly attributable to Mitsubishi’s withdrawal from the UK market, which in itself removed four models. Added to that was the introduction of new versions of popular cars including the Vauxhall Corsa and Seat Leon which now came with electronic parking brakes, and the increasing number of electric cars on sale, all of which came with electronic parking brakes as standard.

In 2022, CarGurus UK’s study into the availability of manual handbrakes in the new car market revealed that only 13% of models were available with this feature. Vehicles with manual handbrakes to have fallen from sales lists included the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 city cars, the Nisan Micra supermini and the BMW X1 crossover.

As mentioned in the introduction, by the time the 2023 CarGurus UK Manual Handbrake Report was launched, only 9% of new cars were available with this feature. Cars that in 2023 ceased to be available with manual handbrakes included the Hyundai i30 and Kona Electric, the Renault Clio, and the Toyota Proace Verso.

Which brings us to 2024, when our study shows there has been a further decline in new cars equipped with a manual handbrake. While the drop from 9% to 8% is more modest than in previous years, it still means that another five new cars with manual handbrakes have left the UK market, including the Fiat Tipo Cross, Volkswagen Up and Vauxhall Crossland.

Among the brands still to offer a manual handbrake on selected models are Audi (A1 Sportback), Dacia (Spring, Jogger, Duster and Sandero), Jeep (Wrangler), Kia (Picanto and Stonic), and Seat (Ibiza and Arona).

Number of New Cars with Manual Handbrakes By Brand

2024 manual handbrake by brand

What are the Benefits of a Manual Handbrake?

Although manual handbrakes are becoming increasingly rare, they are still preferred by some drivers for their simplicity and mechanical feel. Technologically simple they might be, but the manual handbrake does have some benefits, including:

  • Typically lower repair costs if it goes wrong
  • A more tactile feel
  • More control of the car once mastered

Nissan Qashqi Electronic parking brake

What are the Benefits of an Electronic Parking Brake?

Once considered a luxury feature, the electronic parking brake is increasingly becoming the norm. It has several benefits over a manual handbrake, including:

  • It requires less physical effort to operate (most will disengage automatically when you pull away, and engage automatically when you switch off the car)
  • It doesn’t need adjusting over time like a traditional manual handbrake
  • It enables a hill hold function to stop the car from rolling backwards when conducting a hill start
  • It helps to declutter a car’s interior because it takes up less space than a manual handbrake

Number of New Cars with Manual Handbrakes vs Total New Models On Sale

Manual handbrake chart 2024

What’s Does the Future Hold for the Manual Handbrake?

Our research over the past seven years suggests that the days of the manual handbrake are numbered. Within the coming years we predict a continued decline in cars available to buy new with this once-standard feature. The manual handbrake's demise is likely to be accelerated with the growth in electric vehicles being offered, all of which bar the Dacia Spring use electronic parking brakes. With the impending 2035 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars we can expect that date to mark the end of the traditional manual handbrake.

That said, while the manual handbrake may soon be a thing of the past in brand-new cars, its demise might see some buyers dip into the used car market for some automotive nostalgia.

Every New Car Model Available With a Manual Handbrake

Abarth: 595, 695
Audi: A1 Sportback
Citroën: C3, C3 Aircross, Ami
Dacia: Duster, Spring, Sandero, Sandero Stepway
Fiat: 500, 500C, Panda, Panda Cross
Ford: Puma, Puma ST, Mustang
Hyundai: i10, i20, i20N, i30N, Bayon
Jeep: Wrangler
Kia: Picanto, Stonic
Mazda: Mazda2, Mazda MX-5, MX5-RF
MG: MG3
MINI: MINI Convertible
Renault: Traffic Passenger
Seat: Ibiza, Arona
Škoda: Fabia, Scala, Kamiq
SsangYong: Tivoli, Musso
Suzuki: Ignis, Swift, S-Cross, Vitara
Toyota: Aygo X, Toyota GR Yaris, Hilux
Volkswagen: Polo, Polo GTI, T-Cross, Taigo

FAQs:

What does a handbrake do?
Both the traditional manually-operated handbrake and electronic parking brake serve the same purpose of keeping the vehicle stationary, either when parked or waiting in traffic.

How does a manually-operated handbrake work?
A lever-operated manual handbrake might seem much more basic in comparison to its electronic equivalent, but the principle of how it works is the same in that it clamps the brakes on a car’s rear wheels to prevent them from moving. This is achieved via a piston within the brake caliper that pushes a brake pad on to the brake disc (or drum). In a car with a manual handbrake the piston is operated via a physical cable that runs from the rear brakes to the handbrake lever. As the brake pads wear and the handbrake cable stretches, a manual parking brake might need to be adjusted to maintain its full effectiveness.

How does an electronic parking brake work?
With an electronic parking brake the piston that clamps the brake disc is operated via a switch that replaces the traditional mechanical lever. This switch electronically activates (no cables required) a pair of small motors which causes the rear brake pads to move and either clamp or release the brakes. Due to the way it works, an electronic parking brake self adjusts and so requires less maintenance. However, it uses more costly parts than a manual handbrake, and is also therefore potentially more expensive to repair in the event it goes wrong.

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Having previously written for The Daily Telegraph, What Car?, Auto Express and others, Chris Knapman now oversees the editorial content at CarGurus, covering buying guides and advice, car reviews, motoring news and more.

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