Just 17 per cent of new cars have a traditional handbrake
Research shows the electronic handbrake continues to become more common.
Less than a fifth of new cars come with a traditional hand-operated handbrake, according to new research.
The decline of the manual handbrake is picking up pace, falling from 30 per cent in 2019 to 24 per cent in 2020, now sitting at 17 per cent in 2021.
The study by online car marketplace CarGurus shows that even smaller models are now making the switch, with the Vauxhall Corsa dropping the manual handbrake in the past year.
Other cars to have made the change include the Seat Leon and BMW 4 Series.
Many major manufacturers, including Volvo, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz no longer have any vehicles on sale with a traditional handbrake.
The only manufacturer to offer a manual handbrake across its range is Abarth.
Car Gurus says the latest drop has come from two factors. The first is that Mitsubishi has stopped selling cars in the UK, removing a few traditional models from the market, while the second will have a much bigger impact – sales of electric vehicles are growing.
So far in 2021, there has been an 86 per cent increase in the number of electric vehicles sold in the UK, while plug-in hybrid vehicles have increased 90 per cent.
Chris Knapman, editor at CarGurus UK, said: “Last year we forecasted the existence of the manual handbrake on new cars only has a few years left, and our latest data causes us no reason to believe otherwise with there being an even greater decline in 2021 than there was between 2020 and 2019.
“The rapid shift towards electric vehicles will only speed up the demise of the manual handbrake, leaving many traditionalists who are looking for the tactile feel and mechanical simplicity of a manual handbrake scratching their heads.
CarGurus has taken a look at the cars on sale today with a manual handbrake and put together a few highlights. In the coupe segment, the Ford Mustang comes highly recommended, while the Mazda MX-5 is a great affordable sports car.
In the supermini segment there’s the Seat Ibiza, or if you’re looking for a large SUV there’s the Toyota Land Cruiser.
