The manual is dying—at least, that’s what we’ve heard. The numbers, though, aren’t nearly as dire as you might think. While a handful of companies did ditch manual offerings in 2025, some of the ones that kept their old-school shifter alive actually saw sales increase compared to previous years.
Acura saw a jump. Cadillac watched its manual sales climb slightly. Even Pagani Utopia buyers opted for the manual more than they did in previous years.
In what has become sort of an annual tradition here at Motor1 (you can read the previous lists at the bottom of this story), we reached out to every automaker that still sells manual-transmission cars in the US to see how many customers opted for old-school shifters this past year. Here’s what we learned.
Acura
- Integra: 22%
The Integra remains one of the only luxury subcompacts in the US with a manual transmission. Both the standard Integra and the sporty Type S model have a three-pedal configuration; it’s optional on the base version but standard on the Type S.
What’s interesting is that the take rate for the manual actually went up this year—from 19.8 percent in 2024 to 22.0 percent in 2025. That includes sales for both the standard Integra and the Type S.
BMW
- M2: ~40%
- M3: ~50%
- M4: ~33%
- Z4: ~50%
BMW still offers four cars with a manual transmission—and nearly all of them are M models. The M2, M3, and M4 can still be had with a manual, as can the Z4 M40i Edition Handschalter Package. That is, until the convertible disappears from the lineup next year.
The M2 and Z4 account for most of BMW’s manual transmission sales by percentage, making up around 40 percent and 50 percent, respectively. The numbers for the M3 and M4 aren't as black and white.
According to BMW, around 6 to 10 percent of total M3 and M4 buyers opted for the manual. But those figures take into account automatic-only models like the Competition, Competition xDrive, and M4 Convertible Competition xDrive models. Looking purely at RWD models available with a manual option, nearly a third of M4 buyers—around 33 percent—opted for the manual, while nearly half of M3 buyers went with the stick. Those numbers are down slightly across the board compared to 2024.
Cadillac
- CT4 V-Blackwing: 61%
- CT5 V-Blackwing: 48%
Would you believe that Cadillac is the only brand in the General Motors portfolio that still offers a manual transmission in the US? Sad but true. The CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing are two of the rowdiest performance sedans on the market, and a large faction of buyers still prefer getting them with the manual.
In the case of the CT4-V BW, over 60 percent of customers opted for the six-speed manual over the 10-speed automatic transmission. Numbers for the CT5-V BW were slightly lower, but still nearly half of buyers opted for the manual regardless. Those numbers are way up for the CT4-V BW compared to last year (around 50 percent), while they remain about the same for the CT5-V BW.
Ford
- Bronco: Not Provided
- Mustang: Not Provided
Just like the last two years, Ford wouldn’t respond to our request for manual take rate figures. Sad! The company still offers a manual on the four-cylinder Bronco, the Mustang GT, and the Dark Horse. Like some other trucks and SUVs on this list, we can’t imagine that many buyers are opting for a manual Bronco these days. But as the only muscle car in America still available with a six-speed—why would you ever buy an automatic Mustang?
Honda
- Civic Si / Type R: 6%
Honda killed the manual in the base Civic Hatchback for 2025. Rest in peace. That probably explains the slight drop from 7.2 percent last year to just 6 percent this year, with the Si and Type R being the only Civics in the lineup still available with a manual transmission.
Of course, it should be noted that the Civic Si and Type R are only available with a manual transmission, which means if you don’t include the base Civic in these numbers (which no longer offers a manual anyway), take rates for those two models would be… well, 100 percent.
Hyundai
- Elantra N: ~25%
Similar to the Civic, the only manual that Hyundai still offers is on its sportiest model: the Elantra N. For the Elantra N specifically, Hyundai says manual take rates are just around 25 percent—down slightly from the 30 percent last year. That 25-percent take rate is specifically for the Elantra N and does take the standard Elantra into account, which isn’t available with a manual anyway.
Jeep
- Wrangler: Not Provided
Unfortunately, Jeep wouldn’t provide us with take rates for the manual Wrangler. We’d have to imagine that percentages are extremely low, given that the majority of customers probably don’t know it exists, and that dealers likely aren’t even stocking them. But hey, the fact that Jeep still offers a manual Wrangler is a win in our book.
Lotus
- Emira: 88%
No surprise here that the Emira has one of the highest manual take rates of any car on this list. That number is even up two percent compared to last year. The supercharged V6 model likely makes up the brunt of Emira sales, which comes exclusively with the manual. The four-cylinder Emira, meanwhile, is available with an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox—and it’s pretty good—but Lotus buyers still clearly want the old do-it-yourself shifter.
Mazda
- Mazda3: Not Provided
- MX-5 Miata: ~70%
Mazda Miata buyers still want a manual; that much is clear. Customers chose the six-speed at a clip of around 70 percent. That number was around 60 percent in 2023. If you really want the automatic (for whatever reason), you will have to shell out an extra $4,000 for the Grand Touring model, which probably dissuades some buyers.
On the flip side, while Mazda still offers a manual option on its Mazda3 Premium Hatchback, the company admits that "most Mazda3 buyers select the automatic." The company didn’t provide an exact figure. Still, it’s one of the only hatchbacks in America that still has a manual—take that, GTI.
Nissan
- Z: 46.1%
With the manual Versa dead and gone (RIP), the only manual remaining in the Nissan lineup is the Z sports car. That said, the company did recently announce the arrival of the Z Nimso with a manual, which is great news. Take rates for the standard Z, meanwhile, were 46.1 percent in 2025. That’s one of the higher percentages of any car on this list, with nearly half of all Z buyers opting for the do-it-yourself shifter.
Pagani
- Utopia: 75%
The Pagani Utopia is the Italian supercar maker’s first series production model with a manual transmission since the original Zonda, which debuted more than 25 years ago. It appears, though, that Pagani buyers still crave the old-school shifter, with 75 percent of Utopia coupe and convertible customers opting for the manual. That number is up slightly from the 70 percent that the company quoted back in 2024.
Porsche
- 718 Boxster / Cayman: 46%
- 911: 83%
- 911 GT3: 53%
- 911 GT3 Touring: 83%
Porsche buyers want manuals. Shocking. Of the 718 Boxster and Cayman models available with a manual (so, not the RS, for example), buyers opted for the six-speed shifter 46 percent of the time. If we’re also including auto-only models in that figure, that number drops to 33 percent.
For the 911, a whopping 83 percent of customers went for the manual on models where it was available. That number drops to 15 percent when you include auto-only trims, of which Porsche sells a surprising amount.
At the top of the lineup, 911 GT3 and GT3 Touring buyers opted for the manual 53 and 83 percent of the time, respectively. No surprise that GT3 buyers preferred the stick—especially those Touring customers who really want an undercover performance car.
Subaru
- BRZ: 90%
- WRX: 85%
Even though sales of the BRZ and WRX were way down in 2025, take rates for the manual models remained steady. A healthy 90 percent of BRZ buyers opted for the manual this past year, compared to just 77.8 percent last year. Meanwhile, 85 percent of WRX buyers chose the manual in 2025, a slight decrease from the 86.7 percent of buyers who did last year.
Toyota
- GR86: 52%
- GR Corolla: 71%
- GR Supra: 56%
- Tacoma: ~1%
Believe it or not, Toyota has four vehicles in its lineup with a manual transmission: the GR86, the GR Corolla, the GR Supra, and, of course, the Tacoma. The GR Corolla tops the list with an impressive take rate of 71 percent. With the recent arrival of the automatic version, that number is down compared to last year—but it’s still higher than most other vehicles on this list.
The manual GR Supra has a 56 percent take rate in its final year, while the GR86 holds steady with a 52 percent take rate. Naturally, the manual Tacoma is a pretty niche model with just over 1 percent of buyers opting for the stick—but hey, we’re glad it exists.
Volkswagen
- Jetta GLI: 44.9%
Volkswagen only has one manual left in its lineup, believe it or not: the Jetta GLI. Sadly, the GTI and Golf R are only available with an automatic. Either way, GLI buyers opted for the manual at a rate of 44.9 percent in 2025—a solid number for an oft-forgotten but underrated performance car.
Motor1's Take: With the manual transmission largely disappearing in vehicles worldwide, especially non-performance cars, it’s nice to see take rates for some manual models actually increasing in the past year. The Integra saw a healthy bump, the BRZ rose significantly, and the Z was higher than expected.
Of course, many of these cars aren’t moving in huge numbers. But the fact that buyers are still willing to pony up for a stick shift proves that the manual transmission is far from dead. Here’s to more manuals in 2026.
