Nobody will be driving manual cars in 10 years as motorists shun gearsticks for automatics
Era of changing gear could be coming to an end as drivers opt for electric cars and hybrids with automatic gearboxes
MANUAL cars could disappear from UK roads within 10 years as motorists ditch the gearstick for automatics.
The art of clutch control could be lost thanks to the rise in popularity of hybrid and electric models that only come with auto gearboxes.
Driverless cars won't feature manual gears either meaning learners might never stall embarrassingly at the lights or have to battle with the dreaded hill start again.
And Brit buyers are already moving towards automatics for improved fuel economy, according to the latest industry data.
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal demand for autos is outstripping the rest of the market by three times.
And last year, more than 600,000 automatics were registered, up 50 per cent from 2013.
Mike Best, from leasing site ContractHireandLeasing.com, said if current trends continue manuals could be extinct in the next decade.
He said: "New automatic transmissions are extremely intelligent. It’s now common to see seven and even nine-speed automatic transmissions.
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"They enable smooth, efficient driving at low revs, therefore burning far less fuel and reducing emissions.
"Manuals often create bad driving habits such as over-revving, riding the clutch and using the wrong gear. These are things that cause wear-and-tear, as well as increase fuel consumption and emissions."
Philip Nothard, retail and consumer specialist at CAP HPI, said running costs over three years for popular models like the Ford Focus, Nissan Qashqai and BMW 5 Series were now fairly equal regardless of transmission.
He told The Sun Online: "Automatics are becoming a lot more acceptable in the consumer world - it's no longer a clunky auto box.
"Running costs are negligible and depreciation is better for automatics. Manuals are only really for petrolheads who like to drive the car but the roads are so busy now that it's easy to have an auto."
High-end manufacturers such as Ferrari and Porsche have been phasing out the manual option for years, but now more mainstream manufacturers are ditching the stick because of reduced demand.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said UK drivers were still "doggedly devoted" to traditional stick-shift as just seven per cent of the 1.5million driving tests taken last year were in automatics.
But he added: "Traditionally the automatic was regarded as more expensive to buy and thirstier to run, but the technology has improved massively in recent years to the point where it can actually offer better fuel economy than the manual alternative.
"Interestingly, many automatics give the driver the option of switching between automatic and manual control at the flick of a switch, which might well be the way autonomous driving systems get introduced in the fairly near future."