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There was a time when manual cars had just a couple of gears, but these days most manual cars have five or six gears.
You’ll usually find five gears on smaller, less powerful models like city cars and compact hatchbacks. That said, six gears have become more commonplace in recent years, with that sixth gear being ideal for helping boost efficiency at higher speeds.
Some new manual cars, however, even have as many as seven gears. These are rare, however, with only sports cars typically having them – including the Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage and Chevrolet Corvette.
The maintenance required on manual gearboxes very much depends on the car’s usage and its mileage. On cars that do a lot of stop-start driving, clutches can wear out quickly, and if you can feel the clutch slipping when driving a car, it’s a sign that it is on the way out. Replacing a gearbox, even with a refurbished part, is expensive, however.
They are generally considered to be more reliable than automatics, too, because they use fewer parts and therefore have a much lower chance of failure than automatics.
Manual gearboxes are often best for those that like to have full control of their vehicle, and it’s why they’re usually favoured in sports cars and hot hatches. They are often considered to be more engaging.
Linking to the above point, they’re generally considered to be easier and cheaper to maintain than an automatic, because of their reduced complexity.
Manual gearboxes are also often the best option for new drivers. Passing a test in a manual car opens up more options once the L-plates have been cast aside, too. For example, if you take your driving test in an automatic, you’ll only be permitted to drive automatic vehicles afterwards. Pass in a manual and you can drive either. This is particularly handy when it comes to hiring cars, as manual vehicles are more commonplace and usually less expensive to hire, too.
Choosing between manual and automatic gearboxes is really down to personal preference, however, manual gearboxes can prove more tiring and hard work to drive, simply due to the fact you have to change gear yourself.
While it doesn’t make much difference if you do a lot of motorway driving or at higher speeds, if most of your time behind the wheel is in slow, stop-start traffic, this can prove quite arduous.
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