Imminent death of the manual handbrake

Gareth Herincx

14 hours ago
Auto News

Manual handbrake - c/o CarGurus

Just 9% of new cars on sale come with the once ubiquitous manual handbrake, according to an annual study.

The research by CarGurus, the fastest-growing automotive marketplace in the UK to shop, buy, and sell used vehicles, also showed that car buyers now have 61% fewer cars to choose from that come equipped with a manual handbrake compared to 2019.

The brands that offer the highest percentage of models with a manual handbrake today are Suzuki (71% – five of seven models), Abarth (66% – two of three models), Dacia (50% – two of four models), Fiat (45% – five of 11 models) and SsangYong (40% – two of five models).

Automatic handbrake - c/o CarGurus

However, no manufacturer offers manual handbrakes across its entire range, and the percentage of models on sale with a manual handbrake has dropped from 37% to 9%.

“It seems the writing’s on the wall for the fabled manual handbrake as the percentage of new cars equipped with one dips into single figures,” said Chris Knapman, CarGurus UK Editorial Director.

“This once universal feature is now largely reserved for smaller and more affordable petrol-powered cars, including the Kia Picanto and Mazda2.

“However, the reality is that there’s every chance we will see the manual handbrake become extinct on mainstream cars by the end of the decade.”

Though electronic handbrakes bring greater driver convenience with automatic operation and hill hold functions that make hill starts easier, there are a few benefits of manual handbrakes which some drivers may miss in the years to come.

In the event of requiring a repair, manual handbrakes are typically less expensive to fix than their electronic counterparts – repairing an electronic handbrake can be as much as three times the cost of a manual handbrake (£220.37 manual handbrake vs £665.98 electronic handbrake). They also have a more tactile, mechanical feel which some drivers prefer.

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Young drivers putting off car repairs in bid to save money

Gareth Herincx

2 days ago
Auto News

Car maintenance

More than a third of drivers aged 17 to 24 (37%) are putting off necessary repairs to their vehicles in an attempt to cut their outgoings as the cost-of-living crisis bites< according to new research.

The 2022 RAC Report on Motoring also found nearly a fifth of young people (16%) say they are delaying getting major repairs made – which might include work such as replacing a handbrake or cracked windscreen.

However, a huge 28% are putting off other repairs, which include fixing minor oil leaks or replacing brake discs.

What’s more, young drivers are more than twice as likely (37%) as average (14%) to say they have deliberately delayed getting any repair work completed, with those who drive cars over 10 years of age (19%) and who live in town or city centre areas (25%) also significantly more likely to put work off.

Perhaps surprisingly, drivers of all ages are more inclined to skip repairs in a bid to save money than they are to either reduce how often they get their vehicles serviced or switch to a cheaper insurer.

Just one-in-10 of all drivers (9%) say they are servicing their vehicles less frequently and 13% say they have got a cheaper insurance policy, compared to 14% who have put off getting repairs done.

“Without question, putting off vehicle repairs or skipping routine servicing are both false economies, but these figures show in all-too-stark terms just how many drivers, especially younger ones, feel they have to do this to lower their spending in the face of rising prices,” said RAC spokesman Rod Dennis.

“The fact over a third of young drivers are deliberately delaying getting their vehicles fixed to cut costs is actually a harbinger of future unwelcome – and possibly far larger – garage bills.

“What’s more, not getting work to a car done means the chances of it letting a driver down shoots up, making it potentially less safe.

“And as the average age of cars on our roads is getting older due to fewer people trading up to new cars, it looks as though many of them will also be in a poorer overall state of repair which is bad news for everyone using the roads.”

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