If you still drive a stick-shift vehicle in the States, you are a part of a dying breed. Ever since the automatic transmission first became popularized in the 80s, America never looked back. These days, the number of manual cars is quickly decreasing. Some car companies don’t even bother to make them for this country anymore.
However, you’ve probably noticed we’ve only mentioned the US when talking about this decline. That’s because stick-shifts are still the most popular vehicle of choice in Europe. A large majority of brand-new cars sold over there are manuals, but why is that?
Some people like to joke and say that it’s because Europeans are not as lazy as your typical American. While one could argue that this prejudice might have a little to do with it, it’s certainly not the only explanation. In fact, there are quite a few reasons why manual transmission cars are still popular in Europe, which is what we plan on covering in this post.
Europeans Don’t Care as Much About Driving
While this first point isn’t a direct reason as to why more cars in Europe are stick-shifts, it will help some of our following points make more sense. Over in Europe, the pressure to own a car isn’t as high as it is in America. Their various forms of public transportation are much better and more abundant than over here.
That means it’s easier for Europeans to get to all the places they need to go without using a car. Even if smaller towns don’t have the best options for travel, they’re usually compact enough that you could easily walk wherever you need to go.
To add to the reasons for Europeans not to own a car, though, the taxes associated with owning a car are much higher for them compared to the States. When public transportation is the cheaper and more accessible option, the desire to spend a lot on a personal vehicle begins to diminish.
Manuals Are Much More Affordable Overall
People who need a car don’t want to spend too much on it, and manuals are a much cheaper up-front purchase. Plus, if it ever breaks down on them, the cost of parts for these cars is not as expensive as automatics.
The other major upside is manuals are more fuel-efficient. Once a person becomes proficient at using a stick, they can save quite a few miles to the gallon (or in their case, liter) while driving. Not only is this important because saving fuel saves money, but gas is much more expensive in Europe, so they have even more inspiration not to excessively waste it.
Europe Has a Different Topography
If you’ve ever been to Europe, you’ve probably noticed that their roads are much narrower and have a lot of steep hills, even in the middle of town. Because of that, cars need to be more responsive in order to avoid unnecessary crashes. Having a car that you can manually switch the gears on is essential to these kinds of streets. Plus, automatics waste a lot more fuel when going up or down a steep slope, which, as we mentioned, is something many Europeans want to avoid.
Europe’s Licensing Situation Is Different
In America, when you get your driver’s license, you can drive whatever car you want. However, this isn’t the case in Europe. They have separate permits depending on whether you took the test in a manual or automatic car. If you have a manual license, you legally can drive an automatic, but that doesn’t work the other way around.
Because of its versatility, most Europeans try to learn how to drive stick so that they have the option to use an automatic if needed. However, since they learned how to drive a manual car, that’s what they’ve grown accustomed to and end up sticking with throughout their life.
Europeans Aren’t as Distracted on the Road
For the next reason why manual transmission cars are still popular in Europe, Europeans are less distracted on the road than Americans. While it’s not legal in the States, many drivers still text and drive regularly. While this happens in Europe, too, it’s not as common. However, the more likely disruption that Americans partake in that Europeans don’t is eating while driving.
While one could argue that people formed these habits because more Americans drive automatics and more Europeans drive manuals, they certainly are a reason for each group to its preferred driving style. When you’re comfortable driving stick, you’re not used to having a free hand for multitasking.
Europeans Find It More Engaging
This next point is also a more subjective one, but overall, it seems that more Europeans find manual cars much more fun and engaging than Americans do. Europeans find automatics boring to drive, especially on roads such as the Autobahns in Germany, which have no posted speed limits. Being able to shift into the various gears while flying down the highway is a thrill that you can’t beat while driving a car.
What Kinds of Americans Still Drive Stick?
As we previously mentioned, there is still a solid group of Americans who live and die by the manual transmission. Many of them also prefer how much more engaging it is to drive one of them, but some prefer them simply because it’s what they’re used to. Many of the reasons we mentioned above could potentially also be why the Americans who still drive these cars prefer them.
At the end of the day, the decision to choose either a manual or automatic car comes down to preference and availability. If car companies wanted to push the less popular type in these countries, they could, but it’s better just to give the people what they’re already accustomed to.
However, if you are an American who absolutely loves their stick-shift vehicle and you want your transmission to last as long as possible, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Transparts Warehouse, we sell all the standard transmission parts you’ll ever need for your manual vehicle. With proper maintenance, we’re sure you’ll be able to help your stick-shift last a very long time.
