A COMMON car part is verging on the brink of extinction and could soon disappear completely from the interiors of all new motors.
The traditional handbrake could soon become a thing of the past with only one out of 42 new cars launched in the past year featuring it.
What’s more, several hugely popular brands have done away with it all together already.
New research has shown that just 8% of showroom models have a manual handbrake, a steep decline from 37% some six years ago.
Experts at CarGurus reviewed 39 manufacturers and found that out of 587 models available in the UK, only 49 have a manual handbrake – mainly in sportier or smaller vehicles.
The Dacia Spring, granted one of the most popular cars in the UK, is the only new car from the past year that features a manual handbrake option.
It is thought that the once-standard feature could soon disappear from showrooms completely, going the same way as the cassette player and wind-up windows.
Popular car brands that have eliminated manual handbrakes include Alfa Romeo, BMW, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, and Volvo.
Italian marque Abarth was the last manufacturer to offer a handbrake across its range, but they too removed the option after the launch of the Abarth 500e in 2022.
In recent times, the handbrake has been removed from the likes of the Volkswagen Up, Vauxhall Crossland, and Fiat Tipo Cross.
BMW had 14 manual handbrake models in 2019 but now has none, and Renault, which had eight, now only offers the Trafic Passenger.
But Hyundai currently has six models featuring manual handbrakes, with Dacia, Fiat, Suzuki, and VW each with four.
The rise of electric cars, nearly all of which use electronic parking brakes, has accelerated the decline of manual handbrakes.
Chris Knapman, editor at CarGurus UK, notes that “the days of the manual handbrake are numbered.”
He explains that electronic parking brakes, once a luxury feature, are now standard in most new cars.
To this end, the switch to electronic parking brakes, which are safer but more expensive to repair, will spell the end of the famous handbrake turn.
For those still preferring manual handbrakes, the used car market remains an option.
This comes just months after the CD player kicked the bucket, with the feature now completely extinct from all new car models.
Subaru’s decision to remove the device from one of its SUVs heralded the death of the CD player in vehicles, with no mainstream car brands in the UK now offering the feature, according to Which?
