Want to visit these countries? Better learn how to drive a manual

3 hours ago 13
Ethan Cardinal
Want to visit these countries? Better learn how to drive a manual

Is it just me, or is it almost a rite of passage to escape the Australian winter by heading to Europe? And if you’re considering visiting the Santorini beaches or the Marrakech markets in a car, you may have to learn how to drive a manual.

According to new data by car rental comparison site DiscoverCars.com, numerous rental car customers in these European countries have heavily favoured the old stick-shift transmission, with the Azores Islands in Portugal topping the list.

Drivers in this tropical region have shown their preference for stick shifts, with 87 per cent of car rental customers opting for manual compared with automatic (13 per cent).

Greece wasn’t too far behind, with Crete – the biggest island – ranking second, with 86 per cent of drivers opting for manual hire cars as opposed to automatics, while the country as a whole ranked third at 83 per cent.

Morocco ranked fourth at 80 per cent, while Spain – more specifically the Canary Islands – rounded out the top five at 79 per cent.

CountryPercentage of automatic cars hiredPercentage of manual cars hired
Portugal (Azores Islands)1387
Greece (Crete)1585
Greece1783
Morocco2080
Spain – Canary Islands2179
Data courtesy of DiscoverCars.com

But it’s worth noting there are a few factors that could sway the data.

According to DiscoverCars.com head of growth Aleksandra Burakas, consumer preference “will be influenced both by what’s available in each country and the price that works for them, as well as their personal preferences”.

In particular, car renters in the Azores Islands – where close to 90 per cent of car rental customers opted for manuals – could be swayed towards stick shifts because automatics are typically 42 per cent more expensive than their counterparts.

Conversely in Georgia, 90 per cent of consumers rent automatics, likely because most cars in the Eastern European country are imported from the United States where automatic cars reign supreme.

Additionally, a spokesperson for DiscoverCars.com said how far in advance a customer books can also factor into pricing, as well as the type of car a customer chooses (eg: sedan, hatch or SUV).

Based on the data, the Czech Republic was the closest to a 50/50 split, with manual retaining its top position (54 per cent) over its automatic counterpart (46 per cent).

While Europe has heavily favoured manual transmissions for decades, previous reports suggest the continent is falling out of love with the old stick shift, with more automatic models seemingly favoured by drivers in more recent years.

Want to visit these countries? Better learn how to drive a manual

According to a 2023 report by US-based outlet Motor1 – which referenced statistics from global automotive data organisation JATO Dynamics – about 89 per cent of cars registered in Europe in the year 2000 were manual.

Countries including Italy, France, Spain and Greece showed their love for stick shifts, with manual adoption exceeding 95 per cent at the start of the century.

However, manual adoption dipped to 78 per cent in Europe by 2017 and continued to decline. By 2022, only 34 per cent of cars registered were manual, and in the first half of 2023, Jato Dynamics claimed it was down to 32 per cent.

The change in consumer preference may also influence car rental customers to opt for automatics over stick shifts.

Still, the rental car company’s data shows that some customers in various European countries are willing to pay extra for the convenience of travelling in an automatic car.

Despite costing 54 per cent more on average than manuals, a staggering 94 per cent of car renters in Norway still chose automatic vehicles while travelling in the country.

In a nutshell, EVs don't require a manual transmission because their electric motors can produce maximum torque from standstill, eliminating the need for drivers to shift gears to reach the appropriate power and speed.

CountriesPercentage of automatic cars hired Percentage of manual cars hired
Norway946
Northern Cyprus 91 9
Georgia9010
Sweden8416
Switzerland 712
Data courtesy of DiscoverCars.com
Ethan Cardinal

Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.

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