The death of the stick shift is almost here

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. Varies hugely by country

The manual gearbox is edging closer to extinction in Britain's new car market after new figures revealed that almost 92 per cent of vehicles ordered this year are automatic.
...
Manual gearboxes remain far more common across much of Europe than they are in Britain. In Italy, manual cars accounted for 48 per cent of new registrations in 2025, while they represented 41 per cent in Spain. France has also been slower to embrace automatics, with around three in ten new cars still fitted with manual transmissions.

Because rental companies often purchase lower-cost models in bulk, manual cars are typically the default option. Travellers requiring an automatic may therefore face higher rental costs, reduced availability or both, particularly during the busy summer holiday season.

Germany has followed a trajectory closer to Britain's, with manual gearboxes now accounting for just 18 per cent of new car registrations.

https://www.regit.cars/car-news/manual-gearbox-faces-extinction-as-92-of-new-cars-ordered-in-britain-are-now-automatic

Renting cheap cars in the UK, they still have mostly manual gearboxes.