Survey Surprise: Most American Drivers Know How to Drive Stick - Kelley Blue Book (2024)

Sixty-six percent of American drivers know how to drive a manual transmission, and 55 percent have owned or leased one in their lifetime. That’s surprising, given that only 13 percent of the models for sale even offer one.

The conclusion comes from a new survey from Cadillac, which gave the results along with news that manual gearboxes are available on the first models from its Blackwing CT4 and CT5high-performance line.

Both manual and automatic transmissions have their defenders. As with every decision in the car shopping process, there’s no single correct answer and each buyer’s situation is unique.

Traditionally, manual transmissions are less expensive, cheaper to repair, and arguably more engaging for the driver. Since driving a stick shift requires both hands and both feet, it does lessen distracted driving. It’s hard for new drivers to scroll through their phones when they don’t have a free hand.

Ease of use

But an automatic is unquestionably simpler to drive, easier to learn for new drivers, and technology has improved to where these transmissions offer better gas mileage. And, while it’s true that repairing an automatic transmission is usually more expensive than repairing a manual, they tend to need repair less often. After all, automatics won’t fry a clutch, or mistime a shift and grind the gears.

Some results of the Cadillac study were easy to anticipate and explain. Drivers over 55 more likely knew how to drive a stick shift and had owned one, for example. That owes to the fact that manual transmissions were once dominant, with automatics a more costly option.

Other findings were surprising. Sixty-two percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34, for example, express interest in learning to drive a manual. Given the increasing rarity of manuals, you might expect to see little interest among this age group. Older drivers are less likely to want to learn how, again due to the fact that most of them may already know how.

Manual transmission: The new luxury?

For automakers, the real meat of the survey shows in two numbers. One is the youth factor. The other is that interest in learning to drive a stick was higher among those with household income over $75,000 than those with lower incomes.

That likely explains Cadillac’s interest in the matter. Manual transmissions have always been an affordable option more common to economy cars where cost is a vital purchase consideration. If they’re becoming something shoppers in more expensive categories want, that’s something a luxury brand like Cadillac needs to consider. And, automakers frequently pursue younger buyers, on the logic that winning their loyalty at a young age gives the company the chance to sell them several cars over a lifetime.