Is the traditional handbrake endangered?

Tuesday, 29 September 2020

Here's what Ken Block can do with a manual gearbox and a really good handbrake (it's called the Drift Stick).

Traditional mechanical handbrakes are continuing to die out as car manufacturers ditch them in favour of electronic parking brakes, according to research by UK automotive shopping site CarGurus.

The research found that just 24 per cent of new cars on sale today come with a manually operated handbrake, falling even further from 30 per cent recorded last year.

Only one mainstream manufacturer, Dacia (the Duster is sold in New Zealand as a Renault), has a manual handbrake on every model in the range with the majority of car makers only offering the part on sportier cars or cheaper superminis, with the likes of the Mazda MX-5, BMW M2 and the Seat Ibiza all featuring one.

Two increasingly rare things: a traditional handbrake and a manual transmission.

A handful of manufacturers have phased out the part completely and replaced it with an electronic parking brake, while some use a foot-operated parking brake.

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Dacia is the only manufacturer left with traditional handbrakes across its entire range.

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The study found that Alfa Romeo, DS, Honda, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes, Porsche and Volvo no longer have any models on sale fitted with a traditional manual handbrake.

While traditionalists would argue that the electronic parking brake removes the tactile feel, mechanical simplicity and interactivity of the classic handbrake (plus the ability to do handbrake turns), they are still considered a luxury convenience and safety feature by many, requiring less physical effort to hold the car more securely without the need for any adjustments.

Most electronic handbrakes disengage automatically when you pull away, plus they often offer an automatic hill-hold assist function as an additional safety benefit.

From a design perspective, the switch helps de-clutter cabins too, taking up less interior space than a chunky lever.

'It looks like the manual handbrake only has a few years left, as it continues its steady decline in the new car market, with nearly two dozen models removing it as an option over the last 12 months,” said Chris Knapman, editor at CarGurus UK.

'We expect the number of cars on sale with traditional handbrakes to decline even further over the coming years, as it continues to be relegated to a feature across a select few sporty and small-volume models.”