Only 2 per cent of new passenger cars registered in Sweden during the first half of 2026 had a manual gearbox. Ten years ago, manual cars represented around 40 per cent of new registrations.
The fall is closely linked to the growth of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Two in three new passenger cars registered during the first half of 2026 were rechargeable, according to industry organisation Mobility Sweden.
In brief:
- Main finding: Manual cars represented only 2 per cent of new registrations in early 2026.
- Period: January to June 2026.
- Data source: Dagens Nyheter, Mobility Sweden and Swedish vehicle market data.
- Change: The share was around 40 per cent ten years earlier.
- Who it concerns: New and used-car buyers in Sweden.
Manual cars in Sweden become rare
The Dagens Nyheter report shows how quickly the Swedish market has changed. Manual gearboxes accounted for around 3 per cent of new registrations in 2025, down from about 42 per cent in 2016.
“Cars with manual gearboxes will gradually disappear as electrification takes over,” Jessica Alenius, chief executive of Mobility Sweden, told the newspaper.
Battery-electric cars do not use a traditional manual gearbox and clutch. Plug-in hybrids are also normally sold with automatic transmission, which means the growing share of rechargeable cars leaves less space for manual models.
Electric cars represented 41.5 per cent of Swedish new-car registrations during the first half of 2026. Plug-in hybrids accounted for almost another 25 per cent, taking the total rechargeable share to about two-thirds.
The choice of new manual cars is already limited. Several major manufacturers no longer offer them, while the remaining options are mainly smaller budget cars and a limited number of sports models.
Automatic cars now lead the used market
The change is also becoming clear in Sweden’s used-car market. Around 70 per cent of vehicles sold by online marketplace Kvdbil during the first half of 2026 had automatic transmission.
“The cars sold with manual gearboxes are usually older,” Kvdbil sales manager Daniel Odsberg told Dagens Nyheter.
Automatic cars also became more common than manual cars across Sweden’s total passenger-car fleet during the summer of 2025, according to vehicle database Car.info. Many manual cars remain on the roads, but their share is expected to fall as older vehicles are replaced.
The trend can be seen in registration figures. Data compiled by motoring website Carup shows that 176,781 manual passenger cars were registered in 2016. The number fell to 9,978 in 2025.
Interest in used electric cars increases
Swedish marketplace Blocket has also reported growing interest in second-hand electric cars. Weekly traffic to its electric-car advertisements had increased by more than 170 per cent since the beginning of 2026, according to figures reported in May.
“We see a clear increase in interest in electric cars. It is visible both in consumer surveys and in how people search for cars on Blocket,” vehicle expert Marcin Stepman said.
However, interest does not always lead directly to a purchase. Stepman said many buyers continue to compare the financial and practical advantages and disadvantages of owning an electric vehicle.
Price, access to charging and personal travel needs can therefore continue to affect purchasing decisions, even as electric and automatic vehicles become more common.
Manual driving licences still have a purpose
The decline of manual cars does not mean that licence rules have changed. A person who completes the Swedish driving test in an automatic vehicle receives a licence limited to automatic cars.
Under the current rules, that restriction can only be removed by passing another driving test in a manual car. Sweden is considering future changes linked to new EU rules, but no replacement system has yet been introduced. The Swedish Transport Agency says a special manual-car course may become an alternative in the future.
Manual cars are therefore likely to remain relevant for some drivers for several years, particularly those who use older vehicles or need to drive cars outside Sweden. On the new-car market, however, they have already become a small minority.
