Once upon a time, pickup trucks with manual transmissions were the norm, especially since they were primarily built as workhorses. Hauling trailers, towing boats, or pulling stumps required durability and control, qualities old-school automatics couldn’t match. But times have changed.
Modern automatics are stronger and more efficient, leaving manuals nearly obsolete. Take the Ford Maverick Hybrid, for example: it only comes with a CVT, which saves fuel but can’t handle the same torque, cementing the automatic’s dominance. The only exception left is the Toyota Tacoma, the last pickup in the US still offering a manual gearbox. But for how much longer?
In the first half of 2025, Toyota sold over 300,000 Tacomas, making it by far the best-selling midsize truck. Yet, the GR86 sports car sold more manuals in the same timeframe, despite its much lower overall volume. The Tacoma’s boom in 2025 is largely due to the fourth-generation model finally arriving in all trims, fueling an 88% sales increase over 2024. Still, the six-speed manual is limited to the TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road trims with all-wheel drive, and it cannot be paired with the hybrid powertrain or the most powerful 2.4-liter versions. In practice, buyers give up HP and torque compared to the eight-speed automatic.
Toyota sweetens the deal by adding modern tech like rev-matching for smoother downshifts and hill-start assist for steep off-road conditions. Plus, it comes slightly cheaper, $800 less on the TRD Sport and $1,100 less on the TRD Off-Road compared to the automatic versions.
But sales numbers tell a clear story: fewer than 1,500 manual Tacomas have been sold so far in 2025, compared to twice as many GR86 manuals. Meanwhile, sporty models like the GR Corolla see massive demand, with 72% of buyers opting for the stick shift. That proves the manual isn’t dead, but it’s thriving in performance cars, not pickups. Toyota may soon pull the plug on the last manual truck in America.
