According to a study by online marketplace CarGurus, just 37 per cent of new cars on sale in Britain have been fitted with the traditional manual parking brake, with the rest of the industry choosing electronic systems.
Premium makers such as Audi, Jaguar and Land Rover are among those who have ditched handbrakes, with only two mainstream manufacturers still offering manually-operated parking brakes on entire model ranges.
The electronic parking brake in the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI.
“It’s official, the death of the handbrake is coming as manufacturers switch to electronic parking brakes in huge numbers," said Chris Knapman, editor at CarGurus UK.
An electronic parking brake replaces the traditional mechanical lever with a switch that, when engaged, activates a pair of small motors which lock the rear brakes.
The main advantages of such a system is that it offers a stronger hold on the car that can be more conveniently operated than the traditional handbrake.
“Within the next few years, we expect the number of cars on sale with traditional handbrakes to decline further, likely only to be found on a select number of niche models," said Knapman.
