Most people who ask me whether a car is still available with a manual transmission haven't actually checked the build sheet. They've checked the conventional wisdom, which is roughly: "Manuals are dead." That's not true yet. It's getting truer every year, but in 2026 there is still a real, finite list of new cars you can walk into a Canadian dealership and configure with three pedals. The list is shorter than it was three years ago, and it will be shorter still in three more. But it is not zero, and it is not a museum piece.

What follows is that list. Not 2018. Not "what you can find used." New, on Canadian build sheets, in 2026. I've kept this short on purpose, the version with allocation realities, MSRP markup behaviour, trim warnings, and the Japan-import angle is in the Deep Dive. This piece is just the field map.

The build sheet keeps shrinking

A quick orientation. Compared to 2020, North American manual availability has lost the BMW M5, the Audi RS5, the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing's siblings, the Hyundai Veloster N, the Volkswagen GTI manual (gone for 2025), the Subaru WRX manual (gone for 2026), and an entire wing of luxury sport sedans. What's left clusters in three places: small affordable sports cars, hot hatches that survived the cull, and Porsche, which still treats the manual as a feature rather than a tax.

That's basically the field. Here it is, organized.

Affordable sports cars

The healthiest category. Both Mazda and Toyota/Subaru are committed to the manual transmission as a default for these cars; Toyota refuses to even offer an automatic in the GR86 in some configurations.

  • Mazda MX-5 Miata The reference. Available in GS, GS-P, and GT trims, all with the 6MT. From ~$36,500
  • Toyota GR86 2.4L flat-four, six-speed only on most trims. Under-appreciated. From ~$36,200
  • Subaru BRZ Same car, different badge, slightly different damping. From ~$35,500
  • Nissan Z (sport & performance) VR30 twin-turbo V6, 6MT optional through to the Performance trim. From ~$56,000

Hot hatches & sport sedans

This category lost the most cars in the last cycle. The VW GTI manual is gone, the Subaru WRX manual is gone, the Civic Si stayed but its world got lonelier. What's left is what's left.

  • Honda Civic Si Manual-only by design. The rational enthusiast pick. From ~$33,500
  • Honda Civic Type R (FL5) Manual-only. Still Allocation Limited in 2026; expect markup at delivery. From ~$53,000
  • Acura Integra Type S Same K20C1 engine and 6MT as the Type R, slightly nicer trim. Allocation is even tighter. From ~$59,500
  • Toyota GR Corolla G16E-GTS turbo three-cylinder, AWD, 6MT only on Core and Premium trims. The Morizo edition is harder to find than a quiet hour at a dealership. From ~$48,200
  • BMW M2 (G87) The last manual M-car BMW will likely build. Manual is a no-cost option but allocation is tight. From ~$83,500
  • BMW M3 (G80) & M4 (G82) Manual still optional on rear-drive models, not on Competition or xDrive variants. From ~$93,500

Muscle & V8 coupes

The smallest category, and the one most likely to disappear next. The Mustang and the Challenger were the standard-bearers for years; the Challenger is now gone, the Camaro is gone, the Mustang is the last car standing.

  • Ford Mustang GT & Dark Horse 5.0 Coyote V8, Tremec TR-3160 6MT. Last V8-and-manual combo on a North American showroom floor. From ~$54,500 (GT) / ~$78,500 (Dark Horse)
  • Ford Mustang EcoBoost 2.3T four-cylinder. The cheap entry point. Manual still optional. From ~$40,200

Porsches with three pedals

Porsche treats the manual as a feature rather than a vestige. Almost every car in this list is a small-volume specialist build, but they exist, and the order books are still open.

  • Porsche 911 Carrera T The point-of-entry manual 911. 7-speed 6MT, lighter spec, the enthusiast's pick of the base 992 lineup. From ~$155,000
  • Porsche 911 Carrera S / GTS Manual is still a no-cost option but rarely stocked. Special-order territory. From ~$170,000
  • Porsche 911 GT3 / GT3 Touring 6MT is a no-cost swap from the standard PDK. The GT3 Touring exists specifically for the manual buyer. From ~$233,000
  • Porsche 718 Cayman / Boxster GTS 4.0 Naturally aspirated flat-six, manual is the right answer here. The 718 generation is winding down; order soon. From ~$117,000
  • Porsche 718 Spyder RS / Cayman GT4 RS PDK only. I'm only including these so you know not to look. The naturally aspirated 4.0L manual is reserved for the GTS variants above. ,

Outliers

Two cars that don't fit any category but are real and orderable.

  • Aston Martin Valour / Valiant Limited-series. Manual gearbox by intent. Already sold out at the factory; some allocations leak to the secondary market. ,
  • Lotus Emira (i4 First Edition) The supercharged V6 manual was the headliner; the i4 turbo-four manual launched late 2025. The last truly small-batch manual sports car you can order new. From ~$120,000
"That's the entire field. Twenty-something cars. In 2014 it was over a hundred."
The buying notes are the part that matters. This list tells you what's available. The Deep Dive tells you the allocation reality, the dealers running $5–10k markups, the trim configurations to insist on, and the Japan-import angle for the cars Canada never got. $19.
See the Deep Dive →

What I'd do

If you've been thinking about buying a manual new, the calculus is straightforward. The cars that are confirmed for next model year (Miata, GR86, Civic Si, Mustang GT) you can take your time on. The cars where the next generation will be hybridized or automatic-only (the M2, the M3, the entire 911 lineup as the 992 cycle ends, the 718 generation winding down) you should not take your time on. Porsche has not committed to a manual on the upcoming 718 EV replacement. BMW has not committed to a manual on anything past the G87 M2.

The other thing worth saying: this list is the new-car list. The 15-year import rule means a lot of the great manuals Canada never officially got, the JDM-only Type R variants, the European Audi RS3 sportback manual that never came here, the early-2000s manual Skylines and Lancers, are now legally importable as they age past 15 years. That's a separate conversation, and it's the one that gets the most "wait, that's legal?" reactions. There's a chapter on it in the Deep Dive, with the broker shortlist and the rough cost-to-land numbers, because doing it yourself is doable but not casual.

If you want my actual help, picking the right one for your driving, sourcing it without the markup, and dealing with the dealer-side tactics that come standard with the allocation-limited cars on this list, that's what matchmaking exists for. Otherwise, take the list, build the car, and go. The hashtag is half a joke. The shrinking is not.

D
David Kamenskii

Founder of Carsmenskii. BMW Group Canada Aftersales 2018–2021. Drives a manual E46 M3 and a manual Cayman, and intends to keep doing so. Book a call if you're after a specific manual.