There was a time when manual cars had just a couple of gears, but these days most manual cars have five or six gears.\rYou’ll usually find five gears on smaller, less powerful models like city cars and compact hatchbacks. That said, six gears have become more commonplace in recent years, with that sixth gear being ideal for helping boost efficiency at higher speeds.\rSome new manual cars, however, even have as many as seven gears. These are rare, however, with only sports cars typically having them – including the Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage and Chevrolet Corvette.