The 2025 EVs That Still Let You Use a Manual Transmission (Yes, Really)

You thought the manual gearbox died with the combustion engine. Wrong. In 2025, electric cars are bringing back the third pedal, the H-pattern, the perfect heel-toe downshift… but with zero emissions and instant torque. Here’s every production (or near-production) 2025 EVs that still let you row your own gears.

1. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (with N e-Shift) – The One You Can Buy today

• Price: ~$66,000
• Power: 641 hp, 568 lb-ft (with N Grin Boost)
• 0-60 mph: 3.3 sec
• Top speed: 162 mph

The Ioniq 5 N is the first 2025 EV that actually makes you feel like you’re driving a rally car from 2004. Hyundai didn’t just add fake engine noise – they went full speed ahead:

• 8-speed “virtual” dual-clutch transmission
• Real physical shifter and aluminum paddle shifters
• Simulated rev limiter with ignition-cut style drop
• Left-foot-brake-friendly “N Drift Mode” that mimics clutch-kick oversteer

You can literally stall it if you dump the clutch wrong in “manual” mode. Hyundai programmed artificial creep, fake misfires, and even a redline buzz on the digital tachometer. It’s so convincing that journalists have tried to heel-toe it in parking lots.

Verdict: The most believable fake manual on sale.

2. Toyota GR Corolla EV (Concept → Production Confirmed 2026-2027)

Toyota shocked everyone at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon with a battery-electric GR Corolla that has:

• Three electric motors (AWD)
• A real 6-speed manual gearbox with actual clutch pedal
• Simulated engine sound by… Yamaha (yes, the motorcycle people)

Toyota’s chief engineer said, “If we remove the joy of driving, we lose the reason people love cars.” They patented a system that uses torque vectoring and motor phasing to mimic engine braking and rev-matching. Toyota’s manual transmission production version expected late 2026.

3. Lexus Electrified Sport (LFA Successor) – Fake Manual Confirmed

Remember the jaw-dropping Lexus Electrified Sport concept with the manual shifter? It’s happening.

• Up to 1,000 hp
• 0-60 mph in “low 2-second range”
• Solid-state batteries (target 430+ miles)
• Software-simulated clutch and up to 16 “virtual gears”

Akio Toyoda personally demanded it keep a manual option “so drivers can still be drivers.” Expected 2027-2028.

4. Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee – “Fratzonic” + Multi-Speed “Transmission Feel”

The muscle-car world lost its mind when Dodge revealed:

• Up to 800+ hp all-electric muscle car
• World’s first multi-speed EV transmission (not just one reduction gear)
• “eRupt” simulated shifter with actual detents

Dodge calls it “the sound and feel of a manual SRT without the emissions.” You won’t get a third pedal, but the 2025 Charger Daytona will have distinct “gear” steps and exhaust-like power delivery curves.

5. Porsche – Secretly Patenting a Two-Speed + Simulated Manual System

Porsche filed patents in 2024 for:

• A two-speed gearbox on the rear motor
• Haptic shifter + simulated clutch pedal
• Variable “engine” sound that changes with selected gear

Rumored for the next Boxster/Cayman EV (2026-2027). Porsche insiders say Taycan buyers keep asking for “more involvement.”

The Next Shift for 2025 EVs

Hyundai may have taken the first swing at an electric manual, but it won’t be the last. The Ioniq 5 N shows that engagement doesn’t have to die in the transition to EVs — it just has to evolve. And with Toyota and Lexus quietly developing real clutch-pedal systems for fake manual transmission, the next chapter of performance driving is already being written. The only question now is which automaker will perfect the feel of a future that still remembers its past.

Curious about another automaker diving into fake gearboxes? Check out our latest Headlights article on Ford’s recent patent.