Best and Worst Gear Shift Knobs in 2025

Miami Herald

31-05-2025

The automotive world is in a perpetual state of transformation, and while innovations in electrification, infotainment, and autonomous driving seem to get the most attention, it's the once lowly shift knob that deserves its time in the sun. In 2025, the shift knob remains a tactile link between driver and machine for those who favor engagement over automation. Whether it's the engagement of a traditional manual shift knob or the action and ease of a fancy automatic version, the design, feel, and function of a shift knob can significantly enhance or sully the driving experience. We considered ergonomics, materials, intuitiveness, and aesthetics to determine the standouts and the disappointments and rounded up the best and worst shift knobs currently found in new vehicles across the market, manual or automatic.
2025 Porsche 911 Carrera T (manual)
Porsche is pulling back on electrification (again), so this is a good time to focus on what the automaker does best: perfecting its analog driving experience. The 911 Carrera T features a 6-speed manual shift knob that is nothing short of a masterpiece. Crafted from real walnut, the knob is beautiful, rounded, properly short, and precisely weighted to maximize performance driving. Its simplicity contrasts with the high-tech nature of the rest of the cockpit, making it a purist's delight. Porsche knows its audience, and it delivers.
2025 Honda Civic Type R (manual)
Honda continues to prove that affordable performance doesn't mean sacrificing driving enjoyment. The 2025 Civic Type R features a beautifully machined, teardrop-shaped 6-speed manual aluminum shift knob that's cool to the touch and satisfies with every snikt-snikt shift. The throw is short and mechanical, while the red-stitched leather shift boot and manual gear diagram etched on the top add a layer of visual flair. Sure, the metal knob gets cold in winter, but that's what gloves are for.
2025BMW M2 (manual)
BMW may be going electric in a big way, but the M2 continues to cater to enthusiasts with a fantastic 6-speed manual. The shift knob is traditionally shaped and great in the hand, topped with the classic M logo. It strikes the perfect balance between comfort and sportiness, and the mechanical feel of the shifts is among the best in the business.
2025 Volvo XC90 (automatic)
The XC90 is a beautiful premium SUV that was recently refreshed with a new grille and a bigger and better infotainment screen. We're just happy that the Orrefors Crystal shift knob is still available because it's a stunner. The angled crystal shifter plays with sunlight and feels wonderful in the hand. Simple pushes forward and back engage the proper gear, and you'll find that your hand (and your eyes) will return to it over and over again, even when you're not shifting.
2025 Audi Q8 (automatic)
Audi interiors are in need of an update, especially when it comes to infotainment, but its automatic shift knobs are excellent. The one in the Q8 (as well as other models) is wide, low, flat, and wonderful to both look at and hold. The aluminum and leather materials are second-to-none, and the action tilts and clicks with authority. We hope the brand keeps this shifter as it moves towards more updated cabins.
2025 Honda CR-V (automatic)
Less of a shift knob and more a row of awkward buttons, the shifting setup in the Honda CR-V isn't great to use. Whoever thought buttons would be intuitive and quick to operate never actually had to live with them on a regular basis. Yes, the drive button is recessed and angled, so it's more difficult to press it accidentally, but more often than not, you find yourself having to look at what you're doing. It's not just in the CR-V, but also in the Odyssey, Pilot, and the new Passport. It somehow seems to have escaped the Civic, Accord, and HR-V.
2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV (single-speed direct drive)
The 2025 Blazer EV is impressive in its styling, efficiency, and power. The problem is that it features a steering column-mounted stalk gear selector that's easy to mistake for a wiper stalk. While this might seem like a logical solution, it takes a lot of getting used to. It's not like the old school column shifters that required a significant pull forward to move it up or down. At least you do have to pull it slightly to put it in drive or reverse, but that doesn't prevent the driver from mistaking it for another operation. Add to that a plasticky finish, and it feels more rental car than premium EV.
2025 Lexus NX (continuously variable automatic)
We love Lexus interiors. They're properly modern, they use great materials, and they're usually easy to operate. Their ubiquitous shift knob, however, is less than desirable in its operation. It looks good because it's ergonomic and compact, but it seems inconsistent. When we used it to execute a three-point turn, it didn't seem to recognize that we were pressing the brake pedal to shift, and it would tell us so... about 50 percent of the time. It feels disconnected because there's virtually no sense of action or tactility. The shifter shows up in numerous models, but the IS sedan and GX SUV escaped it for a traditional version that's much better to use.
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 6 (single-speed direct drive)
While we love the unique exterior styling and the handsome interior of the Hyundai IONIQ 6, the column-mounted shifter is insufferable. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so hard to see, but it's too far down at the 4 o'clock position in relation to the steering wheel. Even after you get used to it, there's still a smidge of insecurity about using it without looking, not a great feature of something that determines if you're going forward or in reverse. The same shifter is on the IONIQ 5, and that's too bad. It feels like a misstep in an otherwise well-designed cabin.
2025 Genesis GV70 (automatic)
We hate putting the GV70's crystalline rotary shifting beauty on this list of worst shift knobs because it both looks and feels amazing. It's not that it doesn't work well, but it's just a couple of inches aft of the infotainment control knob and directly in line with it, making the rotary shift knob too easy to grab while trying to operate the wrong function.
In an effort to rethink the humble shift knob, automakers have devised some truly novel approaches to changing gears, but not all of them are well-executed. The ones on this list that rise to the top are more traditional, while the worst ones feel either overwrought or half-baked. Whether you're a purist who relishes the feel of a well-weighted manual gear lever or a daily commuter who just wants a functional and ergonomic solution, it's clear that not all shift knobs are created equal.
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