5 Different Types Of Drive Selectors (Gear Selector) In Automatic Cars

While most automatic variants of cars come with a typical stick-like drive selector, premium and electric cars are offering different shapes these days 

For the past few years, automatic transmissions have become more and more common in cars in India, especially for customers who seek a relaxed driving experience as the traffic keeps getting worse. Not only are there a multitude of automatic transmission types on offer these days, the shape of the shifter to select the drive (mode) has also evolved beyond the usual shift-stick. This allows for a varied experience in simply going from P (Park) to D (Drive) or R (Reverse). In this article, we will explore five different types of gear selector/drive mode selector found in automatic cars.

Zig Zag Pattern Lever - AMT

This type of gear selector lever is found in most Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) cars, which essentially automate a manual transmission through hydraulic actuators controlled by an ECU. In AMT transmission cars, the gear selector does not have a straight line of motion, instead featuring a zigzag pattern to switch between park, drive, and reverse. Additionally, this gear lever features a manual mode with a plus/minus pattern for shifting gears manually. It's the most affordable type of transmission found in mass-market cars from brands like Maruti, Hyundai, and Tata.

Forward & Backward Transmission Shifter - DCT, Torque Converters (AT), & CVT

Another common type of drive selector lever seen in automatic transmission cars is the lever with a straight forward and backward pattern. This type of gear lever is mostly found in cars equipped with dual-clutch transmission (DCT), torque converters (AT), and continuously variable transmission (CVT). Additionally, this gear lever often features a manual or sport mode with a plus/minus pattern, allowing the driver to take control of shifting or enabling the car's engine to rev higher before shifting-up a gear to offer more of the engine’s performance while driving.

These transmissions cost more than an AMT gearbox because they offer a more refined driving experience and feature more complex technology compared to AMTs. Most turbo-petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars use these types of gear selectors.

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Toggle Type Drive Selector - Premium ICE Cars / EVs

An increasing number of automakers are replacing the typical shift-stick with a toggle-type drive selector with their premium ICE cars or EVs. The toggle drive mode selector can be pushed forward or backward to change the drive mode which is indicated by a backlit letter or can be seen on the instrument cluster. The advantage of this shape is that there is more room in the central console for storage or simply for a cleaner console layout. These cars also tend to come with paddle shifters behind the wheel to manually go and down the gears.

The Citroen C5 Aircross and Citroen eC3 electric hatchback feature this type of drive mode selector, as do modern Porsche cars.

Rotary Drive Selector 

These drive mode selectors are more common than the toggle, at least in Indian cars, and offered with both ICE models and electric cars. To select your desired drive mode, you need to rotate the dial in the corresponding direction which will be marked by backlit letters. This dial setup is primarily found in Tata models Nexon, Punch EV, Nexon EV, Harrier, and Safari. Meanwhile, luxury brands like Land Rover and Jaguar take this a step further by designing it to sit flush in the console when not needed, and simply pop-up when the car is started.

Cars with this setup also tend to come with paddle shifters to manually change gears.

Stalk Drive Selector (Behind The Steering Wheel)

Surprisingly, this might be one of the oldest designs for drive selectors as you can find them in many classic cars as well. However, these days this convenient stalk design mounted behind the steering wheel is mostly found in cars from Rolls Royce and Mercedes-Benz. To switch between drive modes, simply move the stalk up or down as directed by the P, N, D and R markings.