Almost one third of all new cars on the roads are automatic.
19,000 automatics were sold in the first quarter of this year, amounting to 30% of new cars - an all-time high, according to new research from DoneDeal.
According to the findings, the latest figure is an increase of 83% compared with the same period five years ago.
The research shows that Toyota, Audi and BMW were the best-selling automatic car makers in the first three months of the year.
The Toyota Corolla was the best-selling automatic with 1,516 units, with Toyota models occupying four of the five top spots.
Diesel was the most popular automatic engine type, accounting for 47% of new automatic cars.
More than a quarter (26%) of the new cars were petrol electric.
Martin Clancy from DoneDeal observed: "The transmission is after getting extremely intelligent - it's burning less fuel, becoming a much smoother transition and more efficient driving.
"It's actually costing people less to operate an automatic compared to a manual - that's the reverse of what it was quite a few years ago."
He added: “It’s also worth pointing out that alternative-fuel vehicles, including virtually all hybrids and fully electric cars, tend to use automatic gearboxes.
"With the increase in alternative fuel vehicles, the number of automatics on the roads is sure to rise also”.
