A Beginner’s Guide to Hand Brakes

If there’s a failure with the hydraulic brake system (a.k.a. the brake pedal) while driving, e-brakes can bring a car to a stop.

In the days before ubiquitous bucket seats, the parking brake pedal sat in the driver’s footwell—to the left of the brake or clutch and next to the high beam floor switch in domestic vehicles. This placement was not the most convenient, but it was adequate for parking, as are today’s electronic parking brake buttons.

How to Use a Hand Brake

10-inch, floor-mount emergency hand brake kit

Placing an automatic transmission into park locks up the drivetrain. But leaving a car with a manual transmission in gear—without setting the parking brake—can be disastrous. The vehicle will not stay in place if the shifter pops out of gear. Even those with automatic transmissions should use the parking brake—especially on hills—as putting stress on the internal parking pawl of the transmission isn’t advisable.

Using a hand brake is simple, but the procedure differs for automatics versus manuals.

• If you’re in an automatic-equipped vehicle, place the transmission in park after the vehicle is stopped. Then, press the button on the end of the parking brake with your thumb, and pull up on the lever to set the parking brake. Pressing the button isn’t a requirement. You’ll hear (and feel) the lever repeatedly click as you pull the lever up without pressing the button.
• If you’re in a manual-equipped car, depress the clutch and put the transmission in neutral once the vehicle is stopped. Then, switch your left foot to the brake pedal. Press the button on the end of the hand brake with your thumb, and pull up on the lever to set the parking brake. Next, shut the engine off, depress the clutch, and put the transmission into first gear.

Conquer Your Fear of Parking on Hills

1965 Chevy Impala parking and emergency brake assembly

Parking on a slope can be disconcerting for a novice driver. The sequence is identical to parking on level ground, with one addition. Once the parking brake is set, you may want to turn the steering wheel so that the front wheels are pointed to the curb (or at the side of the road, if there’s no curb). If the parking brake fails, this will prevent the vehicle from rolling into the street.

If it sounds complicated, don’t fret. Just follow the steps. You’ll soon build that muscle memory to make safe parking part of your routine.

Tip: Always double-check that you’ve set the brake before you put the keyfob in your pocket and exit the vehicle.

When it’s time to take off, put your left foot on the brake pedal before you release the hand brake. This keeps the vehicle from rolling. Then depress the hand brake button and lower the lever.

A Brief History of Hand Brakes

The handbrake sits to the left of the shifter in this immaculate 1965 Jaguar E-type.

European sports cars from Porsche, Jaguar, Triumph, and MG opened the door for accepting hand brakes in the US. However, the flood of Japanese imports made the technology commonplace. The Toyota Corolla landed on our shores in the spring of 1968 with a hand brake. The Honda Civic had one when it arrived in 1973.

Domestic manufacturers followed the imports when they rolled out economy cars. The Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto sported an e-brake between their bucket seats. However, it took a while for the pony cars to catch up. The first hand brake-equipped Ford Mustang was the Fox Body in 1979, and the first Chevrolet Camaro with one was the 1982 third-generation model.

Do Automatic Vehicles Have Hand Brakes?

The Kia Rio is one of the least expensive new cars equipped with a hand brake.

While hand brakes are most associated with manual transmissions, a select number of automatic-equipped cars and crossovers have them. The current models include the Kia Rio and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

How to Adjust Hand Brakes

Most hand brakes are mechanical. They use a pair of cables that connect to the rear brakes. While it’s a reliable and time-proven arrangement, the cables may stretch over time and require adjustment.

If you pull up on the emergency brake handle and the car rolls, it’s time to tighten things up. Thankfully, when the cables stretch, they’re relatively easy to adjust. However, some older cables might be stretched beyond repair, requiring replacement. Cables are not expensive or complicated to remove and replace, although you’ll need to get underneath the vehicle.

To make this adjustment, you must remove pieces from the vehicle’s center console to access the fittings. Sometimes, the console must be entirely removed to make the tweaks. The task usually only requires simple hand tools—screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, and pliers. Each cable has an adjustment nut and a lock nut.

This video from the HumbleMechanic shows, step-by-step, how to replace cables and tighten the hand brake.

What Is a Hand Brake Turn?

If you ever wondered how drivers execute those tight 180-degree turns, wonder no more. It’s all about the hand brake. Yanking on the e-brake lever locks up the rear wheels, making it easy for a skilled driver to initiate a controlled skid. This driving technique was first popularized on loose surfaces in stage rally racing, thanks to the hand brake turn.

Tug at the steering wheel, pull up on the e-brake, release it, get back on the throttle, and you’re headed back in the direction you came from.

Can You Add a Hand Brake If a Car Doesn’t Have One?

Sikky aftermarket hydraulic hand brake

These days, hand brakes are most associated with performance cars—primarily due to drifting. Drifters make extensive use of the hand brake. Sadly, mechanical e-brakes have faded with the rise of electronic parking brakes. That makes things tricky for enthusiasts looking to wag the rear end. Thankfully, there are aftermarket solutions for rally drivers and drifters.

You’ll find an excellent selection of aftermarket hydraulic hand brakes on eBay Motors. While replacing an OEM mechanical e-brake cable is straightforward, installing an aftermarket hydraulic unit is significantly more work. It’s not a task for the timid or novice.

This video from DirtFish shows the basics of hydraulic hand brake installation:

What 2023 Cars Have Hand Brakes?

2023 Ford Mustang GT

As years passed, auto manufacturers reduced the number of vehicles equipped with hand brakes in the US. The departure occurred with the waning popularity of manual transmissions and the evaporation of affordable compact and subcompact models. Here’s a quick, partial list of 2023 models with traditional parking brakes:

• Ford Mustang
• Hyundai Elantra N
• Kia Forte
• Kia Rio
• Mazda Miata
• Nissan Versa
• Nissan Z
• Subaru BRZ
• Subaru Impreza
• Toyota GR Corolla
• Toyota GR86

Ford offered the “world’s first electronic hand brake” for the Focus RS in 2017, with an endorsement from Ken Block to boot.