Move over manual: learner drivers shun self-shifting for automatic-only tests

One in four practical driving tests are now taken in a car with an automatic transmission, suggesting that the reign of the manual gearbox may soon be over.

Last year, 1.8 million practical driving tests were conducted across Great Britain. Of these, 470,000 were automatic tests, which only qualify drivers who pass to get behind the wheel of vehicles with two pedals, rather than three.

This represents a slight bump over the previous year, in which more tests were taken overall (1.9 million) but fewer automatic tests were conducted (455,000), representing just 23 per cent of total examinations. 

The trend towards automatic-only tests is also highlighted by looking further into the past; 10 years ago, just seven per cent of practical driving exams were taken in automatic cars. In fact, the AA estimates that by 2027, one in three driving tests could be automatic.

The AA Driving School’s managing director, Emma Bush, said: “With more people becoming confident with the idea of their driving future being electric, the idea of needing to drive a manual vehicle will feel irrelevant to many.”

With all electric cars essentially operating in the same manner as an automatic – with no clutch pedal or gears to contend with – cars available with manual gearboxes now represent a diminishing proportion of the market; a recent Auto Express investigation found that models with a manual gearbox now account for just 19 per cent of all new cars on sale.

With this in mind, Bush continued: “As we head closer to 2030 and the ban on the sale of new combustion cars, more and more learners will want to learn in an electric vehicle because that’s all they will plan to drive.”

It’s worth noting that despite being “Easier” in theory, the pass rate for automatic tests remains marginally lower than that for the manual equivalent. The test figures, released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), also show that more women continue to opt to take the automatic test than men, although the proportion of male learners opting for the two-pedal test has risen from 24 per cent a decade ago to 39 per cent last year.

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