If a person finds it hard to drive manual, they get an automatic license in or give up driving overall?
Posted by pastaparmigianino@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 58 comments
Do you know a lot of people who gave up driving because manual was very difficult to learn?
My roommates and I are debating it.
We learned that a higher percentage of people in London drive than NYC. However, in the US a higher percentage have their license than in the UK.
Creative-Tea581@reddit
In the UK? Take the automatic and get on with your life. The “manual = real driver” thing is mostly ego most people just need to get from A to B safely. If you ever need manual later, you can always upgrade. No point quitting driving over a clutch.
spoo4brains@reddit
From what I have read elsewhere, upgrading causes issues with insurance as you become a new driver again when you get new license.
Opening-Number-9771@reddit
Exactly this. If you drive to get to work and back, and don’t drive for recreation, who cares if you have manual or auto? No one! I do drive for fun, I e always loved driving and also ride motorbikes, so for me, auto is boring and gives less control for “spirited” driving. For getting from A to B, automatic is fine. If you’re not driving like Colin McRae, you will actually prefer automatics.
Stephen_Dann@reddit
If you are driving like Colin McRae you shouldn't be on the road 😃. Back when it was common for automatic gearboxes to 3 or 4 gears, they were not so good. These days with 7+ gears they are much better.
Djinjja-Ninja@reddit
Going forward almost every car will either be automatic, or with electric cars not even have any gears.
Manual will become less and less relevant.
I went to a DSG auto almost a decade ago and haven't missed a full manual at all.
Something like a DSG is the best of both worlds, auto most of the time, then flappy paddles for when you want some fun.
To this day blipping down through the gears approaching a roundabout still puts a little smile on my face.
h4baine@reddit
I moved to the UK from the US and only ever drove automatics. I had no interest in learning to drive a manual so I didn't and just bought automatics. It was never an issue.
pogadog@reddit
well europe has trains between countries that go 2-3x the speed of cars, it would be easier to build railways than the road network. So its not the geography of the USA that forces people to drive cars, its the choice of prioritising cars.
h4baine@reddit
Oh absolutely and especially on a systemic level. Our government does not invest in trains and has catered to the auto lobby for a long time so we don't really get much of a choice. I'd love to see it change.
PracticeNo8733@reddit
I think a lot of people here didn't really read your question and assume you're in the UK and looking to learn yourself.
Most people don't find manual very difficult to learn. I think in the US it has more of a reputation of being so because, with the dominance of automatic cars there, it's mostly just enthusiasts who drive manual cars. Here most drivers learn on manual and many still drive manual, so it's just as much for your grandmother as anyone else. I think for me it took maybe one or two "extra" lessons and certainly wasn't a difficult part of learning or passing the test. (I've never actually driven an automatic.)
Having said that, yes, if someone has particular problems with gears due to skill or disability issues then they might learn to drive automatic and I think it's becoming increasingly popular for people who just find driving difficult.
Mr-Incy@reddit
If the only aspect of driving someone is struggling with is changing gears, they will typically get an automatic licence, which obviously restricts them to only being able to drive automatic cars, unless they go back later and take the test in a manual. but given most newer cars, especially electric, seem to be going down the automatic transmission path, it won't really matter.
As side note, I used to work with someone that rode a motorbike, he was an older guy and is now retired, during conversations we found out that he couldn't drive a car at all, he had tried to take lessons when he was in his twenties but couldn't get used to using his feet for the clutch and accelerator and his hand for the changing gear, even an automatic was out of the question. He had no idea why, but his brain just wouldn't make the switch from motorbike controls to car controls.
getoutmywayatonce@reddit
Some people do, but it’s more common that people who learn automatic just chose to do that all along.
The thing is, automatic is simpler as a machine but what a lot of learners are really struggling with is road knowledge as opposed to operating the car itself. If you look on the learner driver sub people post their test results, gear related issues aren’t actually that common. So yes there’s the “fewer distractions” angle where a simpler machine to operate = more concentration on external stuff, but swapping from manual to auto lessons isn’t necessarily going to make a learner suddenly great at all the external stuff. The automatic pass rate is actually lower than the manual one!
Just bear in mind the average time to learn a manual here is suggested to be something like 40-50 hours of lessons + 20 hours of practise. Even with a 2 hour weekly lesson that’s still a good 6 months of learning. Unless you’re all getting close to that point and feel like you’re all doing terribly I’d keep going with manual. It’s worth it for the perks and freedom to choose afterwards tbh. No harm in swapping to auto though, still better than quitting entirely but just be aware it may not magically fix your issues.
ThrowawayParsnip5@reddit
I learned to drive when I was 17 in a manual and passed my test in one. Then, for a multitude of reasons, didn't have the opportunity to drive again until my late 30s.
I had to start from scratch again, so started lessons in a manual. But this time round I really struggled due to lots of factors, but bottom line was I hit a wall early on and couldn't seem to get past it.
I had sunk so much money into lessons and didn't seem to be getting anywhere. I felt like I was in a tricky situation - if I carried on I could just be wasting even more money if I wasn't making progress, but if I stopped it would feel like the time/money I had spent so far would have been wasted. In the end I gave myself a temporary break from it because it was starting to stress me out. And then my dad suggested trying the automatic route. I was very reluctant for all the reasons people usually cite, but by this point I just wanted to get on the road and was sick of the stress of lessons.
So I got lessons in an automatic and, stating the obvious here, but it was like night and day. By the end of my first lesson in the automatic I was on the motorway..... I can't stress to you enough that by the last lesson I'd had in the manual, I was still being driven to/from the quiet area by my instructor. A couple more lessons to build up my cconfidence later, and I was back up to scratch.
I know this is a different situation because I already hold a manual license but I'm very glad I opted to switch to automatic to get me on the road as soon as possible. No regrets.
Jose_out@reddit
I don't think there's much value in learning manual given automatic is taking over.
I'd probably remember how to if I had to drive manual but haven't for years and can't see any future situation I'd be driving anything other than automatic.
KalamariNights@reddit
Learning auto is great until you have to rent a van for moving or similar...
Pass manual and then buy an auto if you don't enjoy switching gears but multiple times my couple of friends who have auto only licenses have been bitten by it...
Key_Plum_99a@reddit
I don’t know anyone who thought mania was difficult to learn.
I drive an automatic because of long motorway journeys.
Active_Definition_57@reddit
That seems odd to me as you don't tend to need to change gear much on motorways. If you said you did lots of driving in busy cities then that would seem a more obvious reason.
Key_Plum_99a@reddit
Less tiring when driving for 2+ hours if you don’t have to think about changing gears when there are queues of traffic on the M6.
Active_Definition_57@reddit
Luckily I rarely have to contend with the M6.
onionsareawful@reddit
more Americans have a licence because it's far easier to get a licence in the US, and driving is more necessary.
Shelly_Lea_@reddit
So true! I’m an American who’s recently passed the theory test in the UK, and it’s much harder here! (Better in my opinion).
onionsareawful@reddit
i did the opposite (UK -> US), having learnt in the UK the equivalent US test was a breeze -- and i was in one of the harder states to get a licence.
it's much easier to drive in the US though. wide roads, junctions are mostly crossroads, etc.
SixCardRoulette@reddit
In the US, driving lessons (theory and practical) - "driver's ed" - are part of the standard mandatory school curriculum for most states for every student, I think?
pastaparmigianino@reddit (OP)
Is that not the case in the UK?
VFrosty3@reddit
No. I didn't learn to drive until I was 25, my wife was in her 30s. Didn't have a reason to learn to drive before that, as lived/worked where public transport was good. Here it can cost a couple of grand and can take a year to pass, once you've done all your lessons, your hazard perception test, theory test and practical test. I basically learnt to drive because my wife was pregnant and we figured we'd need a car once the baby came along.
InkedDoll1@reddit
The minimum legal age to drive here is 17, so whilst most people are still in education at that age now, many aren't at a school. They're on a practical course to learn a specific trade or skill, so wouldn't have any "lessons" as such. When i was at school you could leave and go into full time work at 16, so many people had left school well before they could legally learn to drive.
Purple-Caterpillar-1@reddit
No, driving lessons are entirely separate, quite a lot of people I know didn’t learn until after university - I did, but didn’t then drive a car until about 7 years after passing my test
Johnny_Vernacular@reddit
No.
DameKumquat@reddit
It depends on the school (and state) - it's not nearly as common as it was 50 years ago.
My mum and siblings did drivers ed, but only a couple of cousins. And I don't think it was ever a compulsory class (certainly it wasn't for my cousins).
h4baine@reddit
It's outside of school and you have to pay for it but it's cheaper because it's a big group of students going in together. The school just connects you to the driving school at a discount, it's not required as part of the curriculum.
Fine-State8014@reddit
When I learnt to drive the only reason to get an automatic licence was a disability. Now lots of people get them.
Tall_Stick5608@reddit
Manual cars don’t make sense in 2026 for the average driver
heyitsed2@reddit
Show your working?
boomerangchampion@reddit
Not him but at this point they're slower, less fuel efficient, give you an option to fuck your clutch up, and make you work harder while you're driving.
For the average driver automatic is better on every front except upfront cost, and I suspect that's changing.
Obviously it's different if you're B-road rallying in an MX5 or whatever.
hjw5774@reddit
I know a couple of people who have an auto-only licence because a change of circumstances meant they needed to learn faster.
My wife, manager and boss all drive autos, and with the prevalence of electric cars, the percentage of people driving autos will go up.
Personally, I prefer a manual for the granular control you have of the vehicle. It's something that does improve with practice.
Stephen_Dann@reddit
Electric cars don't have a gearbox, it is single drive. You just keep accelerating. Yes many have a fixed reduction gearbox between the electric motor.and the wheels, but it is a fixed ratio. There are no gear changes as you drive.
InkedDoll1@reddit
I just gave up. But to be fair I found driving hard full stop, gears were only one part of the equation. I needed surgery on my leg so I had a good excuse to stop lessons, and never tried again.
TobsterVictorSierra@reddit
Ideally they'd give up completely, but mass private transport underpins the economy outside of major urban centres, so the next best thing is they fathom easier vehicles to some degree of adequacy.
Tricky_Ricky83@reddit
I have cerebral palsy so I took the decision to take my lessons and test in an automatic.
Can’t say it’s ever bothered me to not drive a manual car. Even if I could drive a manual I’d probably have an auto by now anyway because I drive long motorway miles and I find it so simple.
Most electric cars are auto now anyway.
Imaginary_Finger7844@reddit
Get an automatic license.
ArgumentativeNutter@reddit
I find it hard to believe somebody could be safe on the roads and not be able to do something as simple as gears. hazard awareness is far more difficult
Special_Artichoke@reddit
Not if you have dyspraxia... I'm a safe driver, never been involved in an accident, always pay attention, can guess when other road users are gonna fuck up. But despite driving for years I'm clunky on the clutch, I hated learning it, if I was learning now I would 100% do auto only
onionsareawful@reddit
it's very hard for new drivers because it's another thing to focus on.
Stephen_Dann@reddit
We were all new drivers at one point. Learning clutch control and changing hear soon becomes second nature. I drove manual cars for 36 years, it was part of driving. Only stopped when I bought my first EV 4 years ago.
Sorry-Programmer9826@reddit
They are completely different skills though.
Like I can believe a surgeon not being able to roller skate. That wouldn't concern me
PokeyBum_Wank@reddit
It's like riding a bike, legs go fast go up a gear, legs can't struggle go down, it's not rocket surgery
FeedFrequent1334@reddit
It's probably more about flattening out the initial learning curve. It's the same with learning anything for the first time, and why we give small kids trikes or stabilisers rather than overwhelm them by insisting they either learn to ride a bike properly right off the bat or just never learn at all.
SCWeak@reddit
But clutch control and hazard perception are completely different things. Should we scrap auto-only licenses?
If someone struggles with a manual and recognises that, so goes auto-only then they at least have the awareness to understand maybe they’re a better driver if the choose an auto. If they don’t have to think about changing gear in a manual that frees them up more staying alert.
Serious-Top9613@reddit
It took me 92 hours to learn manual. I wasn’t the transmission that was a problem, but rather my stupid brain not being quick enough to read situations and give me an answer (i.e meeting situations). My dad’s 10 year old auto cost him £10k upon purchase (secondhand private sale), so there was no way i was affording an auto. That being said, insurance is typically cheaper for manual licence holders insuring an auto than auto licence holders insuring one.
Asleep-Ad9011@reddit
Just learn automatic as most cars these days are automatic anyway
GuelderRoseFruit@reddit
Most people I know who found learning in a manual too hard just gave up learning to drive.
gingerprop@reddit
I utterly loath driving on the road, I purposely got an automatic licence so I'm never told to take the work van out to get something.
Euphoric_Rough_5245@reddit
I learned to drive in a manual but now drive an automatic so if you find it hard to drive a manual get an automatic license. I know quite a few people that have chosen to get their automatic license, they’re still driving, getting to places they need to without having to use alternative means. Why does having an automatic licence make you less of a driver than a manual??
jamesdownwell@reddit
Who cares what type transmission they use? It will be pretty hard to buy a decent manual in about ten years anyway.
Dr-Moth@reddit
The gears are probably the biggest hurdle in learning how to drive, but if you learn it you'll have better control over your vehicle. Its also a lot of fun.
However, the future is electric, so manual gearboxes are on their way out, and the downsides of not learning manual are shrinking. Just be prepared for your first vehicle to be more expensive.
pablove_black@reddit
My mom started manual, couldn’t get the hang of it so went automatic. This was 20 years ago, no real issues other than less choice when buying cars.
cluelesstwonk@reddit
No. driving manual cars in the uk is normal, until the 90’s autos were mostly on higher end cars.
Now with electric and hybrid vehicles autos are becoming far more common
Rhesus-Positive@reddit
Hybrids and electrics are overwhelmingly automatic, so it'll be less restrictive when picking a vehicle moving forwards; a colleague recently got an automatic licence for that reason.
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