AIBU to think DD might as well learn to drive on an automatic car?

My son is currently learning automatic only. We chose this because I have a friend who is a (manual) driving instructor and she said it was the best option.

Our car is automatic so he'll drive that when he passes.

She also said that in her experience, if he does need a manual licence at any point it usually only takes a few lessons to get to grips with it because you have the other driving skills/experience by then.

I am 51 and I have been driving since I was 17 and I have never had to drive anyone to hospital in their car in an emergency. My insurance doesn't cover me to drive other cars anyway.

You obviously haven’t. As you can see from this thread a lot of us have.

i personally dont think we have moved on

i think this was the view in the 1990s when I learned. I think we’ve moved on.

i tend to believe people learn to drive in an automatic because they struggle to learn in a manual, so it is second best option.

they were complaining about the problems with electric cars

what specifically problems are these? I am on my second and never had an issue. They are a joy to drive.

Well of course that goes without saying.

i would have thought she SHOULD learn on a manual and buy her own car for her use

I learned to drive and passed my test in a manual but the first car I owned was a 1988 automatic Volvo 340 back in the late 90s. It must be far easier to buy an automatic for your first car now. I've also never had to drive someone else's car in an emergency in the thirty years since I passed my test. I'd say let her take the automatic driving test.

I passed my test in a manual, but in the following 30 years I've only driven automatics. After a few years I was so out of practice that I wouldn't have been safe driving a manual anyway so I might as well have taken the automatic test.

The only time it has been a pain was when I needed to buy & get a van converted as the chassis available were mostly manuals. Automatic hire cars are a thing and I wouldn't want to drive someone else's car without full insurance anyway, even in an emergency.

But there are a few jobs that still require a 'full clean driving licence' and an automatic one might not count?

There are currently more 2nd hand automatic cars for sale in a 50 mile radius of my house than manual. My DP can only drive manual and it’s never been a problem

I have advised anyone who will listen to ditch the manual as the combustible engine days are over. The future is hybrid & electric and they are ALL automatic. We have automatics and our cars are petrol. Eventually petrol/diesel will be phased out in 20 years and no one will be driving a manual petrol/diesel.

One DD had an accident last month,car written off and she lives rural, she borrowed her sisters car,we delivered it,all got manual licenses. She was car hunting, asked for DH advice,(he was a motor vehicle technician over 40 years) told her to avoid automatic because of less mpg and more expensive than manual when things go wrong and yes more expensive on insurance. When we were both working,he had an automatic,I hated it, practically threw people against the windscreen after hitting the brakes,by mistake. He went to see his old work colleagues the other day, they were complaining about the problems with electric cars,he said he would never have one,a petrol hybrid if we could afford it (we can't) my friend and neighbour has an electric Citroen sitting in his garden now for 5 years, with the batteries us. He's an electrical engineer on the railway. He did buy another nissan leaf, has 16 solar panels, charging problems out and about.

Hopefully you would exclude people with disabilities?

I have a manual licence but as I use hand controls they are not really compatible with manual cars.

At 21 I would just leave it up to her to decide. Pros and cons to both

I think it is still worth learning manual.

If you take a car in for a service the 'loan car' you get can be manual.

If you want to rent a car then you have more choice.

If you want to get a different category on your licence whether a motorbike or an HGV it is usefully to know how gears / clutch work. I believe, but I stand to be corrected, if you have a car licence that is manual then you can take an HGV test in an automatic but be able to drive both auto and manual.

Maybe in a few years she wants to buy a classic car she would not be able to drive it.

Is her first car realistically going to be an automatic? Automatic cars are more expensive and tbh I see driving a manual as an important skill. We really aren't anywhere close to getting rid of manual cars. Maybe in 10 years or so we will be.

If DD was an older learner just trying to pass a test quickly to ferry kids around it might be fair to learn automatic only but she's 21 with a lot of years of driving ahead of her

Depends on how financial situation will be over the next few years. I can tell you now trying to find a cheep second hand automatic is sooo much harder than finding a manual. Whereas I think if you are financially supporting or prepared to let her use your card then by the time she's ready to get her own car automatics likely will be a lot cheeper with all the electrical cars about.

But at her age surely she should be making this decision for herself?

In 2023 under 25s who had an auto licence only on average paid £760 more for car insurance because they have a 46% higher claim frequency than manual licence holders.

Many people that have failed their test multiple times end up passing in an automatic. Everybody should be made to pass in a manual. If you can’t manage it you are not safe enough to be on the road. The stats speak for themselves. I have 2 land rovers. They only come in auto but if I needed to i am not limited in choice or stuck in an emergency.

Surely you can say that about lots of things. I remember my gran suggesting my mum was being lazy when she went from a twin tub to a regular washing machine back in the 80s!

I think you might be a little out of touch on the company car front…so many new company cars are EVs anyway I don’t see it being an issue. You can’t even buy a new manual VW Golf GTi, they are all auto. It’s easier to keep the emissions low in an automatic than a manual. My parents are having to switch to auto for their next cars as the type they usually buy just aren’t available as manuals. Think small and medium size German hatch / saloon / estate type cars.

I've had the same conversation with my 17yr old dd but I've recommended she takes her test in a manual.

Firstly it gives her options, and she can drive either. There are also lots of times she might need it, such as hiring vans, driving older cars, she's got a horse and most horse boxes are manual etc.

The big reason is that second hand cars she can drive after passing her test are primarily manual cars. Unless of course you can afford to pay £10000+ on a car. We've been looking at £2000 cars that she can afford to insure, such as a fiat 500 or Vauxhall corsa, getting one as an automatic is like hens teeth.

They really won’t. I work in the industry but you keep believing whatever you like.

The only technology that has the capability to replace ICE on a full scale basis is hydrogen and the tech isn’t quite there yet.

Me neither

I feel the people advocating for the importance of a manual license will still be insisting the same in 20 or 30 years time. Probably while playing snake on their Nokias.