Manual or automatic driving lessons for today’s teens?

[TheWildRumpyPumpus]

Are your teenagers (or you) learning to drive manual or automatic? When I took my test 15 years ago it was suggested that everyone passed the manual test, but as a family we’ve ended up with 2 automatic cars anyway!

DS isn’t bothered and we if we go automatic they will be able to get practice in family cars. DH reckons manual will give more options in future. Anyone with recent experience with words of wisdom?

Ds had to learn automatic as left foot doesn't work.

No problem finding an instructor and learned easily.

Passed test with 0 faults too - the little bugger!

I now drive automatic having driven manual since 1997! (He has an adapted cat through motability so I drive that).

It's sooooooooo much easier and to think I was terrified at the thought of switching 🫣😂

"It is not an easier driving test, where on earth did you get that idea from? Whether you learn in a manual, or automatic the diving test is exactly the same!"

Of course they aren't. In a manual test your clutch control, gear changes, engine breaking, hill starts etc are all additional elements that are tested making the test harder.

I learnt in an automatic. I first was learning in a manual car, years ago, partly due to family members attitude towards learning in an automatic back then, but I really struggled due to my disability, that they never really took account of. I wish I had just gone with what I wanted to do. I eventually took lessons again, and have an automatic license. I have not struggled to find suitable cars to drive.

He can practice in yours even if he is learning in a manual. There is still plenty to learn outside of his lessons like reading the road and thinking ahead. Of course it won't help his clutch control but driving is also about confidence so any time in a vehicle is good as long as it doesn't throw him off when he has to change gear for his lessons.
I still think automatic all the way. I've never had an issue getting an automatic hire car! I learnt and passed in a manual but I don't see the point these days.

Manual. At least they’ll have the option to drive both.

Manual because it gives options. We recently hired on holiday and they only had manual cars, there was a couple arguing with the sales rep how unfair it was, in Europe manual still are the majority of vehicles on the road (opposite in USA)

DD is learning a manual, because that's what we've got and I'm buggered if we're buying a new car just for her.

I'd imagine she'll spend most of her life driving autos though

I had such a difficult time learning to drive manual. It was so much better when i switched to automatic. But i don’t think my sons will have the same issues as i did. So i’d start for them with manual lessons and only switch to automatic when they have trouble learning it all.

Being able to drive any car is more beneficial, surely.

Manual they will thank you in the future. Many more cheap first cars available in manual. Easier parts to find and it's manual... We need to keep them on the roads.

Manual. I learnt in manual and ended up following a career path that required me to be able to drive any vehicle I was given. If I'd learnt in automatic I would've had to do my test again in a manual and then wait 3 years to apply for the job!

I've noticed that some apprenticeships and jobs still require a manual driving license. My DD is studying policing and the job adverts for our local police force stipulate a manual license is required.

We are holding on to our manual car just so she can practise in it - we'd have sold it by now otherwise as our main car is an automatic.

Auto, so much easier and nicer to drive. My kids won't ever need to drive a manual, especially with the rise of EVs

This thread is so Mumsnet. If you're able to discount real world budget constraints automatic only is fine but if your idea of a first car is something over 10 years old for a couple of grand then manual will give you far more choice when looking at cars for DS.

I am an automatic ADI specializing in clients that have struggled.

I would advise manual to start then if they struggle automatic. Manual is more flexible if they travel abroad and need to hire a car.

Try and arrange 3 or 4 lessons back to back or in quick succession to start.

When I start new clients I always start early Saturday and Sunday morning for 2 hours each morning. Then they have another 2 lessons that week.

I do charge £50 for 1 hour though as I offer a more individual service rather than just weekly lessons. Consolidation early on is the key to success and imo this saves money in the long run too. So although some find my hourly rate high they have fewer lessons in the long run.

If your DC doesn’t get on with the ADI find another.

Once your DC is able to control the car I would take them out in my own car too especially early morning Saturday and Sunday. Even practicing the maneuvers helps a great deal.

Well all electric vehicles are automatic and whilst it will be quite a while yet before all cars are electric, it will happen eventually - like it or not. So learning in a manual seems somewhat futile.
However conversely, in the meantime if they plan on driving for a living for a company which provides vehicles, the chances are those vehicles will be manual. Especially if they’re those little vans.

It doesn’t hurt to have a manual licence as you can always drive automatics with an existing manual licence; But you cannot drive a manual with an automatic licence…..

They (most likely) will if they ever wish to hire a car abroad in countries other than those in North America, anyway.

Manual driving will come obsolete within the next 10-20 years. After that point all new cars will be automatic. Unless you are a car collector of vintage cars, which most people are not, people will not need to learn how to drive a manual car.

Manual - because you then have the option to drive both automatic and manual vehicles, should the need arise. Years ago my car broke down over Christmas and needed an expensive repair, which I couldn't have afforded even if garages had been open, and friends kindly offered me the use of their run-around manual car. At the time, I was living in the sticks and without a manual licence I would have been really stuck.

One of my teachers used to say to us, "Always give yourself options" - and that advice has served me very well in many situations ever since.

Obsolete if you have enough money to buy a nearly new car. There's a lot of 15-25 YO cars that are still on the road, are still perfectly serviceable and the vast majority will be manual.

I have a 5 YO small manual petrol car that I intend keeping for another 5-10 years at least at which time I might change it but if I end up selling it, it will probably go to someone as a first car and will have plenty of life left in it. It wouldn't be any good to anyone with an auto only licence.

When I bought it a couple of years ago, the vast majority of the cars of that type were manual so it follows that in 10 years time when people are looking for first cars or cheap run arounds, there will still be a lot of older manual cars on the road.

I think we will go for automatic only as no-one we know drives manual anymore and not new cars, including mine which is 8 years old. We never have problems renting automatic cars in the UK or abroad either.

I was reluctant to move from manual to automatic - but would never go back, along with having an automatic break. It think not concentrating on gear changes gives new drivers more time to concentrate on the road.

Virtually all the instructors around here still teach in manual cars. The majority of our family and friends still drive manual cars. All 3 of ours are manual and I'm due to change my car soon but won't be looking for an automatic. Getting an automatic hire car or courtesy car is nigh on impossible (I have 1 friend who has always driven an automatic even though she passed in a manual).
I would definitely recommend passing in a manual car. Teenagers don't know what vehicles they may need to drive in future employment, so it would be daft to limit their options.

Manual cars are being phased out. If it's easier/cheaper to learn automatic, I don't think it will make any difference to their options.

My DD ended up doing an automatic test as her first test was scheduled for three days after the first lockdown started, and subsequent problems getting tests/driving lessons meant that she needed to pass urgently and ended up doing her test in my car, which is an automatic. The plan was always to do a manual test at some later point, but 4 years on that point hasn't happened.
It's not held her back. She had my old car at first, and now has an automatic company car. I think more and more people are taking an automatic test. It's not seen as unusual.

Manual for us, obviously if DS had experienced issues passing then we might have changed. I do think a manual gives you options, hiring a car or van, using a works car or van, it just makes things easier that he can drive anything. Of course there are automatic options of the above but it just means there’s less explaining to do. I think he’ll end up in an automatic car eventually as the brands he’s now looking at seem to favour automatic.