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

[whiteroseredrose]

DD is 21 and has not yet learned to drive. The plan is to learn next summer when she finishes university.

Problem is that DH and I both have hybrid cars that are automatic. I couldn't find a hybrid manual car as they probably don't exist.

Rather than have DD take lessons in.a manual car with either no practice in between or practice in our automatics, take that test and then maybe do a 'conversion' at a later date.

Would that make sense?

Sorry, but this simply isn’t true. In 20 years or so, the only ICE-only cars on the road will be collectors’ classics. Everything new will be hybrid or electric, which are all automatic.

Yep it's all the rage with the young uns

I wouldn't do that, otherwise she can't drive a manual if she wants to. Too restrictive.

My DD has learned in a manual. Her own car is a manual but it means that if she needs to hire or borrow a car she can get either. I know that all cars will be automatic in the next 5-10 years but while they’re no the default learning manual is still a useful skill.

I agree with this, seems silly to limit yourself to manual, what if she wants to hire a van for moving, or a camper for a holiday, or just not be restricted in any hire care situation actually. She is also going to be limited in what she can buy for her first car unless you are going to buy her something new.

My DM didn't learn to drive until she was 50 so it was sensible to only learn in an automatic but, when I consider my DC, they have often had to drive manual vehicles. Traveling in Asia on a gap year, temporary delivery driver job during Covid, helping on a friend's farm and volunteer work at a sanctuary collecting injured animals. Although they own automatics themselves, it would have limited their options had they not passed manual tests.

All these people saying just do automatic... that's fine unless you want to hire cars abroad. Automatic costs a heck of a lot more to hire

Go automatic- it's much quicker and easier. More than half of new cars registered in the UK are now automatic (was 20% 10 years ago so step change) and this will just increase over time. I can drive a manual but haven't driven one in 20 years and probably never will again unless I suddenly decide to retrain as an HGV driver. Hire cars overseas regularly and never had a problem hiring an automatic.

For those saying about hiring vans or having hire cars etc where do you live? It's honestly not difficult or uncommon to be able to hire automatics.

The only problem I can think of is if she wants to hire a car while abroad. Automatics are usually very expensive outside the US and Australia.

I learnt to drive a manual and then drove automatics for years. However I wanted a fun car and bought an MX-5 (Which are almost always manual and much more fun in this configuration) and I'm glad I didn't just learn automatic. It's also more useful when we go on holiday if we want to hire a car, when we were in Italy they had very few automatic cars available and ended up with a manual Jeep.

It's on average an extra 20Euros a day to hire automatic in Spain.

She's also 21 so another 4 years before she can even hire a car at any reasonable cost so by then automatics will be even more standard as all the hire companies are buying electrics when buying new fleet vehicles.

she doesn’t ’need’ to learn in a manual, why is it an important skill?

I can’t drive a manual, I learned and passed in an automatic and have always had an automatic car. Means I can get to work, I can do my job as a community nurse, I haven’t missed out, or lost anything by not being able to drive a manual car. I’ve never had a situation where I needed to drive a manual in an emergency either. Is driving an automatic or only having an automatic license less than? I did it becuase I struggled due to my dyslexia/dyspraxia with manual driving. So I adapted and passed in the auto. Managed to get to 45 without any issues re driving abroad etc

I did auto only 11 years ago and passed first time after 16 lessons at the grand old age of 46... I have NEVER found it a problem only having a automatic license and on the two occasions I've needed a curtesy car I've had an auto and easily hired a auto on holiday..

I learnt in a manual, but since my test I've only ever driven automatics. If I found myself in that position well then I'd have to call an Uber - I would struggle to drive a manual after all this time driving automatics. Yes my licence says I can, but I shudder to think what would happen if I tried.

The van thing is true.. what about if she ever wants to make some money as a courier, work as a trade, convert a camper van.. etc, etc. what about if she gets in to a relationship with someone who drives a manual.

It’s daft not to get as many skills as you can, you never know when you’re going to need them!

I passed my test in an automatic and it's never held me back. I don't have any intention of ever renting a van to drive myself, everyone whose car I might borrow drives automatic anyway and we've never had a problem hiring an automatic car in the UK or abroad.

My cousins (now 20) both learnt in automatic cars.

Over half of all new cars sold in the UK are now automatic.

On Autotrader, over half of all cars for sale have automatic gear boxes.

The downside is that if you pass a test in an automatic, you can't drive a manual car, but if you pass in a manual then you can drive either.

But then as the market grows, we are tending more towards automatics, so this is becoming less of a problem.

Plenty of cheap petrol automatics available second hand too.

I passed in an auto. I hated driving lessons but needed to be able to drive asap. I had inherited a little automatic car so that was sat waiting for me. So I thought make life easy, get an auto licence, then resit in a manual later. Over 20 years on I've still not got round to doing manual, so it clearly hasn't impacted me too much!

I’m paraplegic, I can only drive an adapted automatic. I have a wheelchair accessible van, automatic of course, and although they aren’t as common as manual vans they are definitely available.
I’ve never had to drive someone else’s car in an emergency and on the one occasion I had to hire a car it was straightforward to hire a fully adapted automatic.

I'm thinking if your dd is ever needing to hire a car in the UK or abroad or has to drive someone else's car, you'd be limiting her flexibility by saying just do automatic.

Yes my ds drives automatic as he has hereditary spastic paraplegia and so has no feeling in his left foot which doesn't move anyway but is stuck at 90° in an afo.

Would it limit him? Possibly but I think people forget those who are limited by nature rather than choice manage so ..... 🤷‍♀️

I'm glad I passed my test in a manual - they're much cheaper and easier to get hold of (at least, in our neck of the woods they are). IMO it's much better to have the skill and ability to do both - just in case.

We will face this choice soon. As a household we only have electric / automatic, so no manual to practice in.

We hire automatic when abroad.

I suspect teen will opt for automatic test as it should be "easier" to pass.