Dd to learn in an automatic from the start?

[makemineadecaf]

Dd will be 17 next year and is already nagging me about lessons for her birthday. My husband and I both drive autos (but both drive manuals for donkeys before). Now I’m in an automatic, I’ll literally never go back. And isn’t it the sign of the times for manuals to become redundant?

I would have thought manual would be better. If you passed on Auto licence you wouldn't be able to drive a manual. At least they would have a choice.

Because of the move to hybrids and EVs, there are more automatics available. We're planning for our DD to learn in an automatic too.

Learn in a Manuel. She can then drive both. She will be at a disadvantage if she learns only auto.

I agree with what you’re saying about automatic being the way things are going- I haven’t driven a manual for years.

However, is your DD going to be driving your cars, or will she be looking to get her own? Our DCs have their own cars, which are pretty old because they obviously can’t afford new cars. Older cars are more likely to be manual. We thought it was better for our DCs to learn in a manual, so that’s what they’ve done. Eventually they can switch to automatic once they can afford a newer car but that is likely to be a few years away.

One of mine had to learn in an automatic because she needs an adapted car.

What I'd say is:
Lessons were more expensive
She passed quicker as an offset.
Insurance if you only have an auto licence is more expensive - and the first insurance is eyewatering anyway.

It also means that hiring a car is more awkward, and there was an events job she was invited to apply for which wanted a manual driving licence (involved driving little vehicles like golf trolleys I think).

I'd say go for the manual.

Ask your child. Look at the cars you will buy her. If they are all automatics, there is no harm to learn in one. I have a manual licence but DH doesn’t. I have not driven a manual car for over 20 years now. It’s useless once you lost confidence in it because you won’t hire one if you aren’t sure.

Manual from the off imo. You can drive both then.

Your daughter might prefer a manual for all you know.

You never know where life will take you. I never thought I would be driving tractors and even a D3 bulldozer. I do know of one slip of a girl who was working in the warehouse but, one day, not one of the blokes who turned up to drive had a manual license. So, out on the road she went,

Get a manual license. It keeps options open.

My dd learned in auto due to a physical disability. I swapped my car for auto so we could share and now have an electric auto I love. I’d never go back. I thought she’d be odd one out but a few girls at school also did auto only.

We ve had this conversation. DH works in the car industry and thinks automatic makes the most sense.
DS1 is dyspraxic so automatic will be easier for coordination.

Plus if he ever needs a manual license he can pass that later on.

I have an automatic but more than once when it’s been in the garage the only replacement car available is a manual. It’s things like that you need to think about.

@makemineadecaf we will have the same predicament in 1 years time. We both have automatic cars so DS will not have a manual car to practice in, but think it might be helpful to learn in a manual.

Saying that, if you look at current cars for sale on Autotrader, nearly 65% are automatic. But if you look at cheap cars (<£5000) then 79% are manual.

Cars are moving towards automatic (electric/hybrid) so although a manual licence would be useful at the moment, I think in the future it won't be important.

Of course it’s a sign of the times as all electric cars are “autos”. Manual really not needed anymore. I wouldn’t have a problem with my kids learning in autos.
People trot out all the old excuses - it’s difficult to hire an automatic (no it’s not, have done it with no problem for years), its
more expensive (negligible, decreasing), what of you need to drive a van (pay for a man with a van). It’s inevitable that increasingly all new cars will move to automatics in the near future.

We had this dilemma. DS opted for manual for the flexibility. He might never drive a manual again, but, equally, it might be a while before affording an EV and installing a home charger is feasible for him.

My friend is a driving instructor and tells me that driving examiners will go harder on someone in a test for automatics because they are easier to drive so they will focus more harshly on everything else. Not sure how true it is but thats what they say 🤷‍♀️

Yes do it, they are so much better

That makes no sense and I wouldn’t be paying that person to teach my kids.

I'm always amused by these threads. I know so many people who only have an automatic license and in the decades they have had them not one of them have ever encountered any of the problems that always crop up on these threads.

If she wants to learn in a manual later she can do but automatic only is very common and not at all problematic these days.

In my mind automatics are actually safer because you’re spending less time faffing about with gears and clutch control and more time actually concentrating on the road.

This

There is no logic to learning to drive a car that is harder to drive. It’s totally unnecessary. No idea why people cling to the gears are better mantra. Look at the US. Autos everywhere, dirt cheap. No one looks down on them for not knowing how to use a clutch.

I've been thinking about this, as my DS will hopefully be learning to drive in 3 years' time. I would always have gone with the received wisdom that a manual licence is more flexible, and an auto-only one is unnecessarily limiting yourself, if you could have driven a manual; but it's seeming less and less straightforward now.

The way things are going, I can see it eventually being the equivalent of being concerned about kids only becoming familiar with soft computer keyboards, as they will then be severely limited in life every time they want/need to use a manual typewriter!!

Of course, driving tests themselves won't be with us forever, once they ban the dangerous meatbags from being in control of cars, and they're all driverless...

Que 🤣

My son is learning in a manual. Similar to what others have said, if he buys his own car it’s unlikely to be an automatic!

A few years ago I would have said manual, definitely. But things move on, EVs will become the norm and there's no problem getting automatic hire cars, so that's not an argument. Learning to drive now? Auto all the way.