whats Average amount of driving lessons needed to learn an automatic?

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  • trailingspouse
    trailingspouse Posts: 4,035 Forumite
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    Learn to drive in a stick shift. Learn to drive in the largest car you can get lessons in.

    Then you'll be able to do it, and you won't ever have to apologise for not being able to do it.

    Manuals are so much easier to drive than they used to be (I have a 40 year old MGB...). Just do it.
    No longer a spouse, or trailing, but MSE won't allow me to change my username...
  • silverwhistle
    silverwhistle Posts: 3,791 Forumite
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    Do you ride a bike or motorbike? Having roadsense helps. I didn't learn until I was 28 and had 6 hours of lessons (4 x1.5) and some practice with a friend and passed first time. Having ridden a small motorbike helped, I think.
  • movilogo
    movilogo Posts: 3,186 Forumite
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    For most learners, usually automatic means faster to learn. I know people struggled with manual and then passed easily in automatic.

    Being restricted to driving auto only is not a big deal. Most people will never drive anything other than their own cars.

    Regarding car hire, it is not an issue either. I have manual license, but when I hire cars in mainland Europe I always hire automatics because can't be bothered to change gears with wrong hand :D

    I learnt in manual, but once I bought an auto, I'd never go back to a manual.

    So yes, if you want to learn in automatic, just go for it.
    Happiness is buying an item and then not checking its price after a month to discover it was reduced further.
  • Shaka_Zulu
    Shaka_Zulu Posts: 1,689 Forumite
    Learning to drive is about practice and confidence and you get that by driving with family, friends etc. The instructor is there to teach the rules mainly

    OP just get out driving at every opportunity and you will know when you are nearly ready and your instructor will confirm.
  • aardvaak
    aardvaak Posts: 5,833 Forumite
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    I had 4 lessons (2 of them on the day of the test) and I passed 1st time in a manual car.
  • wymondham
    wymondham Posts: 6,354 Forumite
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    Iceweasel wrote: »
    You won't learn any quicker on an automatic.

    Not necessarily true. My son was learning to drive but was have real issues with gears/clutch control etc, so much so it was distracting him from actually driving. He switched to lessons in an automatic and got on well, going on for a test and passed (2nd time!).....
  • truewraith121
    truewraith121 Posts: 50 Forumite
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    edited 15 September 2017 at 3:40PM
    huge thanks for that and that is also i massive confidence boost in what you said and yeah i start my auto lessons next week and im going to stick with it despite some saying i should learn manual which i couldnt get used to and resulted in me never learning to drive until now as i thought i was going to succeed when i tried with the manual.

    thanks again for all the input
  • wymondham
    wymondham Posts: 6,354 Forumite
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    Excellent. don't worry too much about not learning manual, as the way things are going is automatic...
  • spiro
    spiro Posts: 6,403 Forumite
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    truewraith121 wrote: »
    huge thanks for that and that is also i massive confidence boost in what you said and yeah i start my auto lessons next week and im going to stick with it despite some saying i should learn manual which i couldnt get used to and resulted in me never learning to drive until now as i thought i was going to succeed when i tried with the manual.

    thanks again for all the input
    Maybe have several lessons in an auto to build up your confidence on the roads and they try a lesson or 2 in a manual. That way there are less new things to learn and you may get along ok. Just a thought.
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  • JP1978
    JP1978 Posts: 527 Forumite
    My wife attempted lessons two or three times when she was young - she was a live in nanny and the employers paid for them but still couldnt get to grips with driving - maybe as, ast the time, she mentally didnt want to drive - in her personal life had no need or desire too.

    Roll on to 4 years ago, kids growing up and really struggling to get work and manage the kids without driving (i work away from home) she then had the need to learn. I tried teaching her, or at least the initial steps in a manual car but she just couldnt do it, she just cant correlate the need to change up and down gears and know when to do so. Someone suggested learning in an auto and although it took a lot of lessons to get her confidence up, she did pass and passed 1st time too.

    Shes been driving 3 years now, she as a VW DSG based small MPV type car and loves it, slightly higher up and good visibility. Just back from renting her an automatic car as her car needs a new gearbox, but thats another story!
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