Auto or manual - learning to drive.

Bonniepurple

I was forced into an automatic due to injury but I should have done it years ago. So much easier to drive. My daughters are now learning to drive and I’ve said to try manual first and then, if they struggle, switch.  I would probably have passed my test a lot sooner had I not had gears to worry about-but there was far more of a stigma back then. 

Manuals are going to be around for a long time yet. The problem in the next few years will be finding a manual driving instructor as if they go for a new car it will be electric.

Bigwheels1111

I have taken 5 Vehicle tests.

Bike, Manual

Car,  Manual

HGV 1 & 2 Manuals

PCV Auto.

I would always advise that a a manual test is taken, Just to give you options going forward.

Now having said that, I had driven around 50k miles a year for 24 year in a manual cars.

Plus HGV'S 300k, let alone 100k miles on bikes over 30 years.

I now only drive Auto's & love it.

But I'm old now.

WIAWSNB

Bigwheels1111 said:

I have taken 5 Vehicle tests.

Bike, Manual

Car,  Manual

HGV 1 & 2 Manuals

PCV Auto.

I would always advise that a a manual test is taken, Just to give you options going forward.

Now having said that, I had driven around 50k miles a year for 24 year in a manual cars.

Plus HGV'S 300k, let alone 100k miles on bikes over 30 years.

I now only drive Auto's & love it.

But I'm old now.

I have my bike and manual car licence too, and am old enough to have D1 minibus included by default, which is handy as I help at a local yoof group.

Our current car - bought just a few months back - is our first auto, and, wow, it makes life so easy. Stop-start-crawling traffic is just not a hassle any more.

aloysius_babalonski

I have a different take on this...I don't want to drive manual. I have no need at the time to drive manual. Learning to drive is expensive and time consuming as it is. So I went for the auto test. You are not restricted for life to only driving auto - should at any point you want a manual license, you can simply take the test in a manual car and get a license that covers manual. 

In my view, after qualifying and being able to drive and driving for years on the roads in an automatic, should you want to get a manual license, all you need to do is worry about learning how to operate a manual car. I personally couldn't take on board all of that combined with everything else that happens in a driving test. 

My logic is that it is better to get the license first and worry about manual later (don't plan on ever learning manual but I still have that option). There's this weird British mindset about manual being the only correct way of driving, even as we approach the 2030s. 

I'm from the states originally (did drive manual there on occasions, you don't need a special license for it) and never liked it. It's just too many things and limbs involved for no reason. 

WIAWSNB

aloysius_babalonski said:

I have a different take on this...I don't want to drive manual. I have no need at the time to drive manual. Learning to drive is expensive and time consuming as it is. So I went for the auto test. You are not restricted for life to only driving auto - should at any point you want a manual license, you can simply take the test in a manual car and get a license that covers manual. 
In my view, after qualifying and being able to drive and driving for years on the roads in an automatic, should you want to get a manual license, all you need to do is worry about learning how to operate a manual car. I personally couldn't take on board all of that combined with everything else that happens in a driving test. 

My logic is that it is better to get the license first and worry about manual later (don't plan on ever learning manual but I still have that option). There's this weird British mindset about manual being the only correct way of driving, even as we approach the 2030s. 
I'm from the states originally (did drive manual there on occasions, you don't need a special license for it) and never liked it. It's just too many things and limbs involved for no reason. 

'Simply'?! After having only auto under your belt? I imagine that would be even harder than going manual to begin with. 

But, thanks for your viewpoint. Deffo going manual to start with. 

aloysius_babalonski

WIAWSNB said:

'Simply'?! After having only auto under your belt? I imagine that would be even harder than going manual to begin with. 

But, thanks for your viewpoint. Deffo going manual to start with. 

Yes simply - as someone who has driven for years on UK roads and has an auto licence simply needs to take the test in a manual car. 

Feel free to do whatever is appropriate for you, but at this stage in my life and with preference to drive auto, I'm happy with my auto license and how quickly I was able to get it at the age of 50. 

Not ruling out ever driving manual - my point is that I don't want to or need to - but you always have the option to upgrade your license to a manual further down the road. 

victor2

aloysius_babalonski said:

WIAWSNB said:

'Simply'?! After having only auto under your belt? I imagine that would be even harder than going manual to begin with. 

But, thanks for your viewpoint. Deffo going manual to start with. 

Yes simply - as someone who has driven for years on UK roads and has an auto licence simply needs to take the test in a manual car. 

Feel free to do whatever is appropriate for you, but at this stage in my life and with preference to drive auto, I'm happy with my auto license and how quickly I was able to get it at the age of 50. 

Not ruling out ever driving manual - my point is that I don't want to or need to - but you always have the option to upgrade your license to a manual further down the road. 

It is not "simple"! I drove autos for a few years then went back to manual (passed my test in a manual decades ago), and like many others I spoke to in a similar situation, found you forget to change down when slowing down, resulting in stalling the car! Changing up is not a problem, as the engine screans at you. 

Have only driven autos for the last 25+ years and wouldn't go back to manual.

aloysius_babalonski

victor2 said:

It is not "simple"! I drove autos for a few years then went back to manual (passed my test in a manual decades ago), and like many others I spoke to in a similar situation, found you forget to change down when slowing down, resulting in stalling the car! Changing up is not a problem, as the engine screans at you. 

Have only driven autos for the last 25+ years and wouldn't go back to manual.

Allow me to rephrase - I don't mean that just because you've had an auto license for years you can jump into a manual car and retake the test. Obviously you would need training and lessons on how to work the manual car. 

What I meant is that for someone who just wants to drive auto, you pass your test and get your auto license without having to worry about all the extra stuff with manual. Then down the line, whether years or months - you are already in the fortunate position of having a driver's license, experience on the road and negotiating traffic, and now just need to add that extra skill of handling a clutch and a manual transmission. 

So you need to top up your driving skills with one last skill, handling a manual car. And if you fail, you still have an auto license and can still drive. So much less pressure - for some people this can be key. 

WIAWSNB

Picked up car today, and drove it 200 miles home.
A 2023 i10 - what a wee beauty. 
Silky-smooth gear change, completely stable on the motorway in the rain (tho' I kept to 60 on cruise), very comfy - more so than our Kuga - and over 60mpg. 
And took my 6'2" frame with zero issues - many inches of headroom (in fact I'd rather the seat went higher).
Only issue? Exiting the car and having to stand up, rather than gloriously tumbling from an SUV.
Oh, and Mangrove Green - the loveliest shade poss. Very important.