🔗 Share this article

One in each four licensing exams in the UK are now being taken in automatic cars, per new data, as learners prefer more eco-friendly cars and avoid manual transmissions.

Increasing Trend Toward Automatic Vehicles

Figures reveal that over 469,000 of the approximately 1.8 million licensing exams taken in Great Britain last year were conducted in automatics.

Insurance provider a major driving organization said the movement is being fueled by the UK's prohibition on the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles scheduled in the year 2030.

An industry expert, a senior leader of a major driver education organization, said that the need to know how to operate a manual transmission car is becoming "less important for numerous people."

Licensing Rules

To get a unrestricted motorist certification for Britain, a driver must successfully complete their exam in a car with manual gears.

If the test is undertaken in an automatic vehicle, the motorist would obtain a Category B Auto licence, restricting them to driving vehicles with automatic transmission only.

NI grants its distinct driving licences.

Forward-Looking Shifts

The expert commented that individuals learning to drive are "feeling secure with the idea of their automotive future being EV-based."

"Approaching to the next decade and the ban on the sale of new combustion cars, more and more learners will choose to practice in an EV as that is what they will plan to drive."

Policy Updates

Subsequent to the national vote last year, the current administration pledged to reinstate the petrol and diesel ban to the next decade, after the ex-PM Rishi Sunak delayed it to 2035.

Cost Perks

The decreased operational expenditures of eco-friendly cars is also appealing to numerous people.

EVs can be significantly more expensive than a petrol or diesel car or a hybrid initially, but the price difference is narrowing.

Furthermore, EV owners can expect to cut costs on gas and repairs expenses.

Instructor Perspective

An industry professional, the proprietor of Sue's Driving School in a UK town, remarked that automatics are "the way forward" as the vehicle market shifts to EVs.

For learner drivers, the expert noted, self-shifting cars can make the test easier, as "it requires less coordination."

Novice motorists can "wreck a mechanical components," Ms Howe commented, adding that anxiety may cause them to shut down the motor.

She also mentioned the trend was positive for road safety as "motorists feel less fatigued" driving an automatic.

"It simplifies the driving experience - it's reduced effort for the motorist to do so they can concentrate more on the driving conditions."

Numerical Increase

Drivers attitudes toward electric vehicles have evolved dramatically in just the past ten years.

The number of driving tests taken in self-shifting vehicles was over 87,000 in the early 2010s, or roughly six percent of all tests, according to the figures.

That number rose to over 479,000 in the most recent full year, the latest interval with complete data, or twenty-six percent.

The AA is forecasting that nearly 30% of each assessment will be completed in automatic vehicles in the 2025-2026 period.

Gender Differences

The data also showed that an increasing number of males are choosing to take their tests in automatics.

In the early 2010s, 23.2% of student drivers taking assessments in automatics were men. In the previous year, that number was nearly 40%.

The success percentage for self-shifting vehicles last year was slightly lower than for stick-shift vehicles. Nevertheless, the gap has decreased since over a decade ago.