Tue, 16 Sep 2025

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 End of the road for manual drivers? More learners opt for automatics in tests

The UK's 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is said to be driving the trend.
According to data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), one in four driving tests taken in Great Britain are now being done in automatic cars, up from 6% in 2012/13. This trend is driven by the UK's ban on new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030, which means many drivers are opting for electric vehicles that don't require manual gearboxes. The AA's driving school managing director, Emma Bush, said that with EVs becoming increasingly popular, the need to learn how to drive a manual car is becoming "irrelevant to many". She added that as more learners plan to buy electric cars in the future, they want to practice driving in an electric vehicle during their tests. Currently, drivers must pass their test in a manual gearbox car to obtain a full UK driving licence. However, taking the test in an automatic car results in a Category B Auto licence, limiting them to driving vehicles with automatic transmission only. The shift towards automatics is also driven by lower running costs and maintenance needs of EVs, although they can be more expensive upfront. Many experts believe that automatics are "the way forward" as the car industry moves towards electric vehicles. Statistics from the DVSA show a significant increase in driving tests taken in automatics over the past decade, with 26% of all tests now being done in automatic cars. The AA predicts this figure will rise to 29% by next year.
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