When I passed my test in 1994 and since becoming a driving instructor, I have always driven and taught in a manual car. However, during Covid when I was unable to teach people to drive, I worked for Tesco’s as a delivery driver. The Tesco vans were all automatic which meant no stalling, no rolling back on hills and made the job a lot easier. Since leaving Tesco and returning to my job as a driving instructor I began to teach automatic as well as manual lessons.
There are lots of arguments for and against learning in an automatic car some are listed below:
When I pass my test in an automatic car I can’t drive a manual car – True you would be limited to driving an automatic car and would have to pass an additional test to be able to drive a manual car. However, with the government working to stop the production of the combustion engine and replace it with all-electric vehicles by 2035 is there really a need for a manual licence? Many manufacturers are already reducing the number of manual cars they produce and are increasing the range of hybrid and electric vehicles they offer.
We only have a manual car what happens if my son/daughter break down in their automatic car – If this did happen they could look to hire an automatic car until theirs was repaired or find an alternative form of transport. A family car would need to be insured for the son or daughter to be able to drive and wouldn’t always be available or suitable even if they had a manual licence.
Automatics are more expensive to insure – Although this is true, an automatic car is safer to drive than a manual, with no gears to distract the driver, no chance of stalling in dangerous places and less likelihood of rolling back on a hill. The main reason that they are more expensive is because the parts are more expensive to produce.
Automatics are more expensive to insure – Although this is true, an automatic car is safer to drive than a manual, with no gears to distract the driver, no chance of stalling in dangerous places and less likelihood of rolling back on a hill. The main reason that they are more expensive is because the parts are more expensive to produce.
Automatics are more expensive to buy than their manual counterparts –
In the past, this used to be the case, but with the emergence of the EV and the increased demand for automatic vehicles, the price difference has considerably reduced. I recently leased an automatic Peugeot 208 and
discovered that the prices for manual and the automatic were exactly the same.
What are the main differences between a manual and an automatic car –
Auto and manual refer to the transmission. In a manual car, you have to change the gears whereas in an automatic the car does it for you. There are still gears in an automatic and these are as follows
P: Park – this is the same as neutral, although when the car is parked the wheels are locked. When the vehicle is turned off the car should always be left in park.
D: Drive – This is the equivalent of first, second third, fourth and fifth gears in a manual car. In some newer automatic cars, there may be additional gears to make the car more fuel efficient.
N: Neutral – This can be used when the car is stopped at traffic lights or when it is being put on a tow truck in the eventuality that it breaks down.
R: Reverse – does exactly what it implies
With a manual car, you have to use a clutch to change the gears meaning that you could
These problems don’t occur in an automatic car as there is no clutch to worry about so there is less general wear and tear suggesting that maintenance might be less.
For more information on driving in an automatic car please contact jonwright1977@gmail.com or call on 07983554711