Kids learning to drive - automatic only?

You arrive at your chosen destination, fresh off a 4 hour flight and walk over to the car hire that you've pre-booked an Automatic car. Desk jockey is very sorry to advise they have no automatic cars left. And they can't hire you a manual car as your licence doesn't allow them to either. All other car hire places are closed or want hundreds of pou8nds for a walk up booking. No thanks. Manual licence 100%
 
All cars soon are going to have electric motors and the price of driving an oil car will be prohibitively expensive. They should remove the option to take a manual test to further force old unenvirermental cars off the road.
 
theone8181 said:
Maybe my observations are slanted, but the 27 year old I work with passed his test 3 years ago (auto) and just went straight into pcping a dct polo. He's very much not a car person though and I realise not many will go send pcp a 20 grand car (although does seem to be more common).
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A good way of approximating stats is go on Autotrader with no filters at all and check the count for manual vs automatic. Whilst the overall stats are fairly close, when you apply a max engine power of 100bhp there's roughly 7 times as many manual as autos. Or limit the budget to £3500, it's about 5x.

So whilst the trend is going away from manual I kind of agree with Dis86 that typical 'new driver' cars (low power or cheap) are still quite heavily weighted towards manual.
Manuals also tend to be cheaper for the same spec and at least historically used to have better fuel economy, so in general being able to drive a manual opens up more opportunities.

Obviously it depends on circumstance, for people who are confident their kids will want and can afford an auto it's less of an issue and probably simplest to learn in an auto if that's what they plan to drive wherever possible. Presumably we're only 8 years away from only autos being sold.
 
This argument comes up everytime someone is learning to drive they think its an easier option. Well it is but its also very limiting so manual, buy an automatic once you've passed but always keep something extra under the belt and I'm not talking about all those pies. Its funny to think that in some time in the future it'll be a skill thats all but redundant when everything is EV but thats not now not yet and not for some time to come
 
I'd still lean towards learning on a manual but I'm in no hurry to go back to driving a manual on the roads with the general busyness and chaos these days.
 
It might be a little bit harder to learn to drive a manual but flaking out and going auto because it's easier is madness to me. Concentrate and try harder and pass with a manual so you are not restricted.
 
I would always choose an automatic car these days, but just be aware that you are narrowing down the choice on the used car market a lot, and the proce for an auto is often more than double that for the equivalent manual car. That is something to consider.
 
throwaway4372 said:
Well the negative is the extra cost for lessons (if you do find it difficult you end up need more lessons).
And the stress of finding driving difficult - at a time when you're an idiot teenager with exams n stuff.
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Just another excuse for teenagers to flake out over something and not actually have to apply themselves without claiming it's affecting their mental health or something.
 
I'd say go auto if you're prepared to restrict yourselves to just one type of transmission.

When I was a kid we used to run along the school corridors in primary school pretending to ride a motorbike and change through the gears. In college if someone got a moped rather than a geared bike, this was met with derision.

How times have changed!
 
Despite having autos in our house our kids are learning manual.
My son doesn't have a choice he needs manual to drive the works vans.
Been in a number of situations where I have needed to shift a number of vehicles around to get our car out at parties and things.
 
Pass your test in a manual and then chose what you drive.

Unless you plan to hire top-end models, you’ll struggle to get an automatic in some countries. Had some American visitors recently and they had to order an automatic weeks in advance and schlep all the way to Toulouse to collect it.
 
Clarkey said:
the proce for an auto is often more than double that for the equivalent manual car
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Maybe right at the absolute bottom end of the market (<£1k) but I wouldn't say it was "often more than double". As a rule of thumb autos tend to cost about £1.5k more than a manual brand new, and whilst they may depreciate slower if less common, you are rarely talking more than double. It's not like £5k manuals are going for over £10k in auto form unless they are super rare or something.
 
I’m quite happy tootling around my island of Jersey, I’d never take my car on a ferry to the UK mainland and drive there let alone abroad in Majorca or somewhere so for me I’m never going to drive a manual again.
 
I'd be very much manual licence for the reasons that have been stated above.

Once you've got it you never need to choose to drive one again, but it means you're prepared for whatever car/small van you can lay your hands on when you need one and massively reduces the complexity of arranging hire vehicles (or borrowing a friends car etc).
 
Fairly soon, the vast majority of cars will be automatic. Manual, ICE-only, cars are going to be a niche interest rather than daily transport. That applies as much to hire vehicles as to personal ones. I guess the question is: is it substantially easier or cheaper to pass automatic only? If it is, well they're going to be a bit handicapped for the next few years but it's probably worth it anyway because by the time they're in their late 20s/early 30s it's going to be much of a muchness.
 
Simon0001 said:
All cars soon are going to have electric motors and the price of driving an oil car will be prohibitively expensive. They should remove the option to take a manual test to further force old unenvirermental cars off the road.
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This is what is wrong with the vast majority of the world. Short of not owning a car at all. Using an old ICE car that has already had its carbon footprint is infinitely better for the environment than purchasing a brand new electric car and having it manufactured. Capitalism is a sure negative when it comes to the environment.

Back to the OP I will be in a similar situation when my daughter turns 17 in two years time. She will be learning to drive a manual. It is a skill that would be great to have and will enable her to drive anything she wants. It really isn't that difficult anyway.
 
Unless your kids have some specific problem/are finding it unusually difficult to lean how to use a manual, I can't see why you wouldn't learn it. It's not like an auto only license is cheaper :D
 
Imagine getting a job where you have to drive a works vehicle but have to go to your boss, embarrassed, saying you can't drive it as its a manual and you have an auto only licence. And all the works vehicles are manual.
 
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