It’s been 3 years since we introduced automatic driving lessons at Fantoni Driving School. Over the 3 years, enquiries about automatic driving lessons have grown significantly. We expect this trend to continue yet further in the coming months and years.
This article will help you to decide whether learning to drive in an automatic is an option worth considering.
A recent survey by the Institute of Advanced motorists has found that 61% of 17-24 year olds are considering to apply for an automatic only driving licence.At Fantoni Driving School, we have different types of clients who are keen to explore the automatic option.Firstly, there are new starter drivers who have decided to, “take the plunge” and bypass manual driving altogether. They have decided that the added element of learning to change gear is an unnecessary obstacle to obtaining a driving licence.Secondly, we have the type of client who has previously tried manual driving. They have then decided that they, “don’t get along” with the clutch of a manual car. For those of you that might not know, automatic cars do not have a clutch pedal.Thirdly, we train many students who have come over from places like America and Canada where manual cars are in the minority. Customers like these are usually comfortable with car handling. They usually just want to familiarise themselves with UK road procedure.Of the students that have made the switch from manual to automatic, we regularly hear comments like, “this is so much easier” and, “I feel less nervous.
Pros and Cons
There are plenty of advantages to automatic driving. It is easier and quicker to learn to drive in an automatic vehicle. This in itself may be enough to persuade a new driver to pursue automatic driving lessons. This could be particularly important to someone who requires a driving licence promptly. Maybe a change of job has necessitated a driving licence to be obtained at short notice, for example.The manual market is still dominant for now, however. A manual driving licence gives more choice of vehicles when looking to buy or hire a car. There are financial advantages to driving manual cars as well compared to automatic. Manual cars are cheaper to buy for example.So, we have seen in this article that both manual and automatic driving lessons have their pros and cons. We have also seen that an increasing number of learners are now using automatic vehicles.If you are undecided between manual and automatic, it is true that automatics are more popular than ever. Based on what we are experiencing at Fantoni Driving School, trend is also set to continue.