Should You Still Learn to Drive a Manual Car in 2024?
Are manual cars becoming less popular, and does that mean it's not important to learn to drive one anymore? Let's take a closer look. After the delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people taking their driving test is almost back to normal, reaching close to 1.7 million last year. Most of these tests were done in cars with manual gearboxes. However, recent data shows a big increase in the number of learners choosing to take their test in a car with an automatic transmission. In the year from April 2022 to March 2023, 19% (324,000) of driving tests were taken in automatic cars, compared to 13% (200,000) in 2019-2020. This marks a threefold increase in the popularity of automatic tests compared to a decade ago when they made up only 6% (96,000) of tests taken. Why are more people choosing not to learn manual driving? According to experts, the shift is due to the increasing popularity of automatic gearboxes in new cars. Younger drivers often don't see the ...