Soaring numbers of automatic cars, combined with the mandated shift to electrification, could mean the end of manual driving tests in less than 20 years.
Specialist insurance broker Adrian Flux has analysed DVLA test data, highlighting the rapid growth in the number of learners drivers taking automatic-only assessments.
The past decade has seen a huge 270 percent increase in the number of driving tests taken with automatic cars. Based upon the trends seen in the data, Adrian Flux believes the manual driving test could become obsolete by 2040.
Automatic for the people
Driving tests conducted for an automatic-only licence numbered 324,064 in 2023, representing more than one third (37.4 percent) of all practical tests taken last year.
For younger drivers, the rate is even higher. Almost two thirds (61 percent) opted to undertake the practical test using an automatic car.
Driving this change is the rise in automatic vehicles being sold. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), just one quarter (24 percent) of new car sales in 2011 were automatic models. A decade later, that percentage has increased to 62 percent.
Electric cars and hybrids have accelerated the trend, meaning the traditional ‘stick shift’ has increasingly become a niche option for sports cars.
Stick with the stick-shift
Adrian Flux notes that as the number of drivers holding a licence to use a manual gearbox decreases, it could lead to problems for older vehicles. To enable classic cars to remain on the road, the company believes that manual driving lessons, and tests, need to continue.
Gerry Bucke, general manager at Adrian Flux, said: “We urge the government and DVSA to ensure that there is a future for timeless classic cars through creating options for manual learning, even in an automatic landscape. These vehicles are not only a means of transport, but a source of passion and community.”
‘‘We want to ensure future learners have the opportunity to pursue their love for classic vehicles,” Bucke added.
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