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Approximately one in every four licensing exams in the UK are now being taken in automatic cars, according to recent statistics, as learners opt for more eco-friendly cars and avoid stick shifts.

Increasing Movement Toward Automatics

Statistics show that over 469,000 of the 1.8 million road tests completed in Great Britain in the previous year were conducted in automatics.

Insurance provider AA stated the trend is being fueled by the United Kingdom's restriction on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars set to begin in the year 2030.

A driving school executive, the managing director of a major driver education organization, explained that the need to know how to drive a manual car is becoming "less important for numerous people."

Qualification Regulations

To obtain a full driving licence for Great Britain, a motorist must successfully complete their assessment in a car with stick shift.

If the assessment is completed in an automatic car, the individual would get a Category B Auto licence, restricting them to driving automobiles with auto transmission only.

NI issues its separate driving licences.

Upcoming Shifts

Ms Bush commented that motorists and students are "feeling secure with the idea of their automotive future being EV-based."

"Approaching to the year 2030 and the restriction on the internal combustion engine vehicles, a growing percentage of trainees will prefer to train in an EV as that's all they will plan to drive."

Political Changes

After the political race in the previous year, the current administration vowed to bring back the fossil fuel vehicle restriction to the next decade, after previous prime minister Rishi Sunak postponed it to 2035.

Cost Perks

The reduced operational expenditures of electric and hybrid vehicles is also appealing to numerous people.

Battery-powered cars can be significantly more expensive than a combustion engine vehicle or a hybrid vehicle at purchase, but the gap is decreasing.

Moreover, electric car drivers can expect to save money on fuel and maintenance costs.

Educator Viewpoint

Sue Howe, the owner of Sue's Driving School in an English city, remarked that self-shifting vehicles are "the future" as the car industry shifts to eco-friendly cars.

For learner drivers, the expert explained, automatic vehicles can make the exam easier, as "there's just a lot less to do."

Inexperienced drivers can "damage a gearbox and a clutch," Ms Howe said, noting that anxiety may cause them to stall or cut out the power unit.

She also said the trend was positive for traffic safety as "drivers are more alert" driving an auto transmission vehicle.

"It just makes life so much easier - it's less work for the motorist to do so they can focus better on the traffic."

Statistical Rise

Drivers attitudes toward electric vehicles have shifted quickly in just the last decade.

The number of driving tests completed in automatics was over 87,000 in the 2012-2013 period, or roughly six percent of all tests, per the data.

That statistic jumped to over 479,000 in the 2024-2025 period, the latest interval with complete data, or over a quarter.

A leading organization is estimating that nearly 30% of each assessment will be conducted in automatics in 2025/26.

Profile Differences

The data also revealed that an increasing number of males are deciding to take their tests in automatics.

In 2012/13, approximately 23 percent of trainees taking tests in automatics were men. In the previous year, that figure was 39.1%.

The approval ratio for automatics last year was somewhat less than for manual transmission cars. However, the gap has decreased since 2012.