Photo: Napa Auto parts
Conventional cars with manual gearboxes will become off limits to future generations of drivers. Why is that so? Because over the last two decades or so, interest in automatic cars has spiked, and it was only natural for driving schools to update their vehicle fleets and offer learners the possibility to take lessons on cars with automatic transmissions.
The demand for cars with manual transmissions has steadily decreased. Though the percentage of manual cars on the UK roads is still high at 70 per cent, the sales of new cars show the transition to automatic is well underway, with more than half of new cars sold in Britain being of the automatic kind in 2021. This is a considerable increase from only 20% a decade ago.
Moreover, the upcoming ban on sales of new traditional gasoline and diesel cars in Great Britain in 2030 means that the country is about to enter a new automotive age – that of automatic vehicles.
The general consensus among engine experts seems to be that the gear stick will be dead in the near future and that 2043 is the year when the last manual driving test will be taken. That’s because the last new stick-shift vehicle is expected to be sold in 2029 and the average lifespan of a car is 14 years.
Going even deeper, we can say that the last person to take their driving test in a manual car could be born in just five years' time. So if you plan on expanding your family in the next five years, your baby could be the future teenager who takes the last driving test in a conventional car with manual transmission.
The current legislation in the UK states that only people who passed their driving test in a manual gear car are allowed to get behind the wheel of manual cars in the country.
Sure, driving test candidates could learn how to drive manual in their own cars, if they own one with manual transmission, or even request the driving school to provide them one, but the norm seems to shift toward automatic.
Statistics show that 2.2 million people have learned to drive an automatic car and half of those are under the age of 35. This indicates that young people are the main driving force toward the new automatic era.
And driving schools typically have newer car models, meaning the majority of learners will be taught how to drive in automatics within a decade. Actually, a new survey conducted by Direct Line Motor Insurance indicates that the number of driving tests taken in an automatic in UK increased to 41% last year. Things will only go upwards for automatics!
Moreover, the upcoming ban on sales of new traditional gasoline and diesel cars in Great Britain in 2030 means that the country is about to enter a new automotive age – that of automatic vehicles.
The general consensus among engine experts seems to be that the gear stick will be dead in the near future and that 2043 is the year when the last manual driving test will be taken. That’s because the last new stick-shift vehicle is expected to be sold in 2029 and the average lifespan of a car is 14 years.
Going even deeper, we can say that the last person to take their driving test in a manual car could be born in just five years' time. So if you plan on expanding your family in the next five years, your baby could be the future teenager who takes the last driving test in a conventional car with manual transmission.
The current legislation in the UK states that only people who passed their driving test in a manual gear car are allowed to get behind the wheel of manual cars in the country.
Sure, driving test candidates could learn how to drive manual in their own cars, if they own one with manual transmission, or even request the driving school to provide them one, but the norm seems to shift toward automatic.
Statistics show that 2.2 million people have learned to drive an automatic car and half of those are under the age of 35. This indicates that young people are the main driving force toward the new automatic era.
And driving schools typically have newer car models, meaning the majority of learners will be taught how to drive in automatics within a decade. Actually, a new survey conducted by Direct Line Motor Insurance indicates that the number of driving tests taken in an automatic in UK increased to 41% last year. Things will only go upwards for automatics!
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