Drivers who pass a driving test in an automatic car are currently restricted to automatic vehicles. To drive a manual car, they must pass a separate test in a manual vehicle. DVSA figures show the average waiting time for a test in May was nearly 22 weeks, compared with about five weeks in February 2020 before the pandemic.
AA's proposal
The AA has proposed a one-hour conversion course to allow automatic-only drivers to legally operate manual cars. Edmund King, president of the motoring company, told the Press Association that most drivers of automatic cars "quickly develop good road skills" so "it doesn’t make sense" to force them to wait months for a manual test slot.
King said: "Most drivers of automatic cars quickly develop good road skills, so it doesn’t make sense to force them to spend months overcoming the driving test backlog just to borrow a manual car. What we need is the Government to approve a conversion lesson provided by driving schools so that those that pass their test in an automatic can also drive manual vehicles legally. Such a one-hour conversion course would help those who may occasionally need to drive a manual car do so legally. This would be more pragmatic that retesting them in a manual vehicle when the DVSA is struggling to get rid of the current test backlog."
Record automatic test numbers
The proportion of learners taking automatic driving tests in Britain is at a record high. DVSA data shows 29.4% of all tests conducted in the last financial year were in an automatic car, up from about 4% in 2007/08. Electric cars, which have surged in popularity, do not have a conventional gearbox, meaning people who learn in them take automatic tests.
Automatic cars change gears based on speed without driver input, while manual cars require a gear stick and clutch pedal. Automatics are generally considered easier to drive, but can be more expensive, and some find them less interesting.
Government response
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "For the safety of all road users, anyone wishing to drive a manual car must pass a manual driving test and we have no plans to change this."
Measures to tackle the test backlog include recruiting more examiners and training them faster, using military examiners, and reforming the booking process to combat misuse.
