Statistics show how electric vehicle (EV) adoption is changing the way people in the UK are learning to drive, as well as the types of licences they are getting
New data reveals that internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE) — as in those that run on petrol and diesel — are well and truly on their way out.
One in four driving tests in the UK are now being taken in automatic cars, as more motorists turn towards electric vehicles (EVs) and away from manual gearboxes.
Data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) shows that out of 1.8 million driving tests conducted last year across England, Scotland and Wales, 470,000 were taken in automatics. The statistics highlight how EV adoption is changing the way people learn to drive, as well as the types of licences new motorists are obtaining.
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The AA said the trend reflects the impact of the UK’s ban on buying new ICE vehicles from 2030, pushing drivers towards EVs that don’t have manual gearboxes, as reported by the BBC.
Managing director of the AA’s driving school, Emma Bush, explained how skills once considered vital are no longer as pertinent to a growing number of learners. She said the need to know how to drive a manual car was becoming “irrelevant to many”.
Although a full UK manual licence allows you to operate both gear types, those who pass their test in an automatic receive a Category B Auto licence, limiting them to automatic cars. Emma explained that learner drivers’ attitudes have shifted in line with wider changes in the industry.
She said many drivers and learners are “becoming confident with the idea of their driving future being electric”. She added: “As we head closer to 2030 and the ban on the sale of new combustion cars, more and more learners will want to learn in an EV as that’s all they will plan to drive”.
Lower running costs for EVs and hybrids are another attraction, even though initial purchase prices remain higher than ICE vehicles. Emma noted that EV buyers can expect to save on fuel and maintenance expenses in the long run.
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Driving instructors are also noticing the change in demand. Sue Howe, who runs Sue’s Driving School in Swindon, described automatics as “the way forward”, telling the BBC they give learners an easier driving test because “there’s just a lot less to do”.
In her view, the transition is also beneficial for safety, as “people are less tired” when driving automatics, adding: “It just makes life so much easier — it’s less work for the driver to do so they can concentrate more time on the road.”
The EV revolution has accelerated massively over the past decade. DVSA data shows that in 2012-13, there were only 87,844 automatic tests, which amounts to six per cent. By 2024-25, that number had skyrocketed to 479,556, or 26 per cent. The AA forecasts this share will rise to 29 per cent in 2025/26.
So as the shift away from ICE vehicles gathers momentum, now could be the perfect moment to embrace the electric revolution and ditch the gas guzzlers with manual gearboxes.
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