The figures that show manual cars in UK are dying a slow death

New data shows that the use of manual cars is declining in the UK. More people are now opting to take their test in an automatic vehicle which means they get a Category B licence, stopping them from driving a manual car.

According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), one in four driving tests in the UK are now being taken in automatic cars. Last year, 470,000 of the 1.8 million tests were done in automatics, with experts suggesting the shift is being driven by the move to electric vehicles which do not need manual gearboxes.

The UK is bringing in a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030. As reported by the BBC, Emma Bush, the managing director of AA's driving school, said the skill of driving a manual car is therefore now "irrelevant to many" people across the UK.

She said: "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 electric vehicle as that's all they will plan to drive."

Data shows that the number of learners opting to drive an automatic vehicle has risen consistently over the last decade. In 2015, the figure was around 6% while the percentage of tests taken in automatics hit 12.5% in 2020.

Now, in 2025, this figure is just over 25% with the AA predicting a rise to 29% next year. Ms Bush said that learners are "becoming confident with the idea of their driving future being electric".

The Labour Party pledged to ban new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 after their election win last year. It will see a shift towards EVs and hybrids which are automatic.

Sue Howe, the owner of Sue's Driving School in Swindon, said automatic vehicles are "the way forward" and can make the test easier. She added "there's just a lot less to do" and no risk of stalling.

She explained: "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."