Advanced Driving Hub

VW has announced that before the end of the decade all the cars made will have auto transmissions. I believe the Stellantis group is due to announce the same (Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and others) this is made more likely by the spread of hybyrid and full electric vehicles. The two manufacturing groups have the lions share of the European market,
What of the driving test and learning to drive, how will this have to change with a high percentage of people learning on auto trans vehicles. It is quite possible that within 15 years the vast majority of cars will be this way.
Does anyone know of any proposed changes or how far this inevitable move has been researched or of any plans ahead?

And almost certainly the majority of driving school cars and hire cars will be automatic. I suspect that the basic licence will be auto only, with an additional qualification for manual, which will cover light vans which are likely to remain diesel / manual for a long time ...

I think that even light commercial vehicles are moving to automatic transmission. At work I receive a magazine called Van User and it appears that pretty much all new versions of current vans are getting either auto as standard, or as an option, as well as a general move to electric power.

Ah yes, the all pervasive spread of the automatic

I first started thinking about changing my car around six months ago. I currently run an Audi TTS (one of the last manual cars produced) and after several months concluded that for any 'performance' car at my budget point, with the exception of Porsche (which is not a practical proposition for my requirements), I would be forced down the auto route.

Sad but true.

You can say the same about other systems - electric handbrakes, hill hold assist, parking sensors (or cameras) etc etc, all becoming ubiquitous. Maybe all learners should be forced to pass the test in a Caterham

sussex2 wrote:...What of the driving test and learning to drive, how will this have to change with a high percentage of people learning on auto trans vehicles. It is quite possible that within 15 years the vast majority of cars will be this way.
Does anyone know of any proposed changes or how far this inevitable move has been researched or of any plans ahead?

What needs to change?
Currently people take auto tests. You don't need to specifically request one - you just turn up with two pedals instead of three. The legal test requirements remain the same.

crr003 wrote:

sussex2 wrote:...What of the driving test and learning to drive, how will this have to change with a high percentage of people learning on auto trans vehicles. It is quite possible that within 15 years the vast majority of cars will be this way.
Does anyone know of any proposed changes or how far this inevitable move has been researched or of any plans ahead?

What needs to change?
Currently people take auto tests. You don't need to specifically request one - you just turn up with two pedals instead of three. The legal test requirements remain the same.

I agree.

I do love DCT they give the best of both worlds. I know that you can just put it in D and forget about it but if you want to get the best out of this system then there is much more to them than driving a manual and as such is more challenging. The only one thing I miss about driving a DCT is the satisfaction of left foot braking whilst using heel "n" toe, with sustained revs. (Blipping the throttle I hate )

jcochrane wrote:The only one thing I miss about driving a DCT is the satisfaction of left foot braking whilst using heel "n" toe, with sustained revs. (Blipping the throttle I hate )

[my emphasis - SB]

Really?

How is that even possible?

M1ke H wrote:Ah yes, the all pervasive spread of the automatic

I first started thinking about changing my car around six months ago. I currently run an Audi TTS (one of the last manual cars produced) and after several months concluded that for any 'performance' car at my budget point, with the exception of Porsche (which is not a practical proposition for my requirements), I would be forced down the auto route.

Sad but true.

My latest car is an automatic (EAT8) and I have no problems at all with it. The match between the engine is very good indeed, intuitive.
The car has paddles but there is little or very rare need to use them, the transmission is that good.
I live in a mountainous area and even on some steep descents everything works well. It seems to anticipate things very well.

Jonquirk wrote:I think that even light commercial vehicles are moving to automatic transmission. At work I receive a magazine called Van User and it appears that pretty much all new versions of current vans are getting either auto as standard, or as an option, as well as a general move to electric power.

Correct we have two vans and they are automatic with petrol engines.
Where I live it is a practice/myth that in order to save fuel people coast downhill - one of those things that has lingered on as some tend to.
I have had to tell the drivers not to do this and so far they all prefer them 'It's so much easier' being the general comment. It may be coincidental but the amount of damage sustained by the vans has, so far, been very little, compared to the manuals before.