New drivers opting for automatic licences only, finds AA

The AA has predicted that one in three driving tests will be taken in an automatic car by the 2026/2027 financial year, suggesting that fleets may have to acquire more automatic cars.

In the 2024/2025 financial year, 26% of all driving tests were taken in an automatic car, up from 6.1% in 2012/2013.

The AA said that the reduced interest in learning to drive a manual car was fuelled by technical innovation and Government policy, as more drivers switch to electric vehicles (EVs), all of which are currently automatic.

34% of searches for driving lessons across the AA and BSM driving schools were for automatics in the first half of the 2026 financial year, up from 26% in financial year 2022.

In response, the AA has added three more EV models to its driving school fleet, the BYD Dolphin Comfort, the Mini Aceman SE and the VW ID.3 Pro.

Emma Bush, managing director at AA Driving School, said: “We have been tracking the growing trend for taking the test in an automatic for some time now.

“With more people becoming confident with the idea of their driving future being electric, the idea of needing to drive a manual vehicle will feel irrelevant to many.

“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.