All electric cars are automatic. An EV has no clutch and no gearbox — the electric motor drives the wheels directly, so there are no gears to change and nothing to stall. If you learn and pass your test in an electric car, you take the test as an automatic and receive an automatic (code 78) licence, which covers every electric car and every automatic petrol, diesel or hybrid on UK roads.
Already taking manual lessons and struggling? See switching from manual to automatic — your hours aren't wasted.
Learning to drive is hard enough without a clutch, a gearbox, and the worry of stalling at a busy junction. In an automatic, all of that disappears. No gears to find, no biting point to balance, no stalling on a hill with cars waiting behind you. Every minute of your lesson goes on the things that actually make you a safe driver: reading the road, judging junctions, positioning, and spotting hazards early.
Most learners find they progress faster and feel calmer for it — which is exactly why nervous and anxious drivers tend to get on so well in an automatic.
It's the first thing people ask, so here's the straight answer: pass your test in an automatic and your licence covers automatic cars; pass in a manual and you can drive both.
That sounds like a real trade-off — until you look at where the road is heading. New petrol and diesel cars are being phased out, almost every new car is now an automatic or electric, and the share grows every year. Most people learning today will spend their whole driving life in automatics and never miss the gearstick. Plenty who learn manual "just for the option" take more lessons, sometimes more attempts — and then never drive a manual again.
Our lessons are in a fully electric Renault Zoe, not just any automatic. Electric power is smooth and instant — no revving, no jerky gear changes — so the car is gentle and predictable from your very first lesson. The cabin is near-silent, which keeps things calm and means you can actually hear your instructor. You're also learning on the kind of car most people will be driving in a few years, so you're learning on the future, not the past. And when you get your own EV, it costs a fraction of petrol to run.
We'll always be straight with you. If you're heading into a trade that needs a manual van, or you already know you'll drive a manual for work, then manual makes sense — and we teach that too. But for most learners around Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock and the wider area, an electric automatic is the easier, calmer and more future-proof way to pass.
Learning automatic isn't the alternative choice any more — it's fast becoming the normal one. DVSA figures show automatic tests have more than quadrupled in a decade, driven by electric cars and the phase-out of new petrol and diesel models. Choosing automatic means choosing the way most people will drive from here on.
| Automatic (electric)Our way | Manual | |
|---|---|---|
| How quickly you learn | Faster — no clutch or gears to master | Slower — extra coordination to learn |
| Stalling | Can't happen | Stalls until you've mastered it |
| Hill starts | The car holds itself — just go | Clutch-and-handbrake balancing act |
| Test-day nerves | Fewer things that can go wrong | Clutch, gears and stalling all add faults |
| Running costs after you pass | Pennies per mile in an electric car | Petrol or diesel at the pump |
| The cars you'll actually drive | Most new and electric cars — where the market's heading | Those, plus older manual cars |
| Your licence | Automatic licence (code 78) | Drive both — useful if you'll need a manual for work |
| Best choice for | Almost everyone — nervous drivers, town driving, future EV owners | The exception — a trade needing a manual van, or wanting it as a side skill |
Learn the way the country is driving now.
💬 Book a lesson on WhatsAppThe questions people ask most before deciding which licence to go for.
Easier to pass, cheaper to run, and ready for the cars of the future. Message Csaba with your town to get started.