Driving Automatic

So Im sure this has already been answered but im in the process of starting to get my license (going to use my american one til it runs out).

I know everyone drive manual here but I despise stick shift!  Please tell me I dont have to take a test (written and on road)  having to do with stick shift.  I know you can buy automatic cars but Im not sure about the tests you take in order to get your license.

This whole driving thing is confusing!   and why the heck wouldnt ppl want to drive automatic, its so easy!

You can take your test in an automatic car but then you get an automatic license and can only drive an automatic. If you at all feel brave enough to for a stick-- I say go for it, it will be a lot easier getting cars in the future. If you really don't at all feel comfortable..then the automatic is an option

I know everyone drive manual here but I despise stick shift!  Please tell me I dont have to take a test (written and on road)  having to do with stick shift.  I know you can buy automatic cars but Im not sure about the tests you take in order to get your license.

You can take your test in an automatic car if you want to... however, this will mean you will only be licenced to drive automatic cars - you won't be able to drive any stick shift cars in the UK at all (which could potentially be an issue when renting or buying as there are a lot more manual cars than automatics here).

However, if you take your test in a manual (stick shift) car you will be licenced to drive both manual and automatic cars - so from that point of view, if you can take your test in a manual car, you will have a bit more flexibility as you'll be able to drive both types of car.

ETA: x-posted with HG

And to add, once you've driven a manual transmission for a while, you'll never want to go back to automatic.

Also, keep in mind you can't just drive till your US licence runs out - you need to stop driving after one year here if you don't have a UK licence.

Also, keep in mind you can't just drive till your US licence runs out - you need to stop driving after one year here if you don't have a UK licence.

Very good point.

syd88 - taking a quick look at your previous posts, am I right in thinking you've been in the UK since November 2010? If so, that means you have only got a couple of months left to be able to drive on your US licence.

If you haven't passed all of the UK driving tests by November, you will not be allowed to drive on your own in the UK anymore - you will be treated as a learner driver and will have to follow all of the UK learner driver rules:
- you'll need a provisional UK licence in order to drive
- you will have to display red 'L' (learner) plates on the car
- you will not be allowed to drive alone - you will need to have someone in the car with you at all times... they must be over 21 and have held a UK licence for at least 3 years
- you will also not be allowed to drive on any motorways until you have passed all the UK tests and have your UK licence.

I'll probably be going for an automatic license in a few months, so I know how you feel.  A lot of people will suggest learning manual, and that's fine for most people, but at the moment I just don't have enough money for the amount of lessons it would take for me to be comfortable driving stick.  For automatic, I need enough lessons to learn the rules/pass the test, not to learn how to drive all over again!

Eventually I would like to learn to drive manual, but for the purposes of getting myself on the road as soon as I can once the ball gets rolling, I have to go with the automatic license.

There are plenty of automatic cars on the market here, for comparable prices and 2 of the times I've been in the situation of renting a car (I wasn't doing it, but I was with friends) they heard my American accent and offered an automatic to us.  The only time there wasn't was when I was on the Isle of Mull, but they only had 4 cars to rent anyway! 

Good luck!!

Is there any question on the written test that have to do with a stick?

How long does this process take???

No, the written test is mostly about signage and rights of way and things.

As for how long it takes, it depends on how quickly you learn. I'm having a rough go of it, but I'm not typical.

No questions about stick.

The process can take as long, or as short, as you make it.

For instance I applied for my provisional license.  Took the written exam after studying for about 2 months. Then sat around for almost two years until my written was about to expire.  

I took 6 lessons in 7 weeks and then passed my practical.  

I'd like to encourage anyone who does not know how to drive a stick to at least give it a try. Yes, you will stall it at first. But as soon as you get the hang of getting out of first gear, the rest comes pretty easily. The cars today are MUCH easier to shift than the ones a decade ago.  I simply do not understand the mental mindset that so many people hold against manual cars. It feels like an old wives tale. Manuals were hard to learn in the 1950's so therefore it will always be hard?

I have a full license as I learned how to drive a manual when I was 18. I probably stalled 100 times before I got it. I drove a stick for years before coming here, but I chose to buy an automatic because I live in London and the traffic here is frequently stop and go. I regret the decision because I HUGELY miss having the power to dart out into a busy roundabout at will rather than waiting for my tiny engine to decide when to kick in.

Just my experience.....

My brothers and I all learned to drive here in the UK at age 17:

- It took me 15 months and 3 practical tests to get my licence (started lessons in June 2000, took the theory test in December 2000, then practical test 1 was in April 2001, practical test 2 was in June 2001 and practical test 3 was in August 2001 (there was a 2-month waiting list to book each test)).

- It took my first brother about 6 months to get his licence, but he too failed the practical test twice, so it took him 3 tests to finally pass.

- It took my youngest brother 4 months and only 1 practical test to get his licence... he passed on the first attempt .

The practical test is not all that easy to pass though as there are really specific things you must do on the test in order to pass (which is why a few lessons are a good idea) - I think the average pass rate is only about 45%.

I regret the decision because I HUGELY miss having the power to dart out into a busy roundabout at will rather than waiting for my tiny engine to decide when to kick in.

I've never driven an automatic before, but I'm of a similar mindset - I like to be in charge of when I change gear rather than having the car decide for me .

Also, once I learned how to drive a manual, I actually found changing gears the easiest part of driving .

ksand24

Yes I am aware I cant drive pass nov, but I can up until then right?  I just need to drive in the meantime.

Its sucks not being able to drive, and paying for taxis is so expensive.

getting a license is so much different then in america, although I did take a practice test and didnt do as bad as I though I would.

I took my driving test in Smithville, Tennessee in 1976. My examiner had me drive around the block. Once. Then he told me to park in a No Parking zone.

I wasn't sure if that was part of the test or if he was for real. He was for real -- there was a puddle at the legal parking spot and he didn't want to get his shoes wet.

There are people driving in the UK who never took a test.  They got their license before you needed to pass one.  

What the?  The theory test was introduced in 1996 and wasn't computerised until 2000. 

My theory test was computerised when I took it in 1994.

I have a full license as I learned how to drive a manual when I was 18. I probably stalled 100 times before I got it. I drove a stick for years before coming here, but I chose to buy an automatic because I live in London and the traffic here is frequently stop and go. I regret the decision because I HUGELY miss having the power to dart out into a busy roundabout at will rather than waiting for my tiny engine to decide when to kick in. 

And I feel exactly the opposite - lol!  I learned to drive manual in the US, and enjoyed it outside of city driving.  We have a manual car here & so I went for the full UK licence allowing me to drive a manual.  I had owned both manuals & automatics during the time I drove in the US.  Except I just hate driving here still, even two years on from getting my licence, and I frequently wonder if I might not feel more comfortable with an automatic.  I just find driving to be so much harder here than where I lived in the US - narrower winding roads (not on a grid plan), parked cars + buses + bicyclists, roundabouts, the different signage (oh sh*t! what does that one mean again?!), everything unfamiliar (where do I need to go/turn again?!), not to mention doing everything opposite of what came second nature to me after driving so long in the US.  And then having to be shifting all the time on top of paying attention to everything else - if I could just have one less thing to worry about inside the car (i.e., manual transmission!), I think that might help.

I have friends here locally who told me the same thing!  She's American, he's English & they both love that they have an automatic car - never looked back.  I often think my husband would get on better with an automatic, because he gets nervous too & ends up fighting with the shifting sometimes.

So at the moment (although I could always change my mind again), I really really really hope that our next car is an automatic, not manual.  But as we're going to probably have this car for a long, long time - like I said, I might change my mind eventually.