It’s no secret that the manual car’s popularity has waned in recent years, but now there’s a new nail in its coffin – a shortage of driving instructors.
According to new research from Australia’s largest platform for booking driving lessons, EzLicence, there is a national shortage of instructors, with manual hit worse than automatic.
Using its own first-hand data based on the number of learner drivers and driving instructors between November 2023 and October 2024, as well as information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), for every 100 learners nationally there are 13 automatic instructors and 11 manual.
What’s more, the ABS notes there has been a 3 per cent decline in instructors over the past year.
Queensland has the lowest numbers, with eight instructors for auto and seven for manual, followed by WA with 10.5 and 8.5 respectively.
The cities facing the biggest shortages are the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane in Queensland and LaTrobe in Victoria when it comes to automatic teachers, and Wollongong (NSW), Sunshine Coast and Brisbane for a manual car.
What’s worse is if you’re a young girl who’d prefer a female driving instructor, nationwide there are just two teachers for every 100 learners.
The ACT has none at all, followed by NSW with two, and Victoria with three, according to the study.
"Finding a driving instructor can be challenging, especially with growing demand and ongoing shortages,” said Tobi Pearce, Founder and CEO of EzLicence.
The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) also told Drive just 10 per cent of its instructors teach students how to drive a manual car.
With just 29,929 manual passenger cars sold in 2024 – making up roughly 3 per cent of the market – for those learning to drive for the first time it is worth asking yourself ‘is it worth it?'.
Is it worth getting a manual licence?
It depends on what kind of car you plan to drive once you pass your test, and if you think it’s something you’ll need to be able to do, for work for example, in the first few years of driving.
There are also a fair number of utes with a manual transmission, with 2713 sold in 2024, so if you’re going to work in a trade and might have to drive multiple vehicles, it could be a useful skill to have.
Insurance is also generally cheaper for manual cars, and they cost slightly less – normally around $1000 – than an automatic car.
However, automatics are easier to drive because you don’t have to learn the gear changes or need to use a clutch pedal.
Conversely, this is often what makes them more appealing as a ‘driver’s car’ because they’re considered more fun.
In other parts of the world, the disparity between manual and automatic isn’t as drastic. For example, in Europe around 32 per cent of new cars sold were manual in 2023, according to a Budget Direct survey.
In the UK in particular, roughly 70 per cent of all cars are manual, reports one of the largest dealer groups, Arnold Clark.
It’s worth bearing in mind if you plan on travelling to these places, as there’s a good chance many rental cars – or at least those at the cheaper end – will have a manual transmission.
However, another thing to consider is that as internal combustion-engined cars are phased out, having a manual licence will become even less relevant as almost all electric cars use automatic, single-speed transmissions.
“Some learners may choose to learn to drive a manual vehicle if the vehicle they have to practise with at home is a manual,” the RACV's Drive School Manager, Lydia Kendray, told Drive.
“Others may choose to drive a manual car as it can provide more options for them when they are looking to buy or rent a car in the future, while some people need to learn how to drive a manual vehicle for work.
“Some car enthusiasts also prefer to learn to drive manual as they enjoy the additional challenge, control, and find it fun to drive.”
Is a manual car harder than an automatic?
Learning to drive a manual car can be harder than learning an automatic, because, according to transmission experts National Transmissions, they require more focus.
Changing gear means multi-tasking, as well as physically using two hands and two feet to control the car a lot of the time. Some people aren’t able to handle this, which makes automatic the easier option.
And it’s not just about changing gears, doing so smoothly balancing the gear stick with using the accelerator and clutch is a fine balancing act that takes practice and skill.
Additionally, factors such as stop-start traffic and steep hills can be easier to tackle, as there’s no need to keep changing gears to match the speed of the cars around you and you don’t need to worry about potentially rolling down a hill.
“Car control is only a small part of what a learner driver needs to master when learning to drive,” said the RACV’s Lydia Kendray.
"Learning to drive a manual vehicle does, however, add an additional element of skill and coordination that needs to be developed, and some individuals may find it more challenging than others to develop this skill.
“Many learners will therefore choose to drive an automatic vehicle while they are learning to reduce the amount of additional skills they need to simultaneously develop; that way they can focus on developing the other key aspects of their driving first.”
Interestingly, however, a Budget Direct survey in 2023 found manual drivers were more likely to pass their test on the first try than those who took the automatic version only.
What is the difference between manual and automatic driving tests?
There is no difference between a manual and an automatic driving test, the tasks you have to complete are the same.
In each state and territory, there is only one test – which licence you receive will depend on what type of vehicle you have elected to sit the assessment in.
However, stalling a manual car in the first part of the test, according to the RACV, is an instant fail.
“The driving test is largely the same whether you take it in a manual or automatic vehicle, as the test is structured and conducted in the same way and learners are required to complete the same driving tasks,” Kendray told us.
“However, if a learner stalls a manual vehicle during the test, it will result in a critical error on their score. The driving test consists of two stages, and a maximum of one critical error is allowed in the first stage, with a total of two critical errors permitted throughout the entire test.
“Critical errors can include various mistakes such as not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, failing to perform a mirror check and head check when required, mounting a kerb, or failing to indicate when necessary. Therefore, driving a manual vehicle does carry a slightly higher risk of incurring additional critical errors.”
Learning to drive in either an automatic or manual car requires practice, so either way, the more driving experience you have, the more confident and capable you will be on the road when you undertake the driving test.
What is the pass rate for manual vs automatic?
According to EzLicence, based on data collected from tests carried out between January 2022 and December 2023, the pass rate for manual drivers was 59 per cent versus 63 per cent for automatic.
Drive has contacted the various road authorities for the latest statistics and will update this article when a response is received.
Why do drivers prefer a manual car?
Some of it probably boils down to a sense of exclusivity and a lack of options now making a manual car a little bit special.
But mostly it’s about the fun and enjoyment that comes from the connection between man and machine.
Describing the experience of getting back behind the wheel of a performance manual after spending years in mostly automatic cars, Drive’s Senior Presenter, Emma Notarfrancesco, said of her brother’s 2005 Holden Monaro CV8-Z:
“One of the first things I noticed was the true muscle car feel you get from the car when shifting gears – it's stiff and unlike any of the modern-day manual transmissions, you have to work that little bit harder for a gear change. I like it.
“I couldn’t believe the grunt firing from the V8 engine, treating me to those real AMG-esque crackles and pops, even on downshifts.
“Whether it was me or the car making the loudest noise remains to be seen, but it's fair to say that I was having an absolute ball from the get-go.
“So yes, this car has sheer performance, it’s fast, but above all, it's just timeless fun.”
Should I get a manual or automatic licence first?
In theory, if you think you’ll want or need a manual licence at some stage it’s probably worth going for manual first, as you’ll retain the knowledge like riding a bike even if you later switch to an automatic.
However, if you start with only an automatic licence, then it is harder to retrospectively go back and get a manual one later on.
Practically, speaking from experience, I know life gets in the way of trying to go back and learn to drive another way when you can already just get in a car and go with what you already know.
There are also some barriers in place depending on which state or territory you live in, which can mean retesting.
WA and Queensland have the most strict rules in this regard, with automatic drivers required to retrain and retest to be able to drive a manual car.
While you don’t need to apply for a learner’s permit, you do have to display L-plates while you’re driving a manual vehicle, have a supervising driver with you and your blood-alcohol concentration must be 0.00.
Following that, you have to apply to take a new test and then pass it.
In Victoria, you can drive a manual car if you took an automatic test, but only once you have obtained a full licence and are off your probationary period – which is four years.
This also applies in Tasmania but after three years rather than four.
In NSW, it’s a little more relaxed, with drivers able to switch to a manual car once they upgrade from their P1 to their P2 licence, even if they took the auto test, that is unless they are supervised by someone else with an unrestricted licence.
Similarly, in the ACT you can drive a manual on your Ps if you have a fully licensed driver with you, or you can request the removal of the ‘A’ condition after you’ve had your licence for 12 months, while after three years it is automatically removed.
The same is true for the NT.
In South Australia, you can drive either type of car no matter which test you take.
A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.
