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How to drive an automatic: from pulling away for the first time to queues, hills and parking

How to drive an automatic in town, in queues and on hills. What P, R, N and D mean, how to park, winter driving and mistakes that harm the gearbox.

October 29, 2026

How to drive an automatic: from pulling away for the first time to queues, hills and parking

Key takeaways

Use your right foot for both the accelerator and the brake. Your left foot stays on the footrest.
Only switch between D and R once the car has come to a complete stop and with your foot on the brake. Never select P while moving.
At traffic lights, it is usually enough to stay in D and hold the brake, or to switch on Auto Hold. What to do when stopped for longer is set out in the owner's manual for your car.
On a hill, hold the car with the brake, not the throttle. On a long descent, select a lower gear, or mode B on a hybrid.
When parking, hold the brake, apply the parking brake, select P and only then release the pedal.

An automatic gearbox frees you from the clutch and gear changes, but not from the driver's decisions. Slow manoeuvring takes the most getting used to, because an automatic moves off by itself once you release the brake. If you are working out how to drive an automatic for the first time, start by learning to work with the brake and the gear selector. Good habits also protect the gearbox: most of the mistakes that harm an automatic make it unnecessarily hot. How the different designs behave is summarised in our overview of types of automatic transmission.

What do P, R, N, D and the S, M or B modes mean?

The markings are the same on a conventional lever, a rotary dial, buttons or a small electronic selector.

Position or mode	What it means	When to use it
P – Park	Mechanically locks the gearbox	When leaving the car, always together with the parking brake
R – Reverse	Driving backwards	When reversing; select only once stopped
N – Neutral	The drivetrain does not send power to the wheels, the car rolls freely	In special situations, for example in a conveyor car wash
D – Drive	The gearbox chooses gears by itself	In normal driving
S – Sport mode	Holds higher revs and changes down more readily	For brisk driving and overtaking
M, +/− or paddles	Manual gear selection within the limits of the protective electronics	On long descents, on hills, on snow
B – Enhanced braking	Stronger deceleration from the powertrain on hybrids	On long descents

P does not replace the parking brake, and N does not secure the car. On a slope, a car in neutral will roll away just as it would with a manual.

How the electronic selector works, whether P is engaged automatically when you switch off the engine or open the door, and the conditions under which the assistance systems work all vary from car to car. A few minutes with the owner's manual before your first drive are therefore more useful than studying how the gearbox is built.

How to drive an automatic: pulling away step by step

An empty car park is ideal for getting to know the car. The hardest part is overcoming your left foot's habit of looking for the clutch: if it stamps on the wide brake pedal instead, the car will stop dead.

Keep your left foot on the footrest. Press the brake with your right foot and hold it.
Start the car in P. On a hybrid, look for the READY indicator. The combustion engine may stay off, but the car is still ready to drive.
With your foot on the brake, select D. Check on the instrument panel that the right direction is selected.
Release the parking brake if it does not release by itself. Keep holding the brake pedal.
Slowly ease off the brake. The car will start to creep. If it does not move off, gently apply some throttle.

Reversing works in the same way, except that you select R. The car also moves off by itself in reverse once you release the brake.

How to control creep when parking

On level ground, easing off and pressing the brake is all you need. Only add throttle when creep alone is not enough, for example when driving up onto a kerb. Do not press the accelerator and the brake at the same time.

How gently to use creep depends on the type of gearbox:

Type of gearbox	Example	What it means at low speed
Conventional torque converter automatic	BMW 320d Touring F31 (eight-speed from its launch in 2012), Mazda CX-5 I (six-speed SKYACTIV-Drive)	Creep is handled by the hydrodynamic torque converter, so inching forward bothers it least.
Dual-clutch (DSG, DCT)	Škoda Octavia III Estate 1.4 TSI 110 kW, 2017 (seven-speed), front-wheel-drive Hyundai Tucson III 1.6 T-GDi after the 2018 facelift (seven-speed)	When creeping, the clutches slip and heat up. It is better to move forward smoothly and stop than to inch along on the throttle for a long time.
Hybrid with e-CVT	Toyota Yaris III Hybrid (launched 2012, 2011–2020 generation)	At low speed, the electric motor alone often does the work, so the car pulls away smoothly and quietly.
Automated manual	older, cheaper small cars	Changes gear more slowly and with an interruption in drive. Pulling away tends to be less smooth; lifting off the throttle slightly during gear changes reduces the jerking.

At traffic lights and in queues: stay in D or select N?

When stopping briefly, stay in D and hold the brake. There is no need to switch to neutral at every red light. The Auto Hold function holds the brakes for you once you have stopped and releases them as soon as you press the accelerator. A stop-start system switches the engine off while you are stationary with the brake pressed and restarts it when you release it.

Auto Hold and hill start assist are not the same thing. Hill start assist only stops the car rolling back for a moment while you move your foot to the accelerator. Auto Hold holds the stationary car for as long as you are waiting. Neither replaces securing the car when parking.

For longer waits, for example in a stationary queue, follow the manufacturer's instructions: some manuals recommend N with the parking brake, others staying in D with the brake. There is no universal limit in seconds.

In a slow-moving queue, leave a gap in front of you and move forward in longer, steadier stretches. Constantly pulling away and stopping every few centimetres puts strain mainly on the clutches of dual-clutch and automated manual gearboxes. The gap must not come at the expense of getting smoothly through a junction, though.

How to pull away uphill

On a slope, hold the car with the footbrake or the parking brake, not the throttle. Balancing the car against the slope with engine power needlessly heats up the gearbox, and on a dual-clutch gearbox the clutches in particular.

With hill start assist, release the brake and smoothly apply the throttle. The assist only holds the car briefly, not indefinitely. If you hesitate and the car starts to roll back, press the brake again.

Without hill start assist, the parking brake helps: it holds the car while you move your foot from the brake to the accelerator, and an electronic one releases by itself as you pull away. D will not hold the car on a steep slope, and it may roll backwards. The same applies when reversing uphill.

What are kickdown, sport mode and paddles for?

You trigger kickdown by pressing the accelerator all the way down. The gearbox changes down one or more gears and the engine revs high. High revs at that moment are not a fault; they are the whole point of the function.

Expect a short delay between pressing the accelerator and the car accelerating while the gearbox changes down. When overtaking, you therefore need a little more visibility and space. Sport mode holds lower gears and responds more quickly, so it is useful before overtaking; you do not need it for relaxed driving.

Paddles or M mode are also useful on inclines where the gearbox in D keeps hunting between two gears. Holding the lower gear manually makes the drive calmer. For everyday driving, though, D remains the default choice, even with an eight-speed automatic.

How to drive downhill and use engine braking

Before a long descent, slow down and select a lower gear using M mode, the paddles or the selector position for lower gears. The engine then holds your speed and the brakes do not overheat.

Do not shift into N when going downhill. You lose engine braking and leave all the work to the brakes. If your speed keeps rising even in a lower gear, use the brakes; changing down is no substitute for the brake pedal.

What does B do on a hybrid?

On full hybrids with an e-CVT, such as the Toyota Yaris Hybrid, position B increases the braking effect of the powertrain on long descents, partly by bringing in the petrol engine.

B is not a mode for lower fuel consumption or for charging the battery as quickly as possible. D is for normal driving. On a long descent, the battery soon fills up and can then take no more energy, so the engine or the brakes have to take over the deceleration. That is exactly why B exists.

How to drive an automatic in winter and on snow

On slippery surfaces, be gentle with the throttle. Kickdown can spin the wheels at exactly the moment you need the car to respond calmly. Winter mode, if the car has one, delivers power more gently. On many automatics, you can also pull away on snow in second gear in M mode, so the wheels spin less.

When going downhill, slow down in good time. On slippery roads, an abrupt downshift can unsettle the car just as much as clumsy braking. Use manual mode to hold your speed, not to slow down sharply.

If you get stuck, do not switch rapidly between D and R while the car is moving or the wheels are spinning. Stop first. Prolonged wheelspin and repeated attempts will overheat the gearbox. Clearing the snow around the wheels or asking for a push will help more quickly.

How to park properly: parking brake first, then P

The point of this order is that the weight of the car is carried by the parking brake, not by the small parking pawl in the gearbox. On a slope, you can then shift out of P easily and without a jolt.

Come to a complete stop and hold the brake pedal.
Apply the parking brake.
Select P.
Release the brake pedal and switch off the engine.

The extra step via N that some drivers add is not necessary. What matters is that the parking brake is holding before you release the pedal. Cars with an electronic parking brake often apply it automatically once P is selected.

When changing direction while parking, always stop first. Switching from R to D while still reversing is not a way to brake.

What to watch out for: mistakes and myths that harm an automatic

Most mistakes have one thing in common: heat. According to ZF, the fluid in an automatic gearbox ages faster at very high temperatures, so holding the car on a hill with the throttle or prolonged creeping will later show up in the condition of the fluid. How often to change it is covered in our article on automatic transmission fluid changes.

Mistake or myth	What to do instead
"I'll hold the car on the hill with a bit of throttle."	Hold it with the brake, Auto Hold or hill start assist.
"I'll select P just before I stop."	Come to a complete stop first and hold the brake.
"I'll switch from R to D while still moving."	Only change direction once stopped.
"I have to select N at every set of lights."	For short waits, stay in D with the brake; for longer stops, follow the manual.
"I brake with my left foot when parking."	Use your right foot for both pedals.
"I'll save fuel by coasting downhill in N."	Leave the gear engaged and use engine braking.
"If the car jerks, more throttle will help."	Do not mask unusual behaviour with your driving style; repeated jolts need a garage.

Repeated heavy jolts, loss of drive, a gearbox overheating warning or limp mode are not normal characteristics of an automatic. Do not override a warning with the throttle. Stop, let the gearbox cool down and follow the message on the instrument panel and the owner's manual.

Carvago checks the automatic before you buy

Considerate driving protects the gearbox, but it cannot undo wear caused by a previous owner. That is why Carvago has every car checked by a technician before sale as part of CarAudit™, an inspection with up to 270 checkpoints, including diagnostics and a test drive. You know the result before deciding to buy.

Carvago guarantees the condition of the car stated in the CarAudit™ certificate and provides a free extended warranty with every car. For someone who is new to automatics and worried about an expensive gearbox repair, that is real peace of mind.

Based on a power of attorney, Carvago also arranges registration of the car in the customer's country, including the paperwork, and delivers it to the customer's door as standard. You can drive off as soon as you take delivery and spend your first kilometres getting used to the selector and to creep in an empty car park.

FAQ

Can I switch from D to M while driving?

Yes, switching between D and manual mode is designed to be done while driving. If you select a gear in which the engine would over-rev or labour, the protective electronics will refuse the request.

How do I take an automatic through a conveyor car wash?

The wheels must be able to turn freely, so you use N without the parking brake and with Auto Hold switched off. Cars that automatically select P when you switch off the engine or open the door have a special procedure or mode for car washes. You will find it in the owner's manual.

Do I need to warm up the gearbox before setting off?

No. The gearbox fluid warms up fastest while driving. Pull away smoothly and drive the first few kilometres without full throttle or kickdown.

Can you bump start an automatic?

No, you cannot start an automatic by pushing or towing it. With a flat battery, jump leads, a jump starter or a breakdown service will help. The details are covered in our article on towing an automatic car.