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Learning to drive in an automatic: who it suits and what to expect from lessons and the test

Who should learn to drive in an automatic, how lessons and the test differ from a manual, what code 78 means and what new EU rules change from 2029.

October 29, 2026

Learning to drive in an automatic: who it suits and what to expect from lessons and the test

Key takeaways

An automatic makes sense if you will keep driving one after passing: in town, in your own automatic or in an electric car. If you will be driving a family or company car with a manual gearbox, learn on a manual from the start.
Lessons in an automatic spare you the clutch and changing gear. The requirements for knowing the rules of the road and driving safely in traffic are the same as on a manual.
If you pass the category B practical test in an automatic, your licence will carry code 78. With it, you may not drive a manual, not even a borrowed car and not in another EU country.
The new EU directive will allow code 78 to be removed after training or a test. However, EU countries only have to apply it from 26 November 2029, so the current rules are what count for a decision made today.

When you learn to drive in an automatic, you learn to drive a car without a clutch pedal and gain a category B driving licence. It appeals mainly to people who find coordinating pulling away, changing gear and watching the traffic unnecessarily demanding. But your choice of gearbox also determines which cars you will be allowed to drive after the test. It is therefore worth linking your choice of lessons to your plans for a first car and to whether you will also drive other people's cars.

Who is learning in an automatic right for?

Choose an automatic if it matches the driving you will actually do. A manual makes sense if you need the freedom to drive hire cars, family cars or work vehicles.

Your situation	What makes sense	Why
You mostly drive around town in your own automatic	Lessons in an automatic	With frequent stopping and starting, there is no clutch or gear changing to deal with.
Coordinating the pedals and gears makes you very stressed	Lessons in an automatic	You have more attention left for signs, right of way, pedestrians and other traffic.
Your first car will be an electric car or a hybrid without a clutch pedal	Lessons in an automatic	You learn to operate the kind of car you will actually use.
You will regularly drive a family or company car with a manual	Lessons in a manual	An automatic restriction would bar you from driving the very car you need.
You are not planning to own a car yet and will borrow or hire cars	Lessons in a manual	You will not be limited to cars with an automatic gearbox.

Nerves are a good reason to adjust how you learn, not a reason to give up driving. An automatic helps if what keeps you busy is the clutch, stalling or finding the right gear. If what stresses you is judging the situation at a junction, what you mainly need is a patient instructor and more miles behind the wheel. The gearbox will not work out who has right of way for you.

How do lessons in an automatic differ from a manual?

You will notice the difference mainly when pulling away and changing speed. In traffic you deal with the same situations as a learner in a manual car; the gearbox simply takes over part of the work of operating the car. The attention a beginner saves is then free for the other tasks of driving.

Area of training	In an automatic	In a manual
Pulling away	You work with the brake and accelerator	Coordinating the clutch and accelerator is added
Changing gear	The car handles normal gear changes	You choose the gear and operate the clutch
Slow manoeuvring	You control movement mainly with the brake and accelerator	You also work with the clutch's biting point
Watching the traffic	Signs, right of way, following distances and pedestrians	Same requirements
Parking and reversing	Judging the car's size, observing the surroundings, controlling the car	Same skills, plus clutch control

In an automatic, your right foot operates both the brake and the accelerator, while your left foot stays off the pedals. The first lessons therefore focus on safely selecting the direction of travel on the gear selector and on how the car behaves at low speed. Most automatics start creeping forward on their own as soon as you release the brake, even without touching the accelerator. Good habits for driving an automatic are summarised in our article how to drive an automatic.

Lessons should not stop at a relaxed pull-away on the flat. They should include reversing, parking on a slope, stopping precisely and keeping your speed under control going downhill. These are the situations that show whether you are in control of the car or whether, for now, it is just carrying you along.

Does simpler operation mean a shorter course?

Not necessarily. Fewer tasks behind the wheel do not tell you how many lessons you will need. Some learners quickly master operating the car but take longer to learn to anticipate traffic. Others read traffic situations well and mainly need to get a feel for the brake and the size of the car. A promise of guaranteed success thanks to an automatic therefore says nothing about the quality of a driving school. A good course prepares you to drive on your own, not just to repeat a memorised test route.

How does the automatic driving test work?

The automatic test has the same European requirements for theoretical knowledge and safe behaviour in traffic as the test on a manual. The only thing left out is demonstrating clutch control and changing gear by hand.

The practical part assesses observation, giving way, choice of speed, following distances, lane discipline and safe manoeuvring. A smooth pull-away will not help you if you miss a pedestrian or force other drivers to brake hard.

How lessons and tests are organised is governed by national rules. Before signing up, it is worth clarifying three things with the driving school:

whether it will provide an automatic car for the test as well,
how much time you will get to practise the manoeuvres you struggle with,
what happens if you decide to switch to a manual during the course.

What restriction will you get and what will the new EU rules change?

After passing the category B practical test in an automatic, harmonised code 78 is entered on your licence. It allows you to drive category B cars without a clutch pedal: conventional automatics, dual-clutch gearboxes, CVTs and electric cars. The restriction applies in all EU countries. Your parents' manual, a hire car or a company car are no exception. Code 78 is covered in detail in our article on the automatic-only driving licence.

Today, the standard way to get rid of the restriction is to pass a test in a car with a manual gearbox. The procedure and fees depend on the country, so check with your licensing authority what applies to you. On top of that, you need to allow for preparation on a manual.

Directive (EU) 2025/2205 entered into force on 25 November 2025. For category B, it will allow code 78 to be removed after training of at least seven hours or a test in a manual car. EU countries must adopt national legislation by 26 November 2028 and apply it from 26 November 2029. Until then, the current rules apply.

If you will need a manual soon after passing, learn on one from the start. An easier way to remove the restriction will come in a few years at the earliest, and even then it will mean further training or a test.

How to link your choice of lessons to your first car

Lessons in an automatic make the most sense if your first car will be your own used automatic and you do not need to drive any other car. If your first car is to be the family manual, you may not drive it with code 78.

Among used cars you will come across conventional automatics with a torque converter, dual-clutch gearboxes and CVTs. Their characteristics and servicing are summarised in our overview of types of automatic transmission. For a driver with code 78, they have just one thing in common: no clutch pedal.

With a used automatic, what matters is the condition of the gearbox, the service history and how the car behaves on the road. Yet a beginner will find it hard to tell a normal characteristic of a gearbox from a symptom of a fault. Repairing an automatic gearbox tends to be one of the most expensive items on a used car, so it pays to buy a car whose technical condition has been verified. What to focus on is described in our article on buying a used automatic car; which car suits a new driver is covered in car for new drivers.

What to watch out for

Easier operation does not mean easy driving. Use the attention you save for the traffic and for anticipating, not for the screen.
A hybrid is not necessarily an automatic. The type of drive does not tell you whether the car has a clutch pedal. Some mild hybrids are also sold with a manual gearbox, and you may not drive those versions with code 78.
Every automatic behaves differently. In a car other than the one you learned in, the brake sensitivity, the way it pulls away or the way it slows down may surprise you.
A smooth drive does not reveal the condition of the gearbox. A short test drive and a clean interior tell you nothing about the service history.

A first automatic through Carvago

Carvago offers roughly a million used cars from sellers in several European countries. In virtually every segment, the selection is therefore larger, usually many times larger, than on the local market. A driver with code 78 does not have to compromise on size, equipment or drive type just to get an automatic.

Every car is inspected by a technician before sale as part of CarAudit™ (up to 270 checkpoints). The inspection covers the technical components, diagnostics, a test drive and a check of the available information on the car's history and legal status. The customer knows the result before deciding to buy, and Carvago guarantees the condition stated in the certificate. A beginner therefore does not have to work out alone whether the gearbox's behaviour is normal or a sign of a fault.

Carvago buys the car from the original seller, and the customer buys it directly from Carvago. Once the purchase is approved, Carvago handles the paperwork under a power of attorney, including registering the car in the customer's country, and delivers the car right to the door. The new driver can then get in and drive off straight away.

FAQ

Is it worth waiting for the new EU rules before learning to drive?

No. The new rules are due to apply from 26 November 2029, and even then code 78 will not disappear on its own: removing it will still require training or a test. If you need a licence sooner, base your decision on which cars you will drive.

Does it make sense to switch to an automatic after failing the test in a manual?

If your main difficulty is the clutch and changing gear, switching may help. Mistakes with right of way, observation or choice of speed, however, need more practice whatever the gearbox.

Will changing gear with paddles behind the steering wheel prepare me for driving a manual?

No. With paddles you only tell the gearbox to change gear; you will not learn to work the clutch or coordinate it with the accelerator. The only way to prepare for a manual is in a car with a manual gearbox.