At the Fleet Electrification Forum, the AA warned that current licence rules could slow EV adoption. If you pass your test in an automatic (including an EV), you’re permanently banned from driving a manual unless you retake the full driving test.
The AA proposes:
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Pass your test in an EV/automatic
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Gain manual entitlement through short supervised training
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Complete a brief competency assessment
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No full retest required
Learners increasingly choose automatics, and a quarter of AA instructors now teach in them.
Why it matters:
The current system is outdated and creates unnecessary barriers. As EVs dominate, manual gearboxes will become niche.
The EV Café Takeaway
“You’ve demonstrated you can drive…you don’t need to do the full retest, surely.” - John
“Why not just have separate licence categories like motorbikes? I’m worried about adding more admin.” - Sam
“Manual is just going to die…we’ll be in rocking chairs saying, ‘I used to change the gears myself.’” - John