Tripled in 6 years
The manual gearbox seems to be returning. More and more cars are offered as standard with an automatic transmission and the number of models that even only come with an automatic transmission is growing every year. This also has an effect on the number of new drivers opting for an automatic driving licence.
The AD reports based on figures from the Central Bureau for Driving Skills (CBR) that the number of driving tests for an automatic driving license has almost tripled since 2016. Six years ago, 2,310 automatic driving licenses were issued, this year there are already almost 6,300.
According to a spokesperson for the CBR, the increase in the number of people who opt for an automatic driving license and are therefore not allowed to drive a manual transmission car, is related to the increasing number of cars with automatic transmissions that are injected into the car market. The increasing number of electric cars also plays a role, of course you cannot switch gears in the traditional way. The difference between the pass rates for the first driving test with an automatic or manual transmission is striking. Figures from the CBR would show that about 52 percent of the candidates who go for a gearshift driving license pass the first practical exam. That percentage is 38 percent for automatic driving licenses. The number of electric training cars is also increasing.
Anyone who takes a practical exam in a car with an automatic transmission will receive Code 78 as an endorsement on his or her driver’s license. This indicates that the holder of the driving license may only drive a car with an automatic transmission and may therefore not get behind the wheel of a car with a manual transmission.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl