The nation’s future drivers have spoken, and they want to learn in electric cars. 

But, in an eco dilemma, the UK’s shortage of instructors with electric vehicles is preventing people from transitioning to electric motoring, according to a new study by charging network, Gridserve.

As a result, it is likely to spell the end for the manual gearbox, with EVs almost always sold with single-speed transmissions that make the stick shift redundant.

Almost half of drivers would be likely to take lessons in an EV a new study from Gridserve finds, but only one in seven can find a local instructor offering lessons, making the switch to electric more of a challenge

WhatCar? has also reported a staggering 283 per cent increase in the popularity of automatic tests compared to a decade ago, sighting the transition to EVs as playing a big part

There’s disparity around the UK when it comes to finding a local EV instructor: London is the easiest place, followed by the West Midlands, while learner drivers in the East of England will struggle to get EV driving lessons

The sustainable energy and EV leasing company has found that almost half of drivers (48 per cent) would be more likely to take driving lessons in an electric car.

Yet only one in seven those surveyed by Gridserve and One Poll can find a local instructor with a battery-powered model.

And whether you can find an EV instructor is a geographical luck of the draw.

Two in five (41 per cent) of learners in London are able to locate one, while only one in 10 in Yorkshire or the East of England can. 

The West Midlands also faired better than average with 23 per cent able to take local EV driving lessons.

A coinciding study from WhatCar? has reported a staggering 283 per cent increase in the popularity of automatic tests compared to a decade ago, sighting the transition to EVs as playing a key role in this shift.

EVs are primarily touted for their zero emissions credentials, but relaxing driving is another big pull.

Technically, electric cars don’t have an automatic gearbox, but most people view them as autos.

Instead, they are commonly single-speed transmissions that delivery instant acceleration without the need of moving through a  number of ratios of gears.

Logically, many might think learning to drive an EV is much easier than a manual car, just as it’s easier to drive an automatic.

However, driving test pass rates for automatic tests are lower than manuals.

In fact, 2021/22 records show the average pass rate for an auto test was around 41.7 per cent compared to an overall average success rate of 48.9 per cent in the same period.

The trend towards automatic gearboxes becoming more common in all types of new cars may also be impacting learner decisions, the report found.

New car model range and sales data shows that just 24 per cent of new mainstream cars on sale are available with a manual gearbox and this is only likely to increase in the next decade.

With this in mind, motorists are looking down the road at the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars knowing they’ll likely be driving a car without a manual ‘box in the not too distant future, if not immediately.

Electric cars and automatic cars are similar in that they don’t require you to change gears and that makes for very relaxed drawing 

The old school physical skill of changing gears manually is likely to die out as more and more new cars are brought out as automatic only, and EVs continue to grow in popularity

It’s not surprising then that three in 10 of learner drivers (29 per cent) told Gridserve it was pointless learning to drive manual when they would spend most of their driving life in an automatic EV. 

Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) said they planning to celebrate passing by getting their first electric car.

What Car? consumer editor, Claire Evans, said: ‘The popularity of automatic gearboxes is partly down to manufacturers and engineering trends, as well as the increase in demand for electric cars, which don’t need traditional gearboxes.

And many younger drivers clearly don’t see the need to learn to drive a manual given that they are slowly being phased out.’

The desire to learn to drive in an EV is strongest amongst younger motorists who are thinking ahead  of the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars

Younger eco-conscious motorists are pushing this desire to learn to drive in an EV, with 40 per cent of those aged between 18 and 24 more likely to pick an instructor if they offered lessons in an electric car.

But there’s another problem that needs to be addressed and that’s the low average pass rate for those who learn in electric cars. 

According to Gridserve, over the past five year just one in 10 parents with offspring using L-plates on EVs saw their children pass. And this is the same with combustion-engine automatic cars, too.

While it should be easier to pass your test in an EV or automatic car, more people are actually failing their tests because they’re having less lessons and lack the road safety awareness and on-road experience

Learners are being lulled into a false sense of security because the speed at which you can learn in an automatic or EV can bemuch faster than a manual car. 

Gone are the early lessons learning clutch control and hill starts – so drivers need fewer lessons.

Detrimentally though this means learners haven’t gained as much on-road experience or road safety awareness and so the fail rate is higher.

With more than 70 per cent of cars registered in 2023 automatic, there will likely be calls to help address this pass rate issue.