Automatic driving lessons in Bessacarr

What changes when there is no clutch pedal

An automatic car has two pedals (the accelerator and the brake) and you work both with your right foot. The automatic gearbox chooses the gears for you, which means no stalling at junctions and no worrying about the biting point when you pull away in traffic.

What you do learn is creep. When you release the brake in drive, the car moves forward gently on its own. In the closes near Ellers Avenue we use creep to teach slow, precise control, edging up to a give way line or rolling into a parking space while your foot hovers over the brake.

Holding the car still is a skill too. Your instructor will show you when to apply the parking brake and when to move the selector to P or N, for example during a long wait at a red light or when pulling up on a slope.

Bessacarr traffic that suits an automatic

Around half past eight and again in the mid afternoon, the roads near Willow Primary School on Alston Road and Bessacarr Primary on Ellers Avenue fill with parked cars and parents crossing. Crawling through that in a manual keeps your left foot busy the whole time. With an automatic gearbox you can give your full attention to children stepping out between cars and drivers pulling off the kerb.

Bawtry Road can be similar at peak times, with buses pulling in at the stops near Middlefield Road and Plantation Avenue. Learning to hold back and judge when a bus is about to pull out is a skill that an automatic lets you build sooner.

Further north, the roundabout where Gliwice Way leaves Bawtry Road and the approach to the Racecourse Roundabout give you plenty of queueing and lane choice. An automatic keeps those manoeuvres simpler so you can concentrate on mirrors and position.

The automatic-only licence explained

A test passed in an automatic gives you a full licence restricted to automatic cars. Plenty of Bessacarr drivers never notice the restriction, especially with more hybrid and electric cars on the road, nearly all of which use automatic gearboxes. If you think you might one day need to drive a manual, our guide to manual or automatic licences will help you decide.

With fewer controls to juggle, automatic learners often reach test standard in fewer hours. That can mean booking your practical test sooner, which suits pupils who need to drive to work or college quickly.

Who teaches automatic lessons

Two of the people teaching in our automatic cars are Diana, whose calm approach suits learners juggling family timetables, and Alecsandru, a former college teacher who now teaches as an ADI. If you would rather learn with a female driving instructor or with one of the male instructors, say so when you call.

To find out more about the course itself, visit our automatic driving lessons page. You can also go back to the Bessacarr driving lessons overview, or see our automatic driving lessons in Intake if you spend more time on the far side of the racecourse. Learners who are anxious about driving often pair automatic with our nervous driver lessons in Bessacarr.

Automatic driving lessons in Bessacarr: your questions

Is an automatic easier to learn in?

Most people pick it up faster, since the car handles every gear change itself. You still need the same observation and planning as anyone else, and the test is marked to the same standard. The main saving is the time spent mastering clutch control.

Can I take my automatic test from Bessacarr?

Yes. All tests are taken at the Doncaster practical test centre on Shaw Wood Way, and we use our automatic cars for the test if you learn with us. The drive there from Bessacarr along Bawtry Road and Leger Way is good last-minute practice before your test begins.

Will I still learn manoeuvres in an automatic?

Yes. You learn the same reversing exercises as manual learners, including parallel parking, bay parking and pulling up on the right. Creep makes slow manoeuvres easier to control, so many learners find their parking improves quickly in an automatic car.

Do automatic lessons cost more?

Prices for both types of lesson are listed on our prices page, along with block booking options. Because many automatic learners need fewer hours overall, it is worth looking at the total rather than the hourly figure. Ring or WhatsApp us on 07402 034084 for the current rates.