Automatic driving lessons in Sprotbrough

What an automatic licence means

If you pass your test in an automatic car, your full licence covers automatics only. You would need another test to drive a manual. For many people that is no problem at all. Hybrid and electric cars come with an automatic gearbox as standard anyway.

Because there is no clutch or gear lever to learn, most people need fewer hours to reach test standard in an automatic. Our guide to choosing a manual or automatic licence sets out the pros and cons in more depth.

Stop-start traffic around Sprotbrough

Sprotbrough is a busy place at the start and end of the school day. Parents heading to Copley Junior School and Orchard Infant School add slow traffic to the side roads, as do families at Richmond Hill Primary School. Older pupils travel out to Ridgewood School in Scawsby along Melton Road and Spring Lane.

In a manual car, that kind of crawling traffic means constant clutch work. In an automatic you simply ease off the brake to creep forward, then brake again. That leaves more of your attention for the things that matter: children crossing between parked cars, buses at the stops on Melton Road and drivers turning out of Park Drive or Brompton Road.

Learning creep and brake control

The first thing we teach in an automatic is how the car behaves when you take your foot off the brake in drive. It creeps forward on its own, which is very useful for slow manoeuvres and queues, as long as you keep your right foot covering the brake.

• We use one foot only, the right, for both pedals.
• You select drive or reverse with your foot firmly on the brake.
• On Boat Lane, heading down towards the River Don, you learn to control your speed with gentle, steady braking.
• Coming back up, you learn how much gas the car needs to pull away without rolling back.
• At the end of every stop you apply the parking brake and select park before taking your foot off the brake.

Into Doncaster without the gear changes

Once you are comfortable in the village, we head east on Sprotbrough Road past Somersby Avenue and Mayfield Road towards the A638 York Road. This is where an automatic really earns its keep. Traffic often moves in short bursts, and you can concentrate on lane choice and anticipation instead of worrying about which gear you need.

Beyond North Bridge Road, the town centre itself brings busier junctions with traffic lights, plus roundabouts with marked lanes. Later on we will practise the longer drive across to the eastern side of the city, where the Doncaster test centre is, so the area is familiar long before your test.

Who teaches automatic at Alma

We have both male and female instructors teaching in automatic cars. Diana teaches in an automatic only and is good at fitting lessons around busy family timetables, while Alecsandru is an approved driving instructor teaching automatic who used to teach at a college. You can ask for either, or for a female instructor in general.

See our main automatic driving lessons page for more on how we teach, or the Sprotbrough driving lessons page for the wider picture. If you live north of the village, our page on automatic driving lessons in Bentley covers the roads on that side. Nervous about getting started? Have a look at our nervous driver lessons in Sprotbrough too.

Automatic driving lessons in Sprotbrough: your questions

Is an automatic licence harder to pass than a manual one?

The test itself is the same length and is marked in the same way. The difference is that you have less to think about while driving, so many people reach the standard sooner. You still need good observation and safe positioning on roads like Melton Road and Sprotbrough Road.

Do automatic lessons in Sprotbrough include hill work?

Yes. Boat Lane down to the River Don is a good place to learn how an automatic behaves on a slope. We cover holding the car on the brake, moving away uphill without rolling back and controlling your speed on the way down.

Can I take my test in an automatic and drive a manual later?

Not on an automatic licence. If you later want to drive a manual car, you would need to take another practical test in a manual. Some learners are happy with that, and others decide to learn in a manual from the start.

Are automatic lessons available after school or work?

Yes, subject to instructor availability. Many Sprotbrough learners book lessons after school finishes or after work. Call or WhatsApp us on 07402 034084 and we will look for a regular slot that suits you.