New research has found that a quarter of new drivers could pass their test in an electric vehicle as soon as 2026, as the UK moves towards its goal of achieving net zero emissions.
Roughly 25 per cent of practical driving tests will take place in an automatic car by 2026, according to new figures from the AA.
The data revealed that as the UK looks to boost uptake of electric vehicles, drivers will make the switch over the coming years and younger people will learn to drive in them.
The DVSA found that 17 per cent of all vehicle passes were in automatic cars last year, compared with 13.4 per cent the previous year.
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The UK must have 22 per cent on new car sales electric this year to hit its 2035 goal
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The data revealed that 324,064 automatic tests were conducted between 2022 and 2023 with 138,354 passing.
Looking at the current trajectory, AA Driving School has now predicted that 20 per cent of all passes will be automatic this year, with 23 per cent expected next year and 26 per cent estimated for 2026.
Camilla Benitz, managing director of AA Driving School, explained that as more people become confident with the idea of their driving future being electric, the need to drive a manual vehicle “will feel irrelevant to many”.
The AA research found that more females were taking automatic tests than men, especially before the coronavirus pandemic.
It also showed how older learners are more likely to have lessons in an automatic car than younger learners.
Benitz added that as EVs and hybrids become more popular and the impending ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars gets closer, “more people are choosing to learn in an automatic”.
She said this trend will continue and cause the need for manual tuition on vehicles to decline.
The expert commented: “Pre-pandemic more females than males took automatic tests, but we are now seeing male numbers increase and expect that trend to continue at a faster pace than before due to more automatic vehicles being available and more people buying EVs and hybrids.”
The AA explained how the rise in automatic driving tests is being fueled by the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel sales.
Alongside the ban, the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate will see all new car sales be 100 per cent electric by 2035 with at least 22 per cent in place this year.
The number of people training to be an instructor in an automatic has also risen, the AA detailed.
It recorded how 37 per cent of those learning to be a driving instructor with the AA chose an automatic vehicle.
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324,064 automatic tests were conducted between 2022 and 2023
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Automatic driving tests were introduced over 50 years ago on June 2, 1969, when a separate driving licence group was issued.