CHANGING TO AUTOMATIC
If you have spent more time worrying about the bite point than watching the road, automatic may suit you better. Switching does not erase the useful things you already know.
Talk through your next lesson ↗
How many lessons have you had? Which roads have you driven on? What feels comfortable, and what is taking most of your attention? An honest outline helps Dexter understand your starting point. You do not need a perfect record of every lesson.
Observation, road signs, steering and awareness of other people still matter in an automatic. Previous practice can be useful. The controls feel different, so give yourself room to become familiar with the car rather than expecting everything to feel natural immediately.
Think about the kind of car you expect to use and the journeys you want to make. Ask questions about the differences between learning and taking a test in an automatic or a manual. Our manual-versus-automatic guide explains the licence distinction and links back to lessons.
Discuss availability and current pricing, then explain what you want from the change. Dexter can talk through an appropriate starting point. There is no useful shortcut in promising a pass date before seeing how you drive.
Tell Dexter where you are starting from. Ask about availability, prices and anything you want to settle before booking.
A first lesson, a fresh start or a change of car. There is a page for each.
Never sat in the driving seat? You do not need to arrive knowing what everything does. Tell Dexter you are starting from scratch, and talk through what you need before you book.
Read about these lessons ↗02The car behind. The hill ahead. The fear of getting something wrong with someone watching. Tell Dexter which bit worries you. A useful first conversation starts there.
Read about these lessons ↗03If you have spent more time worrying about the bite point than watching the road, automatic may suit you better. Switching does not erase the useful things you already know.
Read about these lessons ↗