Interesting, did not know this. Do you also have different licence classifications? One of the reasons I think manuals are common here in the UK (or atleast cheaper* cars tend to be manual) is because you have to pass your test in a manual to be able to drive a manual car - if you pass in an automatic you can only drive those, so naturally everyone’s first car is a manual so you’re not restricted later in life on what you can buy or rent, or if you just need to drive a friend’s car or something.
*Cheaper here means small hatchbacks. Once you get into the price range of more luxury cars the price difference between manual and automatic is either negligible or automatics become cheaper depending on the model.
Oh 100%, usually self-taught manual drivers end up needing to replace clutches pretty soon, stalling out the engine, and just shifting rough for the first little while. Having someone there to teach you goes a long way, especially when you’re a teenager or young adult with your first car or something.
Interesting, did not know this. Do you also have different licence classifications? One of the reasons I think manuals are common here in the UK (or atleast cheaper* cars tend to be manual) is because you have to pass your test in a manual to be able to drive a manual car - if you pass in an automatic you can only drive those, so naturally everyone’s first car is a manual so you’re not restricted later in life on what you can buy or rent, or if you just need to drive a friend’s car or something.
*Cheaper here means small hatchbacks. Once you get into the price range of more luxury cars the price difference between manual and automatic is either negligible or automatics become cheaper depending on the model.
In the US, you do not have to pass separate tests. As long as you show you can drive whichever car you take the test in, you’ll get a license.
People just find automatics easier and prefer to drive those here, I guess
It’s certainly a lot harder to drive a manual if you’ve never had a teacher next to you.
Oh 100%, usually self-taught manual drivers end up needing to replace clutches pretty soon, stalling out the engine, and just shifting rough for the first little while. Having someone there to teach you goes a long way, especially when you’re a teenager or young adult with your first car or something.