One of the most common questions for every learner is whether to drive a manual or an automatic car. There are some confusion and differences in licensing, costs, and training periods. Which is the easiest between two? Let’s crack the code and dive deep into the differences between manual and automatic car driving.
Difference between Manual and Automatic
There are significant differences between manual and automatic car driving. In manual driving, the driver shifts gears according to the speed changes, but in automated cars, you don’t have to worry about gears.
In manual driving, you have to keep the revolution per minute (RPM) within a specific range. On the other hand, in automatic driving, the car’s transmission takes over to keep RPM in the correct range. Automatic driving is much easier to learn, while manual driving requires more patience and is more challenging to use.
How Do I Learn?
As a newbie, whether you are trying manual driving or are focused on simple automatic driving, you should learn the basics of driving. Click here to learn about different types of driving lessons that can be an excellent option in starting your journey. Things that all students should focus on during driving school include:
- Rules of the road
- Proper driving techniques
- Gap selection
- Speed management
- Crash avoidance spaces
- Low-risk driving skills
… and much more.
How long does it take to learn how to drive? Well, that depends on your experience level and learning skills. There are people who learned it all in three days and some who took longer than a month.
Other than that, you need expert professional instructors to teach you the best driving techniques. Safe and stress-free learning can help you acquire driving skills quickly. As a beginner, you would also need to learn how to minimize the risk of any motor vehicle accidents.
Is it Possible to Drive a Manual Car with an Automatic License?
Learning a manual car requires more skill and time. In manual driving, you are the one who is responsible for choosing the right gear. If you want the wrong one, then there is a good possibility of road accidents. So, it is highly prohibited to drive a manual car with an automatic license.
On the other hand, if you have a manual car driving license, then you are good to go for both types. That is why more people seek a manual license over an automatic license.
Advantages of Driving a Manual Car
Driving a manual car has a good number of benefits.
1. Manual cars have better gas mileage than automatic vehicles because the driver controls the RPM, meaning that there is less reviving, and the car uses less gas.
2. Because of the less complicated technology in them, manual transmission cars are relatively cheaper to repair.
3. In case you are buying a new car, new manual cars are also cheaper than automatic cars.
4. Manual cars are often lighter than automatic vehicles. Also, as the driver, you can control its speed, so you can drive faster anytime you want.
5. It allows better control of your vehicle. Expert manual drivers can save the car’s tire wear and brake wear.
6. Manual cars are less expensive and less attractive than automatic cars. So, it is also safe from getting stolen.
Disadvantages of Driving a Manual Car
Besides a good number of benefits, they have few drawbacks, too. These include:
1. They have lower resale value as only a few people know how to drive manual cars
2. It is not easy to learn how to drive a manual car. You need hours of concentration and good coordination of your hands and feet. Also, it takes time to master manual car driving.
3. Manual cars are also difficult to obtain on the market as most people are focused on modern automatic cars.
Advantages of Driving an Automatic Car
Most people start their driving experience with automatic cars because automatic cars are easy to maneuver and are a quick option for the simplest driving. Some other advantages are as follows:
1. You don’t have to think about shifting gears, and it helps you focus more on the road.
2. For long hours of driving, automatic cars have desirable cruise control options. Not all manual cars offer that feature.
3. If you often drive on inclines, steep hills, or winding roads, then automatic cars are the better option for you.
4. There is less possibility of an automatic car stall at traffic.
5. An automatic car shifts gears by itself faster than a manual one so you can accelerate quickly on a freeway.
6. More than 80% of the current car models are automatic cars, so you have a wide range of options to choose the best one for you. Also, an automatic car has a better resale value than a manual one.
Disadvantages of Automatic Car Driving
The limitations of automatic car driving include:
1. They are not as fuel economical as manual cars, but the exact mileages may vary among different models.
2. Automatic cars are expensive to buy and costly to repair.
3. You cannot learn enough driving skills on automatic car driving.
4. Learning only automatic driving will restrict you to automatic cars, while manual driving allows you the opportunity to drive both options.
Safe Option: Manual or Automatic
Which is the safer option among these two variants? That depends more on individual driving skills.
If you are a beginner in driving and you are stressed in stop and go traffic, then automatic driving is the safer option for you. On the other hand, manual driving allows more control over your car.
At the early stage of learning how to drive, you will find it difficult to gain such control. If you are an expert on manual driving, then it is the safest of both options.
Insurance cost: Automatic vs. Manual
Which of these two categories does cost more on insurance? The automatic ones cost 10% more than manual cars. That is because it has more complicated technology, and it is more costly to repair should anything happen. In most cases, you have to pay around 200 dollars a month for automatic car insurance.
Final Verdict
If you believe that you need to master driving, then you should learn how to drive a manual car. For quick learning and for easy-to-go options, automatic driving is always the top choice.
If you have a low budget, start with a manual car. Though it takes time, it prepares you as a better driver in the future. You can switch to automatic cars anytime, anywhere, if you are good at manual driving.
