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Do you know how to drive a manual car? If you do, then you’re part of a small minority that’s on the verge of extinction.
Pardon the exaggeration, but the good old manual transmission is undoubtedly getting phased out of the industry as more car makers prioritise automatic models amid a gargantuan shift in consumer preference.
And while the automotive industry is closing the manual chapter as it fades into history, new data exclusively sent to Drive has revealed that young drivers in these Australian states are keeping the classic gearstick alive.
According to data supplied by EZLicence – a national driving school – in the past six months, only 11 per cent of learner drivers opted for manual transmission, while 89 per cent chose automatics.
Despite automatics reigning supreme among novice motorists across Australia – particularly among learners in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT – some learner drivers in WA (23 per cent) and Queensland (16 per cent) are bucking the trend.
The Head of Marketing at EZLicence, Amanda Butler, said the demographic for manual learners is generally younger drivers who already hold a full or provisional licence.
“Our data shows the average age of a learner taking manual lessons is 19, compared to 21 for automatic learners, while 19 per cent of manual learners already hold a provisional or full licence, versus 5 per cent of automatic learners,” Butler told Drive.
“This suggests many people are learning manuals for practical reasons later on, particularly for work requirements like trades, transport or agriculture.
“That said, manual lessons still have a loyal audience, particularly among younger drivers, car enthusiasts, and people wanting the flexibility to drive both transmission types,” she said.
Further skewing young motorists away from learning to drive manual cars is the fact that lessons are often more expensive than automatic lessons.
“Manual lessons also tend to be more expensive, and there are generally fewer instructors offering manual vehicles, which can make them less accessible for some learners," Butler explained.
Though automatic cars offer convenience due to their simplicity, Butler said learning to drive manual vehicles provides numerous benefits for young motorists.
“One of the biggest advantages of learning manual is flexibility, as passing a manual driving test allows drivers to operate both manual and automatic vehicles,” she said.
“Learning manual can also help drivers develop stronger vehicle control and road awareness, while opening up access to a wider range of cars, work vehicles, campervans and overseas rentals where manual cars are still common.”
As reported by Drive in October 2025, manual cars were the overwhelming favourite among rental vehicles in several European countries, including Portugal, Greece, Morocco and Spain.
Ethan traded clothing racks for gear sticks in 2023, when he joined the Drive team after freelancing for various fashion and pop culture magazines. Since then, he has delved deep into all things automotive, from emerging social media trends and road rules to industry and consumer news, hard-hitting exposés, and everything in between. Despite a young career in automotive, Ethan's contributions to the Australian automotive industry culminated in him winning the Newspress Rising Star Journalist award in 2024.
