Learn to drive with ease
Automatic lessons take the clutch and the gears out of it, so you can watch the road instead. I teach them in a Ford Fiesta automatic with dual controls, in Wicklow and Dún Laoghaire.
Where I teach automatic lessons
Automatic lessons in Dún Laoghaire
I teach around the Dún Laoghaire test centre on Pottery Road, on the roads its test uses. If you live anywhere from Blackrock and Stillorgan down to Killiney and Shankill, that's your nearest test centre. Lessons are from €60.
Lessons in Dún LaoghaireAutomatic lessons in Wicklow
Lessons start at the RSA test centre on the Murrough, so you drive the Wicklow test roads from your first lesson. I teach learners from Wicklow Town, Rathnew, Ashford and Glenealy. Lessons are from €55.
Lessons in WicklowWhy choose automatic lessons?
Simpler learning
No stalling and no gear changes, which suits beginners and nervous drivers.
Less stress
Concentrate on steering, speed and safety without the extra complexity.
Who it suits
Nervous learners, older learners, people who struggled with the clutch somewhere else, and anyone with an automatic at home. It also suits anyone with a physical limitation that makes a clutch hard work.
Driving test facts
Test vehicle requirements
You can take your Irish driving test in an automatic car: no more than 3,500 kg, seating no more than eight passengers besides the driver, and capable of at least 100 km/h.
Licence type
Pass in an automatic and your licence is automatic only. That is perfectly fine if an automatic is what you intend to drive.
Future flexibility
You can upgrade later, but it means doing the manual route from the start: back to a learner permit for manual, L plates with a qualified driver again, a manual test, then paying for the new licence. If you think you will want manual, learning manual now is cheaper.
Manual or automatic? How to decide
If you're undecided, manual is often worth considering in Ireland. A full manual licence lets you drive both manual and automatic cars, which gives you more choice later on. Automatic can be easier and less stressful to learn, especially in traffic. The main things to weigh up are how confident you feel with gears and clutch control, how quickly you want to get comfortable driving, what kind of car you expect to own or borrow, and whether having the widest choice of cars later matters to you.
Switching partway through
You can switch between manual and automatic partway through if you want to. I have one car of each, and the EDT lessons you've already done still count.
Questions about automatic lessons
How much are automatic driving lessons?
From €55 a lesson in Wicklow and from €60 in Dún Laoghaire. Block bookings come with a discount, so ask for a package price if you know you'll need several.
Do I still need all 12 EDT lessons in an automatic?
Yes. EDT is the same 12 lessons whichever car you learn in, and the lessons count if you switch between manual and automatic.
Can I do a pretest or a mock test in the automatic?
Yes. Pretest lessons and mock tests both run in the automatic if that's what you'll test in.
Can I use your automatic for my driving test?
Yes. You can hire my car for the test, so you sit it in the automatic you learned in.