Learn to drive any car
Manual driving lessons give you the licence that covers every car on the road. You'll learn clutch control, smooth gear changes and hill starts at a pace that suits you, in my Toyota Yaris, which has dual controls. I teach manual in Wicklow and Dún Laoghaire.
Why choose manual lessons?
Drives Everything
Pass in a manual and your licence covers manual and automatic cars alike, with no second test to sit later.
Real car control
Clutch control, the biting point, smooth gear changes and hill starts, taught properly rather than rushed.
More Choice
Most used cars, work vans and hire cars abroad are manual, so you are never limited by what you can drive.
Driving test facts
Test vehicle requirements
For the test your car needs a working clutch and manual gearbox, plus an interior mirror or two exterior ones. Mine is set up and ready.
Licence Type
Pass in a manual and there is no restriction on your licence: you may drive both manual and automatic cars.
EDT applies either way
The twelve Essential Driver Training lessons are the same in a manual, and they are logged the same way.
Worried about the clutch?
The worry I hear most is the clutch. People are afraid they'll keep stalling, roll back on hills, or never get the biting point right. In practice it usually improves quite quickly with repetition. Someone who feels overwhelmed by it in their first few lessons can often get to the point where clutch control happens without thinking and they stop worrying about every movement.
Can't decide between manual and automatic?
If you're torn, the automatic lessons page sets out what to weigh up. You can also switch partway through: I have one car of each, and the EDT lessons you've already done still count.