Aussie ‘rite of passage’ dying out

What was once a key part of growing up for Aussies across the country looks to be sadly dying out.

Learning how to drive a manual used to be a badge of honour but is now becoming an old-school skill.

According to new research from EzLicence, nationally the average price of manual driving lessons has climbed to $83.87 compared to $80.61 for automatic.

In comparison to last year, it was the other way around with manual costing less at $77.61 and automatic at $80.16.

Some cities, such as Adelaide, are seeing staggering prices with manual lessons costing $271.20 per session.

Yet in Wollongong, drivers are getting the best deal at $75.90 per hour.

Part of the reason for the rising lesson costs is due to a nationwide shortage of driving instructors, particularly those who teach manual.

According to EzLicence and ABS data, instructor numbers have dropped by 3.2 per cent over the past year.

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Many of today’s Aussie drivers will never know the thrill of driving a manual.

There’s still a steady demand for manual lessons, especially from people who need to drive manual vehicles for work, or want to have the flexibility, such as driving overseas or hiring manual cars.

However, there is a clear shift in consumer preferences.

Fewer inner city learners are choosing to go manual.

So with a decline in demand, many driving schools are scaling back, ditching manual vehicles altogether due to longer teaching times, limited bookings and higher vehicle maintenance.

So the few instructors that remain are more valuable and expensive.

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Very few cars on sale today offer manual transmissions.

Manual instructors are especially scare with an average of just 10.7 manual instructors per 100 learners nationwide, and cities like Brisbane offering 7.1 manual instructors per 100 learners.

EzLicence’s Tobi Pearce said the shortage, particularly of manual and female instructors, is making it harder for learners to find the right match.

“Finding a driving instructor can be challenging, especially with growing demand and ongoing shortages,” he said.

The iconic Suzuki Swift has seemingly succumbed to the lack of demand for manuals.

Add to that the pressure of getting licensed quickly and affordably, automatic seems like the right choice.

Most states also legislate that drivers who get their license in an automatic, can’t legally drive a manual car until they get their full license.

MORE AUTOMATIC OPTIONS

There’s also more automatic options in the new car market, despite manual cars being typically cheaper to purchase.

For instance, according to the Beep.com.au in Victoria (drive-away prices), the most affordable manual options are the Kia Picanto Sport priced at $21,340 and the Suzuki Swift Hybrid priced at $24,490 drive-away.

In comparison to the automatic variant, the Kia Picanto is $1,000 more ($22,340) and the Suzuki Swift is $2,500 more ($26,990).

The Kia Picanto is cheaper in auto than manual.

But manuals are becoming hard to find, which is making the decision a no-brainer for new drivers.

According to the Beep.com.au there’s currently 61 manual variants out of a total of 1,347 (4.5 per cent) vehicles available in the Australian market.

Automatic versions are now priced equally or even more affordably, thanks to consumer demand, large production and dealer incentives.

Manual driving isn’t dead yet but it’s on its way out.

With fewer instructors, rising lesson costs, and limited availability on new car lots, the stick is no longer a practical choice.

What was once a rite of passage, a bragging tool, a skill passed on from generation to generation is now becoming a niche hobby.

Unless something changes, the next generation of drivers will never understand the satisfaction of the perfect gear change or the control that comes from driving the old-school way.

Originally published as Aussie ‘rite of passage’ dying out