Electric cars in driving schools: driving test with e-car is possible

The change in the driving test that came into effect at the beginning of april 2021 will make it easier for driving schools to switch to electric cars. Because e-cars in driving schools do not only make sense for short term environmental reasons, but also in the long term. If you learn to drive an electric car, you are more likely to buy one later.

If you are already sure that it should definitely be an e-car, then we have compiled the top 5 electric cars for you:

New automatic driver’s license: extension to manual car possible

Until now, if you took your driving lessons and your driving test in a car with an automatic transmission, you’d get an entry on your driver’s license. The key number 78 ensured that only automatic cars were allowed to be driven. Since the 1. April 2021 there will be an extension of this regulation, which will have many advantages.

Those who decide to continue driving only automatic vehicles will take their test in an automatic car as before. This means that the restriction is entered in the driver’s license with the key number 78, as before. What’s new now is that you can either have it integrated into your training right away or, after passing your driving test, you can qualify to drive a stick shift car.

Those who want to do this have to go through the following extension in addition to the normal basic training:

• 10 extra driving hours in a car with manual transmission
• 15 minutes test drive in manual transmission car with driving instructor (no test)

What is included in the test drive?

The test candidates must prove that they can drive a manual transmission car safely and responsibly. In practice, this includes, among other things, hill starts, environmentally friendly gear changes, correct turning and observing right-of-way regulations. this test drive takes place only with the driving instructor, who must then certify that the requirements for driving a car with manual transmission are met. A test is not taken here.

In plain language, this means that all those who previously had an automatic-only driver’s license will now be able to take the test in a driving school. If the test drive is successful, the key number B197 is entered, which entitles the driver to drive a manual car.

For novice drivers, this combined training also makes a lot of sense, because if you feel overwhelmed at first, you can simply take the automatic driver’s license first and then go through the additional training later without any problems. This leads to less stress and all options are still open.

Clear the way for the electric car

This change to the driving license has been under discussion since the end of 2019 and was already approved by the EU Commission at that time. However, it was not until the end of 2020 that the Bundesrat (upper house of the German parliament) also approved the draft law. The introduction of this new form of driver’s license is certainly due to the strong trend toward electrified cars.

The design of an electric car or plug-in hybrid does not include a manual transmission; all electric cars are equipped with automatic transmissions. So far, if young people are interested in electric cars, they have either had to take the normal driver’s license and learn to shift gears for free, so to speak – or the automatic driver’s license without the option of being able to drive a manual car.

Anyone who wants to buy their own car after passing the driving test can now easily buy an e-car and benefit from the environmental bonus, while at the same time driving around in their grandparents’ old manual – a win-win situation!

E-cars in driving schools – still not very widespread

The extension of the driver’s license should naturally also help more and more driving schools to decide to use electric vehicles as driving school cars. Learner drivers are often very fond of electric cars, but only a few driving schools in Germany offer an electric car as a training vehicle. Together with the new driver’s license regulations and the high premiums for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, however, this number is now likely to increase.

Driving schools that already provide an electric car for novice drivers often report that their students are so enthusiastic about driving an electric car that they want to buy an electric car later on.

It is the young generation that will decide in the future whether electric cars will replace combustion cars on the roads. Driving schools can therefore make a contribution to the formation of opinion. In addition, there are also e-cars that are well suited as beginner cars for young people because they are cheap to insure and easy to drive.

The manual transmission is dying out?

In driving school, gear shifting is certainly associated with fears and hurdles for most students at the beginning, many do not really warm up to gear shifting for the rest of their lives. In addition, the manual transmission is a wear part, and a very expensive one at that. If you’re not careful when shifting gears, you’ll eventually have transmission damage that can easily exceed 1.000 euros can cost. The development and production of manual transmissions is also complex and expensive.

That brings us to some of the disadvantages of a manual transmission – and another argument is: the future is electric and an e-car has no manual transmission.

Accordingly, it looks as if sooner or later cars with manual transmissions will become extinct. Some manufacturers, most notably mercedes, have already switched to automatics. That’s because almost 90 percent of all mercedes models sold are ordered with automatic transmissions.

So the changeover was just a response to customer needs. With the new model generations, the gearshift will then disappear completely from the mercedes range.

New registrations also confirm the trend: more than half of newly registered cars in 2020 will be automatics.