More and more people take their test with automatic transmission.

A record nationwide

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration reports record numbers of practical tests taken with automatic transmission nationwide. In June this year, as many as 51 per cent of all category B test candidates chose to take their test with automatic transmission.

By comparison, in 2017 only 13 per cent chose automatic, says acting department director at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Heidi-Kristin Herbst.

Automatic transmission is still more widespread in the cities, but now more people in the districts are also opting out of the traditional gearbox. The general manager at Feste Trafikkskole, Øyvind Feste, can confirm this.

"We're clearly noticing an increase in automatic," he tells NH.

More electric cars

Like the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, he explains the trend by the fact that more and more people are getting electric cars these days.

He thinks the high fuel prices are an important reason why people choose electric cars, and therefore automatic transmission.

"People also talk about it being more environmentally friendly, but the experts disagree about what's actually more environmentally friendly overall. I think people think more about their wallet than the environment."

At the driving school in Knarvik, they have five diesel cars, one of which is automatic. They already have three electric cars, and a further three electric cars are on order.

"We're investing more in electric and automatic, but we'll be driving manual for a long time to come," Feste assures.

Because even though more people are choosing to take their test with automatic, manual is still dominant at the driving school in Knarvik.

– Recommends what they need most
Feste Trafikkskole has branches in both Knarvik and Åsane.

217 practical tests

So far this year, they've had 217 category B practical tests in Knarvik. About 90 of them with automatic, which makes up 41 per cent.

"Here in Nordhordland, there are still many who swear by manual. On the city side, we notice that even more people choose automatic."

Feste has been driving himself for around 35 years – cars, buses, trucks and most things that roll. Personally, he prefers to drive automatic.

"Would you recommend taking the test with automatic rather than manual?"

"No, I recommend that students choose what they need most. If they're interested in old cars and want to buy an older car to tinker with, I recommend manual, because manual cars will be around for many years to come. I actually have several students now who get their training based on automatic, but then take their test on manual. They're usually the ones with a really special interest in cars."