A New Generation of Manual Drivers
Roxsy Francis is working very hard to stay calm. Her bright smile is failing to hide the pressure she is under outside the transport department. “Feeling pretty nervous,” she said. “I’m very excited, though.” The 18-year-old is moments away from taking her second driving test. The Department of Transport sits along a busy two-lane arterial road in Nambour on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, a daunting start for any would-be driver.
Her driving instructor, Kerry Turner, knows Roxsy is confident behind the wheel, but is deeply aware of how intense the tests can be for students. What’s more, Roxsy has decided to make things harder on herself by going for a manual licence when most of her friends have gone for an automatic.
“I really like full driving, and I feel like I have more control over the gears and the car, so I just feel like it’s a bit better,” Roxsy said.
Young Women Going Manual
Ms Turner from Murris on the Move driving school watches Roxsy drive away with the government examiner. There was no bunny hopping, grinding gears or stalling, so Roxsy is off to a solid start. The proud Kalkadoon woman and long-time instructor said while automatic lessons still outnumbered manual, young women were helping even out the numbers.
“It’s the girls that are stepping up to get their apprenticeship, and it could be in carpentry, electricians, anywhere in the trades industry,” Ms Turner said. “They believe they need their manual licence, which is a great thing.”
In the past 23 years, the Queensland government has gone from issuing about 150,000 auto licences a year, or about 7 per cent overall, to now more than 770,000 a year — about 21 per cent. Manual licences over the same period have fallen from 93 per cent at their peak, down to 79 per cent.
Manual Licences: A Dying Race in Cities
Freshly retired manual instructor Greg Williams spent close to 20 years teaching in Brisbane before moving to the Sunshine Coast. He said there had been a “massive change” over the past five years as young drivers ditched manual vehicles, particularly in the city.
“When I was down in Brisbane, I just found city people — if I had to go to Greenslopes or in the city, primarily 90 per cent would be auto and 10 per cent would be manual at the (transport) testing centre,” he said. “It was a dying race down there.”
Transport and Main Roads statistics found one in four car licences issued in the past year were for an automatic licence, up from one in 10 in 2003. The Gold and Sunshine Coast regions had the next highest take-up of auto licences, while north Queensland, central Queensland and southern Queensland still has more than 80 per cent going manual.
But for those with access to beaches, tracks or worked on a property, he said a manual licence still appealed. And he was not the only one to notice the trend.
“If you’re on a farm and out west, there’s a lot of old machinery still out there, and you need to know how to drive a manual to drive a tractor,” RACQ researcher Andrew Kirk said.
‘Mainstream’ Wants Automatics
Even so, Mr Kirk said the “tide has completely turned” against manuals, with almost all new cars built with either automatic transmission or, in the case of electric vehicles, no transmission at all. The statistics are stark — demand for a manual car has been ground down to almost nothing over the past 25 years.
In 2000, six out of 10 new vehicles sold in Australia had automatic transmissions. Last year, it was 9.8 out of 10 and so far in 2026, it is closer to 9.9. Fewer than 4,000 new manual vehicles have been sold nationally since the start of the year, compared to more than 359,000 automatics.
Tony Weber is the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and knows the numbers. He said the slow demise of manuals was in part thanks to “a whole generation” that never learned how to drive them.
“[They] are now a niche product for sports cars and some off-highway activities, off-road activities,” Mr Weber said. “Mainstream Australians are not buying manuals anymore.”
Manuals Still a Thrill for Drivers
Instructor Greg Williams knows manuals may soon become a relic of the past, but he plans to hold on to his beloved hatchback. “It’s brilliant because you’ve got a clutch, you’ve got a gear shift, you’ve got gears and acceleration pedal and all that. I think it’s fun.”
Back at the transport department, Roxsy has defied the trend. After a tense wait at the examiner’s window, she is given the good news, her face awash with relief and excitement.
“I just passed my Ps test doing manual,” she said. “It’s a full life-changer for me. It’s a big accomplishment in my life. I nearly went auto, but yeah, I’m thrilled that I stayed with a manual.”
