Electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly common sight on UK roads, so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that they’re also starting to appear as driving school cars.

But what is it actually like to learn to drive in an electric vehicle (EV)? Is it easier? What is regenerative braking? Can you use all the technology on your driving test? And will learning in an EV prepare you for driving other automatic cars afterwards?

I teach pupils in both manual and automatic cars, with my automatic tuition taking place in a Renault 5 E-Tech electric car. Having taught in both conventional and electric vehicles, I’ve found that an EV can be an excellent environment in which to learn.

There are, however, some important differences that learners should understand.

 

An electric car is an automatic

From a learner driver’s perspective, the most obvious difference is that there is no clutch pedal and no conventional manual gearbox.

You don’t have to learn clutch control, find a biting point, worry about stalling or decide which gear you should be in. You simply select Drive and use your right foot to control the accelerator and brake.

This removes a significant amount of mechanical complexity, particularly during the early stages of learning.

But that doesn’t mean there’s less to learn about driving.

I think there’s an important distinction between learning to operate a car and learning to drive a car.

Operating an EV is relatively straightforward. Driving safely still requires you to develop good observation, judgement, anticipation, planning, positioning, speed control and hazard awareness.

Those are ultimately the skills that make somebody a safe driver.

By removing some of the mechanical workload, an EV can allow a learner to devote more of their attention to developing them.

Regenerative braking feels quite different

One of the features pupils tend to notice when they first drive an EV is regenerative braking.

In a conventional petrol or diesel automatic, taking your foot off the accelerator generally allows the car to continue moving while gradually losing speed.

An EV can behave differently.

Depending upon the car and the settings being used, lifting your foot from the accelerator can cause the vehicle to slow much more noticeably. At the same time, some of the energy that would otherwise be lost during braking can be recovered and returned to the battery.

Different electric cars provide different levels of regenerative braking, and many allow the driver to adjust its strength.

I’ve actually found this to be an excellent teaching aid.

 

It teaches you what your right foot is doing

One of the things a new driver has to learn is that the accelerator isn’t simply an on/off switch.

Small movements matter.

Press the accelerator slightly more and the car accelerates. Ease your foot slightly and the acceleration reduces. Lift your foot completely and the car begins slowing.

Regenerative braking makes this relationship particularly easy to feel.

Initially, I deliberately use it to help pupils understand precisely what they’re doing with their right foot.

It can also encourage another extremely important driving skill: looking and planning further ahead.

If you can see that you’re approaching a roundabout, junction or queue of traffic, rather than continuing to accelerate towards it and braking at the last moment, you can ease off the accelerator earlier and allow the car to begin reducing speed.

That’s a habit I want pupils to develop regardless of the type of car they eventually drive.

 

You won’t necessarily learn to rely on regenerative braking

A reasonable concern is what happens when you subsequently get into a conventional automatic car.

Will it feel completely different?

It might initially, which is why I think this needs to form part of learning to drive an EV properly.

My Renault 5 E-Tech can also be driven in a more conventional mode that behaves much more like a traditional automatic car.

I can therefore use stronger regenerative braking initially as a teaching aid and then introduce the learner to a more conventional driving mode.

The objective isn’t to make somebody brilliant at driving my Renault 5.

It’s to teach transferable driving skills that can subsequently be applied to an electric, hybrid or conventional automatic car.

 

Electric cars are incredibly smooth

Another lovely characteristic of an electric vehicle is its smoothness.

There are no conventional gear changes interrupting the delivery of power and no clutch to coordinate. Acceleration can therefore be beautifully progressive.

At lower speeds, this can be particularly helpful when learning manoeuvres such as parallel parking, bay parking and pulling up on the right and reversing.

The pupil can concentrate on where the car is going and what’s happening around them, rather than simultaneously trying to control a clutch.

The same applies when moving slowly in congested traffic.

There are simply fewer mechanical things competing for your attention.

 

But instant acceleration needs to be respected

There is another side to an EV’s smoothness.

Electric motors respond extremely quickly when you press the accelerator.

You don’t necessarily get the same sensation of an engine building revs or a conventional gearbox deciding which gear it needs. Press the accelerator and the car responds.

For an experienced driver, that responsiveness can be one of the pleasures of driving an EV.

For a learner, it means developing precise right-foot control.

You don’t need large movements of the accelerator. Small, progressive adjustments are usually all that’s required.

Some learners can initially find an electric accelerator quite sensitive, but with good tuition that becomes an opportunity to develop very fine control of the car.

 

Modern EVs have some fantastic driver aids

One of the advantages of learning in a modern electric car is the amount of technology that’s often fitted as standard.

Depending upon the vehicle, you might have reversing cameras, parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition, lane assistance and numerous other safety systems.

Many of these features can also be used during your driving test.

I think these systems can be excellent learning aids.

A reversing camera, for example, can help you understand exactly where the rear of the vehicle is going when you’re learning a manoeuvre. Parking sensors can provide additional information about how close you are to an object.

However, there’s a very important principle I teach:

Technology should support your observation, not replace it.

A reversing camera cannot show you everything that’s happening around the car.

You still need to look around, check your blind spots, respond to pedestrians and other vehicles and understand what’s happening in your surroundings.

Used properly, technology can help you develop spatial awareness.

Used badly, it can create dependency.

My job as an instructor is to teach you the difference.

 

Hill starts become considerably simpler

Ask someone who learnt to drive in a manual car what they remember about hill starts and they’ll probably start talking about biting points, clutch control and desperately trying not to roll backwards.

An electric car removes most of that mechanical complexity.

There’s no clutch to balance and modern vehicles generally have excellent systems for preventing the car from rolling backwards.

But again, the important driving skill hasn’t disappeared.

You still have to observe properly. You still have to decide when it’s safe to move. You still need to control your acceleration and consider other road users.

The car simply removes some of the mechanical complication.

 

An EV can be a calmer environment in which to learn

This is something that’s easily overlooked.

Electric cars are remarkably quiet.

There’s no engine revving as you accelerate, no clutch noise and no conventional gear changes. Particularly at lower speeds, the interior can be a very calm environment.

For someone who is nervous about learning to drive, I think that can be particularly beneficial.

There’s less happening mechanically and it’s also very easy to have a conversation with your instructor.

However, that quietness introduces another lesson.

Drivers of petrol and diesel cars often subconsciously use engine noise to help judge their speed.

You don’t get the same feedback in an EV.

Because acceleration is so smooth and quiet, it’s surprisingly easy to find yourself travelling faster than you realise.

Developing the habit of checking your speed regularly rather than judging it from engine noise is therefore particularly important.

Does all this technology make driving too easy?

Some people worry that learning in a modern car means becoming dependent upon technology.

I don’t think it has to.

The important thing is how the technology is taught.

I can use regenerative braking to teach you anticipation while also teaching you conventional braking.

I can use a reversing camera to help you understand where the car is going while still expecting effective all-round observation.

And I can allow the car’s hill-start technology to prevent it rolling backwards while concentrating your attention on whether it’s actually safe to move.

The objective isn’t to pretend that modern technology doesn’t exist.

These systems are increasingly part of everyday motoring. I think a modern driving instructor should teach pupils how to use them appropriately, intelligently and safely.

Is the driving test easier in an electric car?

This is where it’s important to distinguish between an easier car to operate and an easier driving test.

An EV is undoubtedly mechanically simpler.

You can’t stall it. You don’t have to coordinate a clutch and accelerator. You won’t select the wrong gear approaching a junction.

But the examiner isn’t simply assessing whether you can operate the controls.

You still need to deal safely with roundabouts and junctions, pedestrians and cyclists, meeting traffic, speed limits, changing road conditions and other drivers.

You still need to demonstrate observation, judgement, planning and independent decision-making.

An electric car can’t make those decisions for you.

So while an EV removes some of the mechanical complexity of learning, the standard of driving required to pass your test remains the same.

There’s one important consequence: your driving licence

If you’re considering learning in an EV, there’s one particularly important point to understand.

If you pass your driving test in an electric vehicle, you’ll receive an automatic-only driving licence.

That allows you to drive electric vehicles, hybrids and conventional automatic cars, but not manual cars.

If you subsequently decide that you’d like to drive a manual, you can take another practical test in a manual car to upgrade your licence.

Whether this restriction matters depends very much upon you.

If you expect to drive electric and automatic cars anyway, it may make very little practical difference.

However, a manual licence still provides a wider choice of vehicles, particularly when looking at inexpensive first cars.

That’s why I don’t believe there’s a universal answer to the question “Should I learn manual or automatic?”

It depends upon what you’re likely to want to drive after you’ve passed.

Will I actually buy an EV after I pass?

Possibly – but don’t assume that you have to.

The car you learn in doesn’t have to be the type of car you buy after passing your test.

A young driver might thoroughly enjoy learning in a modern EV but ultimately decide that a small petrol automatic makes more sense as a first car because of its purchase price, insurance or simply the choice of used cars available.

That’s another reason I believe EV tuition should concentrate on transferable skills rather than simply teaching someone how to operate one particular electric vehicle.

So, is an electric car a good car to learn in?

I think it can be an excellent one.

An EV removes many of the mechanical distractions traditionally associated with learning to drive. There’s no clutch to master, no gears to select and no possibility of stalling.

Modern technology can make manoeuvres easier to understand. Regenerative braking can be a surprisingly effective way of teaching accelerator control and forward planning. And the smooth, quiet nature of an electric drivetrain can create a very pleasant learning environment.

But I don’t think the objective should simply be to make driving as easy as possible.

The objective is to use the technology intelligently while developing the skills that matter in any car: observation, anticipation, judgement, planning and control.

Ultimately, learning to drive isn’t really about mastering a clutch, a gearbox or an electric motor.

It’s about learning to read the road, understand what other people might do next and make safe decisions for yourself.

And if removing some of the mechanical complexity gives you more capacity to concentrate on those skills, an electric vehicle can be a very good place to start.

Learning to Drive an Electric Car: FAQs

Is it easier to learn to drive in an electric car?

In many respects, yes. There’s no clutch, no manual gear changing and you can’t stall. That means there’s less mechanical complexity to deal with, particularly during your early lessons.

However, the important parts of learning to drive – observation, judgement, planning, positioning, speed control and dealing with other road users – still have to be learnt.

Is an electric car the same as an automatic car?

For learning and driving-licence purposes, yes.

An EV has no clutch pedal or conventional manual gearbox and is treated as an automatic. It can feel slightly different to a conventional automatic because of features such as regenerative braking, but the fundamental controls are very similar.

Can I take my driving test in an electric car?

Yes. You can take your practical driving test in an electric vehicle.

You’ll undertake the same driving test and be expected to demonstrate the same standard of safe, independent driving as somebody taking their test in a manual or conventional automatic car.

Will I get an automatic-only licence if I pass in an EV?

Yes. Passing your driving test in an electric car gives you an automatic-only licence.

You’ll be able to drive electric, hybrid and conventional automatic cars, but you won’t be entitled to drive a manual.

If you later decide you want to drive manuals, you can upgrade your licence by passing a practical driving test in a manual car.

What is regenerative braking, and is it difficult to learn?

Regenerative braking allows an EV to slow down more noticeably when you lift your foot from the accelerator.

I actually find it extremely useful when teaching because it helps you understand exactly what you’re doing with your right foot.

Press the accelerator and you feel the car respond. Ease off and you feel the car begin to slow.

It can also encourage you to anticipate what’s happening ahead and reduce your speed earlier rather than approaching hazards quickly and relying on the brake at the last moment.

Will regenerative braking make it difficult to drive a normal automatic afterwards?

It shouldn’t – provided you’re taught properly.

My Renault 5 E-Tech can also be driven in a more conventional mode, so once you’ve developed good right-foot control I can teach you how the car behaves with less regenerative braking.

The objective is not simply to teach you how to drive my Renault. It’s to develop skills that you can transfer to other electric, hybrid and conventional automatic cars.

Can I use reversing cameras, parking sensors and other technology on my driving test?

Many of the normal driver-assistance features fitted to modern cars can be used during a driving test, including reversing cameras and parking sensors.

However, they don’t replace good driving.

I teach pupils to use technology as an additional source of information, not as a substitute for observation. You still need to look around the vehicle, check what’s happening in your blind spots and respond appropriately to other road users.

Should I learn in an electric car or a manual?

There isn’t one answer that’s right for everybody.

Learning in an EV removes much of the mechanical complexity of driving. There’s no clutch, no gear changing and no stalling, allowing you to devote more attention to actually reading the road and making good decisions.

The trade-off is that passing in an EV gives you an automatic-only licence.

If you expect to drive automatic or electric cars anyway, that may not matter to you. If you want the widest possible choice of cars after passing – particularly inexpensive first cars – a manual licence still provides greater flexibility.

So I wouldn’t simply ask “Which is easier to learn?”

I’d ask:

“What type of car am I actually going to want to drive once I’ve passed my test?”