Manual Driving Lesson

Manual driving lessons in the Illawarra

Lessons are one-on-one in a dual-control manual Hyundai i30 with a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. Your instructor is accredited by Transport for NSW and holds a current Working With Children Check. Lessons are available from Stanwell Park in the north to Shell Cove and Calderwood in the south, with pick-up and drop-off from your home, school or workplace in any suburb we service.

Manual lessons are usually held on Wednesdays. Book early if you need a particular time, as manual lessons are high in demand and limited spots get booked quickly!

Why learn manual

If you pass your NSW driving test in an automatic car, your P1 licence carries an A condition and you cannot drive a manual until you reach your P2s. Passing in a manual removes that restriction from day one. Manual is also still common in work utes, trade vehicles, older cars and many cars overseas.

Who these lessons are for

• Learners who want to sit their test in a manual car.

• Learners who have done their hours in an automatic and want to add manual before the test.

• Apprentices and anyone who needs to drive a manual work vehicle.

• Licensed drivers who have only ever driven automatics.

• Drivers over 25 who need to pass the test in a manual without logging 120 hours.

How a lesson runs

Lesson time starts at pick-up and ends at drop-off, and includes a short briefing at the start and a debrief at the end. First lessons focus on clutch control, moving off and stopping, and gear changes on quiet flat streets. Hill starts, which come up a lot on Illawarra roads and in the driving test, are introduced once the basics are steady. After that, lessons build the same way as automatic lessons: busier roads, roundabouts, merging, parking and test routes.

Every hour with an accreditted instructor counts as 3 hours in your NSW logbook for your first 10 hours of professional lessons, which adds up to 30 logbook hours. This applies across automatic and manual lessons combined.

Before you book

• You must hold a current NSW learner licence, or a valid Australian or overseas licence, and show it before the lesson starts.

• Wear flat, enclosed shoes. Clutch work is harder in thongs, heels or thick-soled boots.

• If your licence has conditions, such as glasses or contacts, you must meet them.

• 24 hours' notice is needed to cancel or reschedule. Late cancellations are charged in full.

• 1.5 and 2 hour lessons cannot be shortened once the booking is confirmed.