I’m from Europe, I was taught on manual transmission and drove with it for 10 years. But I switched to automatic (actually not on purpose, I didn’t notice the car I was buying had it), and now vastly prefer it.

31,Sweden

Yes, and I prefer a manual car to an automatic. It keeps me a lot more dialed in while driving.

23, US. Yes, but I find them pointless for daily driver cars. Modern automatics are more fuel efficient and just make more sense because they’re much easier to operate and less annoying in stop and go traffic.

They’re great for off-roading and racing, but outside of those use cases automatics are just better.

I can, not well, but I can. damn hill starts.

Yes. Europe. We pretty much all do. Automatics are becoming a bit more common in recent years, but 90% of cars here are still manual. Especially the old beat-up cars we learn to drive on are all manual. And if by chance you learned on an automatic, and pass your driver’s test on automatic, it says so on your driver’s licence and I think you’re not actually allowed to drive/rent manual cars.

I’m pretty sure North America is the only part of the world where automatic is the default.

I’m American and learned on a manual, which I drove for a decade and a half. But I’m one of the few people I know my age who can drive a stick.

Plenty of Boomers can drive stick though.

Mid 30s Aussie living the the US. Yes I can drive a manual, yes I do drive a manual and yes I think it should be mandatory for 100% of learning drivers regardless of whether they plan to daily drive an automatic or manual when licensed.

The quality of driving here is considerably worse here than what I’ve experienced in Australia or Europe and I’m convinced requiring people to drive in a machine that forces them to consider the next ~100m leads to higher quality, more mindful drivers.

Of course, 28, French. 99,99% of people here drive manual (or at least know how to).

Early 50s, USA - you bet! And I could also roll up a window, light a cigarette from the lighter, set an AM station by pulling the tuner knob and pushing the desired station button, and burn my ass on a hot vinyl bench seat! Good times!

UAE, mid 20s and I know how to drive a manual but went with an automatic.

US. I can and have. Learned on a crappy stick shift truck where I had to nudge the clutch up with my toe. Launched boats with it.

Drove drunk friend home in his stick shift car. VW because of course he did.

Swapped cars with Mom when she hurt her clutch leg. Drove stick for a summer, a little Echo that shifted nicely.

So I can and will if I need to but I have no desire to. I have never really liked cars, just used them for utility. Now that I drive hybrids I do like them more. CVT, no gears at all!

Female, 34, from Indiana, USA. Currently driving a 2020 Honda Civic SI and I love it. My bro taught me to drive stick at 16 so that I’d never be in a situation where I needed to leave but couldn’t because I didn’t know how to drive manual. I’ve had both automatic and manual transmissions, manual being my favorite.

29, Poland/Germany. Yes, like almost everyone in Europe. Although, it is getting more popular to be automatic-only. I like driving manual, however prefer automatic due to convenience of it. I don’t have a car at the moment (public transport serves me well), but if I had, I’d go for automatic.

I can from Texas. Just turned 40. I was taught on a manual transmission and have owned several vehicles with one. I prefer it, except for in traffic!

Mid 30s, used to drive stick all the time but I wouldn’t go out and get one anymore. This seems like one of those things people clutch onto (pun intended) because it was at one time a useful everyday skill not everyone could do but now is completely antiquated.