When you’ve spent all of your driving life behind the wheel of a car with a manual transmission, an automatic might seem confusing. But actually, automatics are a lot simpler to drive than manuals once you get the hang of it. If you’re about to drive an automatic for the 1st time and you’ve been asked about it, you’ve come to the perfect place. And if you’ve never driven a car at all, take an experienced driver along with you while you’re still getting the basics down.
Things You Should Know
- Depress the brake via your right foot prior to kicking up the car.
- Move the shifter from Park to Drive if you wish to go forward, or reverse if you want to go backward.
- Stay out of the car in Drive while moving forward. The automatic transmission chooses the gear that best matches the speed of the car.
- Put the car in park before you switch it off and engage the parking brake.
Starting an Automatic Car
Arrange your seat and mirrors and rapid your seatbelt. When you get into the driver’s seat, ensure your right foot can firmly hold the accelerator and the brake all the way to the floor. Fix your seat if you require to, then see your mirrors for visibility. Then, fasten your seatbelt.
- Take a look around the cabin and familiarise yourself with the car’s layout. This offers you a chance to situate the different indicator lights, headlights, windscreen wipers, and other functions while the car is stationary.
- If you can’t find something you feel like you’ll need, don’t be afraid to look in the car’s manual (it’s usually in the glove box—if not, you can probably find a digital copy online).
- Force forward the brake pedal down with your right foot. Safety is the priority! Some automatic cars will start even if you don’t have your foot on the brake pedal, but many won’t. You still want to do it every time. This helps you make extra sure that the car isn’t going anywhere.
- Push the button to initiate the car. Don’t take your foot off the brake as you initiate the engine. Now that you’re running, do another check around you—switch on the headlights if you need to, connect your phone, set the weather controls, whatever you require to do to maintain comfort and stability while you’re on the road.
Shift the car into Drive to leave the parking spot. Push in the lock button—it’s generally on the top of your shifter. Then, move it from park to drive if you require to go forward, or R (reverse) if you require to back out. You’ll feel the shifter click when you line it up with the right gear. Let go of the button, and you’re good to go.
Take your hand every way off the shifter—especially while driving. If you’re used to driving a stick, you probably rest your hand on the shifter a lot. You don’t need to shift gears at all while you’re driving!
- Release the parking brake before you start driving. The parking brake is generally a lever next to the gear shift. Press the button on the end of the lever towards less so it sits flush. Be sure you don’t take your foot off the brake! With the parking brake off, the car will start rolling and release the parking brake.
- In some cars, specific trucks, and SUVs, the parking brake is a run on the floor. You’ll typically push the pedal to release it, unless there’s a separate brake release lever next to it.
- Keep your car in gear prior to releasing the parking brake. This minimises extra wear and tear on your transmission due to you not believing in it to hold your car in place.
Part 2: Driving an Automatic Car
- Keep off the car in Drive while you’re driving.
Once you get moving, you don’t have to select the gear shifter at all. Just keep it in Drive, despite your speed. Your car will automatically select and switch gears based on how fast you’re going.
- An automatic car steers in the same way a manual car performs. In fact, all things about driving an automatic car are similar to driving a manual—you just don’t have to shift gears.
- If this is your 1st time driving any kind of car, go steadily, turning the steering wheel in the same direction you want the car to go. You’ve got this!
- Use your right foot for both the accelerator and the brake.
It’s right that Formula One drivers brake with their left feet. They’re also highly skilled drivers operating cars that are specifically designed for this technique. Just brake and accelerate with your right foot and leave your left foot off to the side.
- Be extra careful if you’re driving a car that has a pedal on the floor for the parking brake.It’ll usually be way off to the left side.
- If you find your left foot tends to move towards the pedals as you drive, tuck it back your right foot and out of the way—problem justified and solved!
Shift the car into reverse if you require it to reverse. Be sure you come to a complete limit and press your foot on the brake. Then, press the button on the shifter and move it next to the reverse. When you take your foot off the brake, you’ll be going in reverse.
- Your car is likely to start creeping as soon as you take your foot off the brake.
- Remember that when you’re steering your car in reverse, the rear wheels are going to go the opposite of the direction you turn the steering wheel. Turn left to back to the right and right to back to the left.
Use lower gears when you require less speed and extra power. Your car might have an L lower the D on the gearbox, or it might have a “1” and a “2.” Shifting your car from D to L stays your car in lower gear. This is a feature you’ll only use less, if ever—but it really comes in handy when you require it. Take advantage of the lower gear setting in the following cases.
- Towing: for short routes, it requires you a lot more power if you’re towing something.
- Wintry climate conditions: support your tires, grip the road, and keep your wheels from spinning out of control.
- Really steep hills: relieve stress on your engine side; less wear and tear on your brakes going downhill.
Stay out of N unless your car is being towed. In a manual car, you’re in neutral a lot—basically every time your car is stopped. But not in an automatic! Automatic cars do have a neutral gear, but you’re only going to use it very rarely.
Some people will tell you that shifting your car to neutral when you’re stopped at traffic lights will help save gas. But the thing is that any gas savings is 0 at best. All you’re really doing is putting additional wear and tear on your transmission.
Part 3: Parking an Automatic Car
Shift the car in reverse to back into a parking spot. Unless there’s a local law or parking lot restriction, it’s always safer to back into a parking spot. To do this in a car with an automatic transmission, simply come to a total stop with your foot on the brake and shift your car into reverse. Take your foot off the brake and take it to the accelerator, then press the accelerator lightly to steadily back into the space you want.
- Pull the lever to engage the parking brake. Keep your foot on the brake while you do this to keep your car from rolling. Push the button on the end of the lever, then pull it up until you hear it press. Take care not to pull it up too far—you’ll know when it’s engaged. Let go of the button and take your hand off the lever. If your parking brake is a pedal on the floor, push it all the way down once to engage the brake.
- If you’re not confident you’ve engaged the parking brake, just slowly lift your foot from the brake.
- It’s better on your transmission to engage the parking brake before you change gears.
Put the car in P and take your foot away from the brake. Push the lock button on the side of the shifter and move towards P.
- If you’ve pulled into a sloping driveway, turn your wheels so that your car won’t roll out into the road.
Switch off the car. Turn the key or push the button to turn off the car. Remember to take the keys with you and lock the doors.