Automatic or Manual Driving Licence? What to Choose in 2026

The exam itself still checks, above all, safe behaviour in traffic. An automatic doesn't excuse you from watching road signs, yielding right of way, performing manoeuvres correctly, or reading the situation on the road.

Code 78 restricts your licence to vehicles without a clutch pedal — in practice, mainly cars with an automatic transmission.

If the category B practical exam is taken in a car with an automatic transmission, the code 78 note is added to the exam record.

It isn't a separate licence category. You still hold category B, just with a restriction on the type of vehicle.

Yes. If you pass your practical exam in a car with a manual transmission, you don't get the code 78 restriction. You can later drive both manual and automatic cars.

That's the biggest practical advantage of choosing a manual during the course: you don't close off either option.

Formally, there's no separate "easier exam". You still have to complete the required tasks and demonstrate safe driving.

An automatic can, however, be easier in terms of simply handling the car. You don't have to, at the same time:

• operate the clutch pedal,
• select the right gear,
• watch the moment to change gear,
• pull away by coordinating the throttle and the clutch,
• worry about stalling the engine from mishandling the clutch.

That lets some learners give more attention to what's happening on the road.

That doesn't mean an automatic solves every problem during the exam, though. You still have to observe your surroundings correctly, yield right of way, react to pedestrians and cyclists, perform manoeuvres, and make the right decisions.

An automatic simplifies handling the car, but it doesn't simplify the rules of the road.

An automatic can be a good choice if you already know you'll only be using automatic cars after getting your licence. That applies especially to people who:

• already have an automatic car in the family,
• are planning to buy an automatic,
• intend to drive an electric or hybrid car without a clutch pedal,
• don't need to drive company or borrowed cars with a manual transmission,
• find it especially hard to handle the clutch, the gears, and traffic awareness at the same time,
• want to focus their learning mainly on how the car behaves on the road.

In that case, the code 78 restriction may make practically no difference in everyday life.

Manual is the safer choice if you don't yet know what car you'll be using in a few years. It's worth considering especially when:

• your parents' or partner's car has a manual transmission,
• you may end up driving various cars,
• you might need a car for work,
• you're planning to rent cars,
• you want the widest possible choice of used cars,
• you simply don't want code 78 on your licence.

Learning may take a bit longer while you master the clutch and gear changes, but once you've passed the exam, you no longer have to think about what kind of transmission the car you want to drive has.

It isn't a decision for life. Code 78 can be removed.

Someone holding a category B licence restricted to automatic-transmission vehicles can sit the exam for the same category without retaking the theory part — under the applicable rules, the theory is treated as already passed in that situation. You do, however, have to pass the practical exam in a car with a manual transmission.

Before that exam, it's sensible to book manual driving lessons and learn to handle the clutch and gearbox. You don't have to start the whole road to a licence from scratch, though.

So choosing an automatic can be thought of as a simpler way to start driving now, with the option of extending your licence later. Just keep in mind that extending it later means extra lessons, an exam, and the costs that come with them.

No. Choosing an automatic transmission by itself doesn't shorten the required category B practical training. The standard course includes at least 30 clock-hours of practical driving.

The difference is mainly in what you learn during those hours. On a manual, you additionally have to handle:

• the clutch,
• gear changes,
• pulling away,
• braking with the right gear reduction,
• working the gearbox in different road conditions.

On an automatic, the car handles part of that for you.

There's no single nationwide rule saying an automatic course must be more or less expensive. The price depends on the specific driving school.

It's worth comparing not just the course price itself, but also:

• the price of an extra driving hour,
• car availability,
• lesson scheduling,
• whether you can take the exam in the school's own car,
• the cost of any extra lessons if you need them.

A good example is the current offer from one Wrocław school. As of September 2026, OSK KopaMa lists PLN 5,400 for its Category B course in English in a manual car (Hyundai i20) and PLN 5,600 for an automatic course in English (Toyota Yaris Hybrid). This is just one example — prices at other schools may differ.

If you want to work out the full cost of getting the document, not just the course price, also see our guide on how much a category B driving licence really costs in Wrocław.

The first hours on a manual are often frustrating. The car stalls, pulling away doesn't go smoothly, and changing gear means briefly taking your attention off everything else.

That's a normal stage of learning.

If the only reason you're choosing an automatic is that you're not yet comfortable with the clutch after your first lessons, you don't have to give up on manual right away.

On the other hand, there's no point choosing manual just because "that's what most people do" if you know you'll only be driving automatic cars for years to come.

The choice should follow from how you plan to use your licence after the exam.

You can apply a simple rule:

There's no single answer that's right for everyone.

Manual gives you more freedom after the exam. You can drive both manual and automatic cars.

Automatic simplifies handling the car, but taking the exam in one means code 78 and a restriction to vehicles without a clutch pedal.

So before signing up for a course, think not just about the exam itself, but above all about the car you'll be driving afterwards. If you're still not sure, manual leaves you more options for the future — an automatic can still be a perfectly sensible choice if the code 78 restriction won't matter to you in practice.