How to Drive a Manual Transmission

Make sure to push the clutch all the way down and shift gears at the appropriate time.

Interior of a manual Mazda three

“Driving a manual requires you to pay a lot more attention to what you are doing while driving,” says Todd Krueger, a driver of manual vehicles for over 30 years. He said you have to make sure you know what gear you are in and how many rpm’s (revolutions per minute) so it requires the driver to pay a lot more attention than they would with an automatic vehicle. This might be the reason why a third of Americans have never learned this important skill.

The most important thing to remember while driving a manual is to push the clutch all the way down when shifting gears. “If you do not have it pushed down all the way the engine will stall,” said Todd. The reason behind this is the way the cars are manufactured. For the car to be able to switch gears, a lever must be pulled to allow for the gears to shift. This only works when the clutch is pushed all the way to the floor, so despite its somewhat unnatural feel, it is necessary.

The other thing you need to do is watch out for when to shift gears. Todd suggests you should “make sure to shift up whenever the car reaches around three thousand rpm’s.” You can tell this by looking at the rpm meter on the dashboard and making sure the needle never goes past the number three. While this is a lot to keep track of as a new driver, Todd says “after a little while you will be able to feel when you should shift.”

The ability to drive a car with a manual transmission is an essential skill in life. The ability to drive one allows you to be able to have the freedom to drive any vehicle, not just ones with an automatic transmission. Being able to push the clutch down all the way and shift whenever the car reaches three thousands revolutions per minute. Todd says this is the most important aspect of a manual as “they allow you to be more in control while driving.”