Code 78 means "restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission." If you pass your Irish driving test in an automatic, Code 78 is applied to your Category B licence and you cannot legally drive a manual until you sit a second full test in a manual car. The test format itself is identical — same roads, same manoeuvres, same marking. Automatic lessons cost about €5–€10 more per hour and around €71 more for a 12-lesson pack. Upgrading to manual later costs approximately €185 in fees plus any lessons needed. With 75.25% of new cars sold in Ireland in 2025 being automatic, the real-world cost of Code 78 is shrinking every year.
What Code 78 means legally
Code 78 is an EU-harmonised restriction code under EU Directive 2006/126/EC, transposed into Irish law via S.I. No. 657/2016 (European Union (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 2016). It literally means "restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission."
On an Irish photocard driving licence or learner permit, Code 78 appears in column 12 on the back of the card, against the licence category it applies to (most commonly Category B). If you pass your driving test in an automatic vehicle, the tester applies Code 78 to that category — and you are then only legally permitted to drive vehicles with automatic transmission in that category.
Getting behind the wheel of a manual when your licence carries Code 78 is treated the same as driving without a valid licence. It carries penalty points, a fine, and — crucially — it invalidates your motor insurance, leaving you personally liable for any claim. Don't rely on "the guards won't notice" — if you make a claim, the insurer absolutely will.
Which vehicles count as "automatic" under Code 78?
Any vehicle without a clutch pedal and without a manual gearbox that the driver operates, including:
- Traditional torque-converter automatics
- Dual-clutch (DCT / DSG) automatics
- CVT (continuously variable transmission) cars
- Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) — all of them
- Most full hybrids and plug-in hybrids
Semi-automatics with a sequential manual mode still fall under Code 78 if they have no clutch pedal.
The automatic test is identical to the manual test
Every authoritative source — the RSA, driving schools, and published pass-rate data — confirms that the automatic driving test in Ireland is identical to the manual test in every meaningful respect:
The same roads, junctions and roundabouts used for manual candidates at your centre.
Turnabout (3-point turn), reverse around a corner, hill start — all required.
Same Grade 1 / 2 / 3 fault structure, same pass/fail thresholds, same examiner.
Same eyesight check, Rules of the Road questions, and "show me, tell me" technical checks.
The only difference is that you are not assessed on clutch control or gear changing, for the obvious reason that those controls don't exist in an automatic. Everything else — observation, positioning, progress, mirror use, anticipation, compliance with signs — is marked identically.
When you book your test on MyRoadSafety.ie, there is no box to tick for automatic. You don't need to notify the RSA. The examiner only discovers what transmission you're using when they walk out to your car. Assessment is impartial — they are not allowed to mark you differently.
Automatic or manual — how to choose
There is no universally correct answer. The honest way to decide is to be clear about two things: how much clutch control is holding you back, and what you actually plan to drive for the next 5–10 years.
Choose automatic if…
- Clutch control is significantly slowing your EDT progress
- You're a nervous or anxious driver wanting to reduce cognitive load
- You plan to drive an EV, hybrid or automatic long-term
- You have a physical condition making clutch operation difficult
- You drive mainly in city stop-start traffic
Choose manual if…
- You want maximum licence flexibility to drive anything
- You may need rental cars, company cars or friends' manuals
- You plan to drive in countries where manuals remain common
- You have no significant difficulty with clutch control
- You're pursuing a career where fleet vehicles may be manual
Irish driving instructor Niall Conneely (TNC School of Motoring) puts the traditional view: "I would always say go for manual if possible. Manual driver training also gives drivers a better grasp of the workings of a vehicle."
BP Driving School offers the counter-view: "Many learners who found manual lessons very stressful have significantly faster progress in automatic lessons — because they can focus their mental energy on observation, positioning and road awareness rather than gear management."
Both are right. If manual is adding stress without teaching anything you actually value, automatic is not a cop-out — it's a rational choice, especially given where the market is going.
Cost comparison: automatic vs manual lessons
Automatic lessons typically cost €5–€10 more per hour than manual. The premium is real but modest. Here are verified Dublin prices as of March 2026:
| Item | Manual | Automatic | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single 1-hour lesson (RSA School of Motoring) | €53.27 | €61.41 | +€8.14 |
| 12-lesson EDT pack (RSA School of Motoring) | €588 | €659 | +€71 |
| Typical Dublin range (1 hour) | €49–€55 | €55–€65 | +€5–€10 |
| Typical rural range (1 hour) | €40–€50 | €48–€58 | +€8 |
Why are automatic lessons more expensive?
Two supply-side reasons. First, there are fewer automatic-car instructorson the register, so demand outruns supply. Second, automatic school cars are more expensive to buy, insure and maintain than manuals — particularly dual-clutch gearboxes, which wear faster in stop-start learner use. The premium is not a penalty; it reflects the economics.
Approximately 40% of Dublin learners now choose automatic lessons (according to Flexidrive.ie). The stigma is gone — this is simply the new normal for a growing share of first-time learners.
The EV angle — learning to drive in an electric
Every battery electric vehicle is an automatic by design. Taking your test in an EV results in Code 78 on your licence — there is no separate "EV code." The RSA applies no special rules, and the test format is identical to a combustion automatic.
But the experience of learning in an EV is genuinely different:
No clutch and no combustion engine means stalling is impossible. Hill starts become trivially easy — one of the commonest learner errors simply disappears.
Lifting off the accelerator decelerates the car noticeably. The effect varies by make and regen setting; strong one-pedal modes take some getting used to.
Most EVs creep forward in Drive without any accelerator input, just like a conventional automatic. Useful for junctions and parking.
Electric motors deliver maximum torque from zero rpm. Acceleration is very responsive — smooth throttle modulation matters more than in a combustion car.
Pedestrians and cyclists may not hear you coming. EU-mandated Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems help, but extra observation is still essential.
The RSA may adapt "show me, tell me" questions in future (e.g. how to use a charge point), but for now expect the same fluid and tyre-pressure questions as any other car.
If your family runs an EV, doing EDT in it makes practical sense — the skills transfer to the car you'll actually drive.
Where the Irish market is going
The single biggest argument for automatic in 2026 is that the Irish new-car market is rapidly leaving manual behind. SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) data:
| Metric | Full year 2025 | Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| New cars with automatic transmission | 75.25% | — |
| New cars with manual transmission | 24.73% (historic low) | — |
| Battery electric vehicle (BEV) share | 18.89% (+35% YoY) | 21.56% (+40.5% YoY) |
| Electrified (BEV + PHEV + HEV) | ~56.2% | — |
| Pure petrol + diesel share | — | ~34% |
Since every BEV and most hybrids are automatic by design, the direction of travel is one-way. Three out of four new cars sold in Ireland are now automatic.The relevance of manual driving skills to the average Irish driver has never been lower, and the curve is still bending.
How to remove Code 78 (upgrade to manual later)
If you start in automatic and change your mind later, the upgrade path is straightforward but not free. There is no shortcut — you must sit a full driving test in a manual car. Here is the process, per NDLS.ie:
€45 at any NDLS centre or online. Your existing full automatic licence remains valid — you can still drive automatics the whole time.
On your new manual learner permit you must display L-plates and be accompanied by a qualified driver. You don't have to repeat EDT — EDT is not mandatory for a Code 78 upgrade. Take as many lessons as you actually need.
€85, on MyRoadSafety.ie. The waiting list is the same as a first-time test at your centre. No 6-month rule applies — the minimum permit period is waived for this upgrade.
€65 for a 10-year licence at NDLS. When it arrives, the restriction is gone and you can drive manual or automatic.
Approximately €185 in fees (€45 + €85 + €65) plus any manual lessons you take. No theory test retake. No EDT. No 6-month waiting period. Budget realistically €400–€800 total if you need a handful of refresher manual lessons before the test.
Special rule: higher categories
If you hold a manual Category B licence and obtained a certificate of competency in an automatic vehicle in higher categories (BE, C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1, D1E) from 30 November 2013 onwards, Code 78 is automatically removed from those categories. This only applies to drivers who already hold manual Category B.
Finding an automatic driving instructor
There are over 2,700 registered ADIs in Ireland, but there is a confirmed general shortage — demand from learners continues to outpace the number of instructors on the register. Automatic-equipped instructors are scarcer still, which is the main reason for the lesson price premium.
Major Irish driving schools offering automatic lessons include IN Gear, Ladybird Driving School, National Driving School, BP Driving School and RSA School of Motoring. Availability varies by area — Dublin is easiest, rural areas considerably harder.
There is an important catch: an ADI who passed their own driving test in an automatic car is only permitted to teach in an automatic. Instructors who passed in a manual can teach both. When booking, ask specifically whether the instructor is manual-qualified or automatic-only — it affects your flexibility if you change your mind mid-EDT.
Does Code 78 affect car insurance?
No — not directly. Irish insurers rate car insurance on:
- Licence type (learner vs full — the biggest factor)
- Years held full licence, claims history and penalty points
- Vehicle make, model, value and engine size
- Your age, occupation and address
- Annual mileage and where the car is parked overnight
Neither Citizens Information nor the major comparison sites list transmission restriction as a rating factor. Code 78 by itself does not make your premium more expensive.
The one indirect consideration: if you later decide to upgrade to manual, you return to learner-permit status for the duration of that upgrade, and learner insurance is significantly more expensive than full-licence insurance. Factor this into the "upgrade later" scenario.
Common myths debunked
False. The test format, routes, manoeuvres and marking are identical. Driving an automatic is mechanically simpler — but the examiner marks to the same standard regardless.
False. The tester does not know what transmission you're in until they walk out to your car. Assessment is impartial and there is no penalty or bias.
False. There is no shortcut in Ireland — a full driving test in a manual car is required. Germany has an abbreviated course, but Ireland does not.
Partially misleading. Yes, 75% of new cars sold are automatic — but the used car market still has many manuals, and rental fleets, company pools, rural Ireland and Southern European holiday rentals often put you behind a clutch pedal. Code 78 limits your options; it just limits them less each year.
False. Every learner in Ireland — automatic or manual — must complete the full 12 EDT lessons. The 12-lesson requirement is not transmission-dependent.
How other countries handle it
| Country | Automatic test share | Upgrade rule |
|---|---|---|
| UK | 6.1% (2012/13) → 26% (2024/25), projected 32% by 2026/27 | Full manual test required (same as Ireland) |
| Netherlands | High and rising | Identical Code 78 system; abolition was debated and rejected |
| Germany | High | Abbreviated shifting course allows upgrade without a full test |
| Switzerland | High | Automatic/manual distinction abolished entirely |
Ireland does not publish automatic-vs-manual test breakdowns, but with 75% of new cars being automatic and roughly 40% of Dublin learners already choosing automatic lessons, Ireland appears to be on a similar trajectory to the UK. Whether Ireland follows Germany or Switzerland in easing the upgrade rules is purely speculative — there is no public RSA consultation on it as of April 2026.
Once you pass, track your first car with odo.ie
Whether you're behind a clutch pedal or in an EV, the admin after you pass is the same: NCT, motor tax, insurance renewal, services, fuel (or charging) costs. odo.ie tracks all of it in one free account — including EV-specific charging logs in kWh, not just litres.