Can You Drive a Manual Car with an Automatic License?
3 Answers
An automatic license does not permit driving a manual car. An automatic driving license falls under the C2 category. According to China's traffic regulations, a C2 license for small automatic passenger vehicles only allows driving small and micro automatic passenger cars, as well as light and micro automatic cargo vehicles. Driving a manual car with a C2 license is equivalent to driving without a license and will be subject to severe legal penalties. Relevant information about automatic transmissions is as follows: Introduction: An automatic transmission, as the name suggests, does not require the driver to manually shift gears. The vehicle automatically selects the appropriate gear based on the driving speed and traffic conditions. Generally, an automatic transmission car has six gear positions, from top to bottom: P, R, N, D, S, L. Automatic Principle: The engine's power is transmitted through the gearbox, which is also a key factor affecting fuel consumption. Generally, an automatic transmission consumes more than 10% more fuel than a manual transmission. Whether manual or automatic, the more gears there are, the more fuel-efficient the vehicle is.
I took the automatic transmission driver's license test, so this issue needs to be clarified. An automatic transmission license only permits driving automatic vehicles—this is a mandatory regulation. My friend stubbornly tried driving a manual transmission car and got pulled over by traffic police, charged with unlicensed driving, resulting in vehicle impoundment and fines. Manual transmissions require clutch operation and gear shifting, skills completely unpracticed in automatic training, making emergency situations prone to operational errors. If you genuinely want to drive manual, you must reapply for the C1 license exam. With automatic cars being so prevalent nowadays, obtaining a C2 license is usually sufficient—why go through all this hassle?
As a new driver who just got the license, my instructor specifically emphasized this. The automatic transmission license doesn't cover manual transmission vehicles at all - driving a mismatched vehicle type on the registration certificate is illegal. Manual transmission operation is completely different - unskilled clutch control with the left foot can cause rollback or stalling on hill starts. Last year at our driving school, a student practiced with their dad's manual car and got into a scrape, which the insurance refused to cover. It's better to just get the C1 license for peace of mind - manual transmission tests aren't as difficult as people imagine nowadays.
