In a manual car you control the clutch with your left foot and change gears yourself. In an automatic, the car does this for you. You have two pedals instead of three, and no gear stick to worry about (just Drive, Neutral and Reverse).
On the road, the experience is genuinely different. Manual driving involves constant gear management: reading the road ahead, choosing the right gear for junctions, hills and speed changes, and coordinating the clutch smoothly. Automatic driving removes all of that, letting you focus entirely on positioning, hazard perception and road awareness.
This is the most important practical point. If you pass your test in an automatic, your licence restricts you to automatic vehicles only. If you pass in a manual, you can legally drive both. There is no manual-only licence; manual covers everything.
This matters more than it used to, because the car market is changing rapidly. Electric vehicles are all automatic. Many modern hybrids are automatic. In 10 years, a large proportion of new cars will have no manual gearbox at all. Whether a manual-only licence will feel limiting in 2035 is a reasonable question to ask yourself.
Automatic is a genuinely good choice if any of these apply to you:
Manual is worth the extra work if:
Often yes, but not always dramatically so. Removing clutch and gear management does reduce the mental load, and some students progress noticeably faster. But the core skills, hazard perception, positioning, junctions, roundabouts, take the same time to develop regardless of transmission. Do not choose automatic purely to save money on lessons; the saving is real but modest.
Tomas teaches both and has no strong preference. What he sees is that students who struggle with the clutch for weeks often unlock rapid progress the moment they switch to automatic. If you are spending most of your lesson managing gears and stalling rather than developing road awareness, automatic might be the right call. Have a conversation with Tomas about where you are and he will give you an honest answer.
Book your first lesson with Tomas
2-hour intro lesson for just £70. Pick-up from your door in Surbiton, KT, SW, SM or TW.
Passed years ago but lost your confidence? A few targeted sessions with Tomas will get you feeling safe and in control again.
The refresher course is for drivers who have a full licence but haven't been behind the wheel for a while. Maybe you passed years ago and barely drove afterwards. Maybe life got in the way, or you moved somewhere you didn't need a car. Whatever the reason, it's more common than you think, and there's nothing to be embarrassed about.
Tomas works with a lot of refresher students. Some haven't driven for 5 years. Some for 20. The starting point is always the same: a calm, honest assessment of where you are, with no assumptions and no rush.
Every refresher student is different, so sessions are tailored around what you actually need. Common areas include:
It depends entirely on how long you've been off the road and how quickly you settle back in. Most refresher students need between 3 and 8 lessons. Tomas will give you an honest assessment after your first session.
Refresher lessons are £80 for 2 hours. Package discounts are available: 5 lessons for £360 (saving £40) and 10 lessons for £700 (saving £100). Payment by cash or bank transfer.
Need your licence quickly? Concentrated lessons over days or weeks get you test-ready faster, without cutting corners on quality.
An intensive course, sometimes called a crash course, packs your driving lessons into a short period rather than spreading them out over months. Instead of one lesson a week, you might do 2 hours a day for two weeks, or 4 hours a day for a week. The goal is to get you to test standard quickly.
It's a good fit if you have a deadline, like a job starting that requires a licence, or if you simply learn better with repeated immersive practice rather than long gaps between sessions.
Intensive courses work best for people who are already reasonably confident or who have had some previous lessons. Complete beginners can do them, but you should be prepared for the lessons to be demanding. Tomas will be honest with you about whether your timeline is realistic before you commit.
The DVSA average is 45 hours, but intensive students often need between 20 and 40 depending on their starting point. A short assessment call with Tomas before you book will help set realistic expectations.
Intensive lessons are £80 per 2-hour session. Package deals save you money: 5 lessons for £360 and 10 lessons for £700. Test car hire for your practical test is available at £150 (includes a 1-hour warm-up lesson). Payment by cash or bank transfer.
Already passed your test? Pass Plus is a DVSA-recognised programme that takes your skills further and may reduce your insurance premium.
Pass Plus is a practical training course developed by the DVSA for newly qualified drivers. It covers six modules of driving that your standard lessons may not have covered in depth: town driving, rural roads, all-weather driving, night driving, dual carriageways and motorways.
On completion you receive an official DVSA Pass Plus certificate. Many insurers offer a discount for newly qualified drivers who hold this certificate, which can more than cover the cost of the course.
Pass Plus is open to anyone who has passed their practical driving test. It is particularly useful in the first year of driving, when statistically new drivers are most at risk. If you passed recently and want to build real-world confidence beyond test-standard driving, this is the right next step.
The Pass Plus course is a minimum of 6 hours of driving, usually completed over 3 sessions of 2 hours each. There is no test at the end. Tomas assesses your driving throughout and signs off your certificate when you have met the DVSA standard.
Pass Plus lessons are £80 per 2-hour session. The full 6-hour course works out at £240. Payment by cash or bank transfer.
A dedicated 3-hour session to build genuine motorway confidence. Lane discipline, joining and leaving, smart motorways and high-speed hazards.
Most learners never touch a motorway during their standard lessons because, until 2018, it was illegal to do so in a learner vehicle. Now it is allowed with an approved instructor, but many newly qualified drivers still reach their test having never driven above 60mph in a dual-carriageway situation, let alone on a motorway.
This session is for anyone who wants to close that gap, whether you passed recently, haven't driven on a motorway in years, or just find high-speed driving genuinely stressful.
Yes. Since June 2018 learner drivers can take motorway lessons with an ADI in a dual-control vehicle. This is actually a great way to build confidence before your test, even if the motorway itself won't be tested.
The motorway session is £120 for 3 hours. It is a standalone session and does not require a package. Payment by cash or bank transfer.
No clutch, no gears, no stress. All of Tomas's courses are available in automatic, and many students find they progress noticeably faster without the extra workload.
It depends on what you want from driving. An automatic licence only lets you drive automatic vehicles. A manual licence covers both. If you plan to drive mostly modern electric or hybrid cars, or if you find the coordination of clutch and gears genuinely difficult, automatic is a perfectly sensible choice.
Many students who struggle with manual lessons find that switching to automatic unlocks their progress quickly. Without the mental overhead of gear changes and clutch control, they can focus entirely on hazard perception, positioning and road awareness.
All of them. Beginner lessons, refresher courses, intensive crash courses, Pass Plus and motorway sessions are all available in automatic. Just let Tomas know your preference when you get in touch and he will arrange the right vehicle.
No. Pricing is identical to manual lessons across all course types.
Introductory lesson for complete beginners: £70 for 2 hours. Standard lessons: £80 per 2-hour session. Package deals: 5 lessons for £360 and 10 lessons for £700. Payment by cash or bank transfer.
Eleven Eleven covers all KT postcodes across Kingston, Surbiton, Tolworth, Berrylands, New Malden, Chessington, Epsom and surrounding areas. Pick-up and drop-off included in every lesson.
The KT postcodes cover a varied mix of driving environments, from the busy one-way systems and riverside roads around Kingston town centre, to the quieter residential streets of Surbiton, Tolworth and Berrylands. It is an excellent area to learn in: challenging enough to build real skills, with enough quiet roads nearby to build confidence first.
Tomas knows the KT area thoroughly. He understands which routes to use at different stages of learning, where the common test-day hazards are, and how to get students comfortable on the roads they will actually be tested on.
The nearest DVSA test centres for KT learners are Tolworth and Kingston. Tomas prepares students on the specific roads around both centres and knows the routes examiners commonly use.
Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Tolworth, Berrylands, New Malden, Surbiton, Chessington, Epsom, Hook, Old Malden, Motspur Park and surrounding areas.
Eleven Eleven covers all SM postcodes across Sutton, Cheam, Carshalton, Morden, Mitcham, Wallington and surrounding areas. Pick-up and drop-off included.
The SM postcodes take in a wide stretch of South London suburbs, from Morden in the north down through Sutton and Cheam to Belmont and Banstead in the south. The driving environment shifts noticeably across the area: Morden and Mitcham involve busier urban roads and junctions, while Cheam and Carshalton offer calmer residential streets that are ideal for building early confidence.
Tomas is familiar with the full SM area and builds lesson routes around the student's current stage, progressing from quieter roads to busier ones as confidence grows.
The main test centre for SM learners is Morden. Tomas prepares students specifically for Morden test routes and knows the junctions and hazards examiners focus on.
Sutton, Cheam, Carshalton, Morden, Mitcham, Wallington, Hackbridge, Belmont, Beddington, Rose Hill and surrounding areas.
Eleven Eleven covers TW postcodes across Twickenham, Richmond, Teddington, Hampton, Whitton and surrounding areas. Pick-up and drop-off included.
The TW postcodes cover a stretch of West and South West London running along the Thames from Richmond through Twickenham and out to Feltham and Hanworth. It is a varied area to learn in: Richmond and Twickenham involve busy town centre traffic and complex junctions, while Hampton and Hanworth offer quieter suburban streets for earlier lessons.
Tomas covers the TW area and structures lesson routes around each student's current confidence level, progressing onto more demanding roads as skills develop.
The nearest test centres for TW learners are Twickenham and Tolworth. Tomas knows both sets of test routes well and tailors preparation accordingly.
Twickenham, Richmond, Teddington, Hampton, Hampton Hill, Whitton, Strawberry Hill, Feltham, Hanworth, Hampton Wick and surrounding areas.
Eleven Eleven covers Surrey towns including Epsom, Ewell, Stoneleigh, Cheam, Banstead, Ashtead, Tadworth and Kingswood. Based in Surbiton, KT5. Pick-up and drop-off included.
Tomas is based in Surbiton and covers a wide range of Surrey towns just south of London. This includes Epsom, Ewell, Stoneleigh, Cheam, Banstead, Ashtead, Tadworth and Kingswood, as well as nearby areas like Tolworth and Berrylands that sit on the KT/Surrey border.
Driving in Surrey offers a different challenge to central London. You will encounter A-roads with faster-moving traffic, rural junctions, and dual carriageways alongside the quieter residential roads of towns like Stoneleigh and Ewell. Tomas builds lesson plans that use all of these environments in the right order for your stage of learning.
The nearest DVSA test centre for Surrey learners is Tolworth, which serves Epsom, Ewell, Stoneleigh and surrounding areas. Tomas knows the Tolworth test routes well and prepares students specifically for the hazards and junctions examiners look for.
Epsom, Ewell, Stoneleigh, Cheam, Banstead, Ashtead, Tadworth, Kingswood, Nork, Tolworth, Berrylands and surrounding areas. If you are unsure whether your area is covered, WhatsApp Tomas directly and he will let you know.
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