American gives simple lesson on how to drive a manual but Europeans are laughing
- One man in America has been teaching shift stick on TikTok
- European drivers have hit out at those who can’t fathom it
- But manual driving still seems to be on the way out
Published on Apr 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on Apr 14, 2025 at 2:11 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
This American man has been dishing out some ‘simple’ lesson on how to drive a stick shift, but experienced manual drivers in Europe are laughing.
American cars are more often than not made with an automatic transmission.
Manual gearsticks are only regularly seen on a handful of sports cars.
But on the off chance that you need to get behind a manual car, this man is sharing tips.
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American man attracts European mockery over manual shift stick lessons
Stick shift has been phased out in favor of automatic cars for years.
But even some of the greatest manufacturers in the world are considering bringing it back.
Over in Europe though, it’s much more common to have a manual car, and some countries, such as the UK, will require you to learn that way to have a full license.
Still, one American man on TikTok is giving out advice on how to learn stick and it’s attracting some sass from Europe.
TikTok user ‘pushingpistons‘ has been using his platform to teach people manual driving, specifically how to control a clutch.
But with some American drivers nullifying it by hailing automatic, the EU crowd has bitten.
“Ppl that hate on manual cars, don’t know how to drive manual,” one person commented.
“Who the F can’t drive a manual with a driver’s license,” another added.
A third added, “Us Europeans never had to learn how to drive a manual, we came out our mother KNOWING how to shift.”
Many American drivers also chimed back, saying that they are happy with automatic and shift can stay as a bygone.
“Yeah too much effort. Give me an automatic,” a fourth comment read.
This attitude is relayed by manufacturers too.
Toyota previously said that they could easily make a manual 4Runner, but chose not to because ‘nobody would want it’.
@pushingpistons Good luck learning how to drive a manual 🫡 🕹️#TikTokAutoCampaign #CarTok ♬ original sound – pushing pistons
Nowadays, there’s only one manual pickup truck left in production in America.
Still, having a manual car can be a decent theft deterrent; this incident in Seattle proved as much as thieves had to leave the keys in the ignition after discovering they couldn’t drive away.
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