Using the gears

By the end of this topic you can

• You can change up and down smoothly without looking at the gear lever.
• You can choose a suitable gear for your speed and the road.
• You can use block changes to skip gears when it makes sense.
• You can select a lower gear before a hill or long downhill slope.
• You can keep control of the steering while changing gear.

What you need to know and understand

• First gear is for moving off and very slow speeds. Higher gears are for higher speeds.
• Change up as speed rises and the engine starts to sound busy. Change down when you slow and the engine starts to labour.
• Select a lower gear before you start down a long downhill slope, so the engine helps hold your speed.
• You do not have to go through every gear in order. Skipping gears, called block changing, is fine when it suits the speed.
• Coasting, meaning driving along with the clutch down or in neutral, reduces your control and is not good practice.
• Using too low a gear for too long wastes fuel and increases emissions and noise.

A smooth gear change

1. Clutch fully down while easing off the accelerator.
2. Move the lever to the new gear with your palm, using gentle pressure. Use a cupped hand pushing away from you towards the right-hand gears, and towards you for the left-hand gears.
3. Bring the clutch up smoothly while gently pressing the accelerator.
4. Return your hand to the steering wheel.

Matching gear to speed

Every car is different, and many cars show a gear advice arrow on the dashboard. As a rough guide in a typical car, second gear suits pulling away and slow junctions, third suits town speeds of around 20 to 30 mph, and fourth or above suits faster roads. Listen to the engine. A high whining note means change up. A rumbling, struggling engine or the car shuddering means change down.

Carrying passengers or a heavy load means the engine needs more help, so you may need a lower gear for longer, especially on hills.

Brakes to slow, gears to go

When slowing for a junction or hazard, use the brakes to lose speed first, then select the gear that suits your new speed. For example, approaching a turning from 40 mph, you might brake down to a safe turning speed and then change straight from fourth to second. This is a block change and saves unnecessary clutch work.

Change down before a hill, not halfway up, so the car does not struggle. Going down a long hill, a lower gear lets engine braking help so you do not rely on the footbrake alone.

Common mistakes

• Looking down at the gear lever. Practise while parked until you can change by feel.
• Changing down through every gear while braking. Brake first, then pick the right gear.
• Staying in a low gear with the engine revving. Change up as soon as speed allows.
• Holding the gear lever while driving along. Keep both hands on the wheel between changes.
• Coasting up to junctions with the clutch down. Keep the car in gear until just before you stop.

Test yourself: Using the gears

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Learning to Drive an Automatic Car