Driver's License Help Please

[mrs2fat]

I have my Canadian License.. which has now been surrendered for a UK auto license. I would like to be able to drive standard! So do I need to take the test here? I drove standard my whole life back in Canada... but I worry about the rules of the road here and bad driving habits (have been driving for 16 years now!) I have no idea what they are looking for in the test.
Would it be better to try and pass the test when I go back to Canada? Do you think that might be easier? Has anyone done this... I don't know anyone who has taken a driving test in Canada on a standard car!

[sleepy]

i did exactly the same thing that you did. i exchanged my canadian driving license for an automatic-only uk license. and i too drove a manual transmission car in canada (for 16 years!).

i ended up taking the uk driving test. actually, i just did it this morning. and thank god i passed on the first go (*sleepy punches the air*).

i spoke to the examiner about alternatives to being re-tested in the uk and i mentioned the possibility of re-taking the test in canada on a manual transmission car. he was very skeptical that it would work. also, i've never heard of anybody being able to do it successfully. so, i think you're just gonna have to take the uk test, or just stick to automatic transmission cars.

the test isn't too bad. it's virtually the same as it is in canada. i did about 10 hours of practice with an instructor. that helped a lot. i probably would have failed if i hadn't gotten myself accustomed to sitting on the right side of the car, and driving on the left side of the road, and dealing with those big multi-lane round abouts in heavy traffic.

i think i got a bit lucky with the examiner. he was super friendly and we chit-chatted throughout the test about canada and stuff. it was weird... it was as if my passing the test was a forgone conclusion and we were just going through the motions. perhaps they're a little more lenient when it's obvious you know how to drive (smooth driving, clutch control, gear changes, etc.), but i wouldn't assume that.

[Prorege]

So I will need to take a UK driving test within the first year of becoming a resident?

[Steven]

You can swap your Canadian DL for a manual transmission licence assuming (a) there is a reciprocal arrangement with your Province (this is to allow swapping the licence at all) and (b) you can show evidence that licence allowed you to drive a stick shift.

Why DVLA issues auto only licenses to Canadians I have no idea, there's nothing in the agreements about it, they just seem to be unable to read the codes on the DLs they get. But you can swap it for a licence that allows manual transmissions, include a description of what the codes mean on the licence or talk to someone there and explain what it is.