The AA Driving School is adding the first electric vehicles to its instructor fleet, in the form of the Peugeot e-208 and e-2008 and the Vauxhall Corsa-e.

The Peugeot e-208 and e-2008 and the Vauxhall Corsa-e have initially joined the AA Driving School fleet and more electric vehicles will follow

The cars are available now for instructors to choose, enabling learners to take to the roads in an EV, while saving some 1,700 tonnes of carbon in the first 12 months. More electric vehicles will follow as the company pushes ahead in its drive to help the UK’s drivers go electric.

London, Liverpool and Cardiff will be among the first locations to start EV lessons, with further interest from driving instructors across England, Scotland and Wales.

A recent AA survey found 40% of learners said they would switch to automatic EV lessons if they were available to them, despite more than four-fifths currently taking driving lessons in a manual car (81%).

And when asked if they would consider driving an EV in the future, 67% said they would, one quarter (27%) said they might consider it and only 6% said they would never consider driving an EV.

A separate poll of AA Driving School instructors found 78% would make the switch to teaching in an EV if they had the option, with the main reason for switching being fuel savings followed by the environmental benefits.

Mark Oakley, interim managing director of AA Driving School, said: “We are really excited to be launching electric vehicles onto our fleet. We’ve been speaking to our instructors for a little while and have been thrilled with how positive they are about the switch, following a successful EV trial last year.

“Our EV roll-out will launch with three high-spec models from Peugeot and Vauxhall and we hope to expand our offering in the coming months. We are fully committed to bringing EV lessons to the whole of the UK and transform our environmental impact over the coming years.”

The main difference with learning in an electric car is the transmission and learners will have to take an automatic driving test – and so will not be eligible to drive a manual car.

Oakley added: “We ask the Government to consider modernising the driving test, so the next generation of drivers are encouraged to switch to EVs sooner. In advance of this, we will continue with our efforts to inspire learners to take EV lessons.”

Commenting on the new electric fleet, Edmund King, AA president, said: “The world of cars is changing. A revolution is coming, and younger people are beginning to see that the 2030 deadline banning new petrol and diesel cars is really not far away.

“There is increasingly an acknowledgement that you do not necessarily need to learn how to change gear. In the very near future, you will only need to drive an automatic, because all EVs are automatic.”