Gas then clutch or clutch then gas?
Gas then clutch or clutch then gas? Drivers argue about this, but I’m interested in facts, not opinions.
The videos below show you why it must be gas, then clutch and clearly explain why it’s correct.
Many drivers do this incorrectly because they’re unaware that their car is doing the work for them. If you don’t press the gas pedal in any modern car, then it will sense this as soon as you lift the clutch pedal and do the gas for you.
This is where the misunderstanding comes from. People who say it’s clutch then gas are actually doing gas then clutch, but they just don’t know it!
The original gas then clutch video, which was copied by many people
Why you should do gas then clutch
Hardly a week goes by that I don’t get an email about something saying something like this:
“Hi, I learnt to drive, and my instructor always told me to just use the clutch pedal. Now I’ve got my own car, and it keeps stalling every time I move off! I’ve taken it to a garage, and they said nothing was wrong, but it cost me hundreds just to have it looked at. After watching your videos on gas, then clutch, I can finally drive my own car! Thank you so much!”.
You see, in a diesel car, you can move off without using the gas before pressing the clutch. Try that in most small petrol cars, and you’ll be stalling every time. Many instructors use diesel cars because they’re so much easier to drive and cheaper to run.
So why do so many instructors not teach people to use the gas, then clutch? There are many reasons, so let’s take a look at some.
Many driving instructors don’t know it’s wrong
It’s absolutely incredible how many instructors I meet who don’t even know the difference. I even had to explain this to a driving test examiner once!
Many driving instructors teach pupils to move off by holding the brake pedal down, then lifting the clutch. That is TERRIBLE tuition!
That will result in most cars stalling. When I explain it to them, they’re shocked to find out they’ve not only been driving themselves incorrectly for years but also teaching people incorrectly.
So how come this isn’t picked up on the driving test? How come their pupils are passing? Because the driving test looks at what you do, not how you do it.
You can move off incorrectly using the clutch, THEN gas throughout a driving test and pass; the examiner won’t even mention it. That doesn’t make it correct.
Watch the video below, and I’ll explain more about this
Lazy teaching
Many driving instructors simply can’t be bothered to teach properly. I understand this, after all, if the car moves off and pupils pass their driving test by doing clutch, then gas, then what’s the problem?
The problem is that pupils won’t be able to drive their own car after passing! Driving instructors can be quite wealthy. We can make good money and can afford brand new cars every year or two that have bigger engines and the latest features.
Take those features away, and you can be stalling all the time in your first car.
Diesel cars are different
Driving instructors often don’t know the difference between diesel cars and petrol cars.
There’s quite a big difference when it comes to moving off and using the clutch properly. To put it simply, diesels pull away better because they produce more torque.
It’s not only diesels, though. Many petrol cars made since around 2016 have similar torque to a diesel, thanks to them having a small battery, which helps provide more power for pulling away.
This is where the driving tuition system really needs improvement, in my opinion. Very little emphasis is placed on mechanical knowledge, and I think driving instructors really should be made to learn more about how cars work.
The pupil doesn’t listen
I taught someone to drive once from the beginning, and I always told them to do gas, then clutch. Just before their driving test, they said that they’d seen some videos online, and people said you move off by using the gas before the clutch.
I said, well, yes, that’s what I’ve always said. The pupil swore I’d never told them that when I’d been saying it from the beginning. Even more strange is that the video they’d watched was one of mine!
It’s not always the instructor’s fault. Sometimes pupils just don’t listen, and you can tell them something a hundred times, and they’ll swear you’ve never said it before.
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