Driving automatic immediately after passing manual test?

My parents have an automatic car that I want to start driving. I've only ever driven manual and passed my test a few days ago. I'm quite nervous though, because I have no experience whatsoever in an automatic and don't want to crash the very first time I drive one? How long does it take to get the hang of it? I would like to take a lesson or two in an automatic just to get the feel of it but I'm completely drained of money rn. Anyone?

Hmm so how does the auto actually work? I have questions:

1) how do you deal with uphill starts? What's the process?
2) when in reverse, do you use gas?
3) if you're stopped at traffic lights and the light turns green, so you lift your foot off the brake will the car roll back?

Hmm so how does the auto actually work? I have questions:

1) how do you deal with uphill starts? What's the process?
2) when in reverse, do you use gas?
3) if you're stopped at traffic lights and the light turns green, so you lift your foot off the brake will the car roll back?

Hmm so how does the auto actually work? I have questions:

1) how do you deal with uphill starts? What's the process?
2) when in reverse, do you use gas?
3) if you're stopped at traffic lights and the light turns green, so you lift your foot off the brake will the car roll back?

Go out with one of your parents...
1) hand brake is on, engage drive, v gently press the accelerator and gently release the handbrake

2) if necessary

3) no because you have the hand brake on.

And, are you actually insured to drive it?

1) Same as you would in a manual. Set the revs, handbrake off, gradually give more gas and off you go.

2) Again same as in a manual. If you need gas then do it.

3) Probably not because it takes less than 1 second to move your foot from the brake to the accelerator so if you did roll back it would only be a few centimeters unless you are stopped on a steep hill in which case you can just put the handbrake on. And again it's the same as in a manual. I know when you are a learner you are told to always put the handbrake on when stopped but in reality nobody does that after their test everyone just uses the foot brake and people hardly roll back.

Think of it this way. Driving an automatic is exactly the same as driving a manual except the car uses the clutch for you. You still use the same amount of gas, steer the same, brake the same etc Everything is exactly the same except you have one less pedal.

It also means that so far at least the car simply will not roll backwards. I have not tried it on a steep hill yet but so far whenever I take my foot off break to move to accelerator I don't get any of the slight rollback you can get from a manual due to being on a hill etc.

This depends on the car. A lot of modern automatic cars don't roll back but some do. For those that do roll back you have to be confident using the handbrake for starts.

Fair enough, no different to a manual then really, just wait for the feel that the car is ready to move forward before taking off the handbrake.

Sounds like the life.......

I'm a little surprised though, I seem to hear from a lot of people that ALL automatics will not roll back on a hill but will stay in place. I probably just heard them wrong though?