• Two thirds of men believe their driving skills are better than their partner’s
  • One in six men would trust an automated car over their partner’s driving skills

It’s an age-old debate new research is bringing it to a head – who thinks they’re the better driver in your relationship.

The survey is reinforcing the stereotype of the testosterone-fuelled man who thinks his skills behind the wheel are clearly the best. Two thirds of men questioned (67 per cent) thought they were the best driver in the family. When women were asked the same question, just a third (33 per cent) said they were better.

It does not end there. Not only do men think they’re much better drivers than their partners, 17 per cent would trust a computer to take them to their destination over their other half. That’s compared with 87 per cent of women who say they’d feel safer driven by their partner than an automated car.

The survey commissioned by short term leasing company Cars on Demand*, headquartered in Leeds, reveals that gender stereotypes in driver perceptions are still prevalent in 2019. It also illustrates we are yet to be convinced that driverless cars are the future or that we would be safer if they were driving – no matter the gender of the driver.

Across the board, given a choice between being driven by their beloved other half or a computer, six in ten people (62 per cent) said they’d feel safer with their loved one in control with just one in ten (11 per cent) saying they’d feel safer in an automated car

Paul Brown, Managing Director of Cars on Demand, said: “The results demonstrate that men are vastly over-confident behind the wheel compared with women. This over-estimation of superior driving skills is in stark contrast to analysis of statistics by the DVLA**, which claim women are the better drivers because they hold fewer penalty points – just 28%, vs the 73% held by men. Quite a shocking figure considering the fact men make up 54% of the UK’s 40m drivers.”

“While over-confidence behind the wheel may never go away, it’s surprising that one in six men already have confidence in the technology and say they’d feel safer in the car without a person in control – despite probably not having yet experienced driverless technology. As more autonomous vehicles hit the road in the coming decades, statistics are going to win the day though and paint a truer picture.”

The Government has an ambition to see fully self-driving vehicles on UK roads by 2021 and the UK market for connected and automated vehicles is forecast to be worth up to £52 billion by 2035.

Autonomous vehicles are fitted with sensors to detect other road users, with the control system responding by changing direction and speed.

Cars on Demand offers short term vehicle leasing solutions to individuals and businesses that require access to a fleet of cars, from small city cars to performance coupes, without the costs associated with purchase and maintenance.

The company was established in 2003 by owner and managing director Paul Brown and over the last 15 years has seen the business expand nationwide. The firm has no plans to date to invest in a fleet of driverless cars but according to Brown; “once demand for driverless and autonomous vehicles increases and they become more mainstream, they will undoubtedly become an important part of our overall fleet mix”.