Survey: Who Is Better At Driving?

Men are less likely to be affected, with one in ten saying they actually drove more carefully with their partner in the car.

However, the research also shows 9% of men refuse to let their partner drive their car as they say rate their partner’s driving abilities as highly as their own, 26% believe their car is too powerful for their partner to drive and 16% feel their partner suffers from a lack of confidence when driving.

Women criticised the driving driving habits of men with 13% of respondents believing that their partner is overconfident on the road while one in ten believe their partner drives too fast or recklessly.

By comparison, 17% of men say they are a better driver than their partner and a further 16% do not think their partner is competent at parking.

Men also believe themselves to be the primary driver (43%), compared with just 10% of women, though it does vary depending on the type of journey.

Men are more likely to be behind the wheel on longer journeys and take over from women during bad weather.

Women tend to be the main driver when it involves the household or children.

With the holiday season approaching, Aviva asked who was most likely to be the designated driver on nights out.

More than a third of women felt that they were most likely to stay sober and drive home after a night out, compared with a quarter of men.

Heather Smith, Aviva’s director of marketing, said: "While men in relationships might feel more comfortable taking on the majority of driving, it is important that both men and women regularly get behind the wheel to ensure that their skills remain fresh.

"As this research shows, women are less likely to get behind the wheel when in a car with their partner and this has affected their confidence in their abilities, which shouldn’t be the case, particularly as other statistics actually show that women are safer drivers than men as they are involved in fewer accidents," said Smith.