A significant proportion of young motorists (17 to 25-year-olds) often feel put upon and obliged to offer their non-driving friends lifts, which can cause a considerable amount of tension within groups and leave young drivers out of pocket.

New research published by Gocompare.com has shown 60 per cent of young drivers regularly give lifts to friends, but in many of cases this has led to individuals feeling they are being “taken for granted”.

Overall, 24 per cent of respondents consider themselves to be an unpaid taxi driver for their friends, with 11 per cent stating they drive between an extra 16 to 20 miles per week to ferry around their pals, without receiving any contribution towards running costs such as petrol.

This is despite 20 per cent of young car owners stating they struggle to meet the costs of keeping their vehicle on the road, while 18 per cent noted they are never offered money for their services.

When it comes to those who take advantage of their friends’ generosity, 19 per cent of non-drivers said they get lifts as they feel it is cheaper than public transport, while 11 per cent claim they do not feel the need to learn to drive as they can rely on those around them to get them from A to B.

Lee Griffin, chief operating officer at Gocompare.com, said: “As a father, I sometimes feel like ‘I’m not a taxi’ is my personal catchphrase, so it’s interesting to see a quarter of young drivers feel the same.

“However, it’s concerning that some young drivers are being left seriously out of pocket thanks to their friends, especially when a fifth of young drivers are struggling to keep their cars on the road due to running costs.”

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