A third of those who hire a car struggle with its basic controls, according to a survey.

Men are more flummoxed than women, probably due to their reluctance to read instruction manuals, the poll by Kwik-Fit found.

Those having the most trouble with hire cars are 18- to 34-year-olds, with 48 per cent being perplexed.

Older drivers are happier with hire cars than the younger ones, with only 33 per cent of those over 65 encountering problems.

The biggest difficulty for those who hire vehicles is opening the petrol cap, with 47 per cent admitting to this problem.

The second-biggest difficulty is finding the lights control, followed by opening the boot, operating the windows or mirrors and working the in-car entertainment. As many as 18 per cent had difficulty just starting the car, while six per cent could not find the handbrake and four per cent could not unlock the doors.

Kwik-Fit chief executive Ian Fraser said: "The controls in a car can differ hugely from one manufacturer to another - and sometimes even between models of the same manufacturer."

A total of 2,000 adults were surveyed.