Most men are quite happy to be driven by their female partner but their presence in the passenger seat can often unnerve women, an Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) survey showed.

Only five per cent of men are sometimes not relaxed or never relax when their woman is behind the wheel. But if they are driving their male partner, as many as 15 per cent of women are sometimes not relaxed and about eight per cent are never relaxed.

The survey of 520 male drivers and 480 women ones also revealed:

Almost twice as many male motorists than female ones say they are confident drivers;

When partners drive out together, men are four times more likely to take the wheel than women;

But when couples go out to the pub or to a party, it is usually the woman who drives home;

Many more women than men say that other drivers make them very nervous or a little nervous; The least nervous and most confident drivers – both male and female – are in Yorkshire and Humberside;

The least confident drivers are in northeast England;

Men and women are equally likely to admit to speeding, poor parking or losing their temper.

IAM’s policy and research director Neil Greig said: “The findings are positive and dispel a lot of previously-held misconceptions, particularly about women drivers.

“While women are still more nervous in certain environments, such as in fast-moving traffic and bad weather, we encourage them to take the steering wheel more often, and to get as much practice as possible.”