The research, conducted by Young Driver, which provides driving lessons for 10-17 year-olds, questioned more than 1,000 UK drivers and found that 18% of qualified drivers doubt their current driving skills would get them past an examiner – rising to 24% of over 65s.

The research also found that one in four drivers struggle with parking manoeuvres.

A total of 28% of drivers said they struggled to parallel park, with a further one in four (25%), admitting that reversing into a parking bay was a challenge they preferred to avoid. For female drivers these figures increased to 36% and 30% respectively.

A quarter of all drivers (26%) said they regularly parked some distance from where they needed to be in order to get an ‘easier’ car parking space that didn’t require as much skill. One in six drivers (16%) admitted they often felt nervous when it came to parking – increasing to one in four (26%) of 18-25 year olds.

And one in six (16%) admitted they struggle to complete a turn in the road without needing to undertake significantly more manoeuvres than the traditional three-point turn.

Kim Stanton, head of Young Driver, said: “When you learn to drive you are taught specific techniques to help you get your parking and reversing spot on, every time. But once you pass your test, unless you continue to use these techniques, the skills can quickly fade. Our new research shows that before long, many drivers are actively avoiding having to try, even if it means parking a long way from their destination and walking the rest of the way to avoid certain parking spaces!”