Parents admit shame of letting friends in their car due to child-made mess, Škoda research reveals

Almost half (41%) of drivers in the UK with children, more than 5.2 million1, said they have felt too embarrassed to offer a friend a lift due to the mess in their car caused by their kids, research from Škoda has revealed.

It comes as children return to school after the long summer break, leaving parents to do the big clean-up.

As well as wanting to keep the rubbish out of sight of their peers, 29% of parents were also keen not to let a relative get in the back of their car, while almost one in 10 (9%) said they wouldn’t want to park at work to avoid people seeing the state of it.

However, while many felt the embarrassment of their untidy cars, others saw it as a badge of honour.

A quarter (25%) said they wouldn’t have it any other way, with more than a fifth (22%) saying that a messy or untidy car is proof the family has had a good time.

The sense of mess inside has led to 27% wanting to ban their children from getting in the car, and one in five (23%) admitting that the chaos caused had made them want to cry.

But these reactions appear tame compared to the more than 1.12 million drivers pushed as far as thinking about scrapping their car.

The biggest culprit for mess is crisps.

This is followed by drinks, with crumb-creating biscuits the third biggest mess-maker.

It isn’t just food that creates chaos in the back of parents’ cars, with toy slime also featuring in the top 10.

While crisps were the most commonly spilt items, it wasn’t the hardest for parents to clean up, with that award going to drinks, followed by chocolates and then sweets.

To assist despairing parents, Škoda has teamed up with professional organiser and TV presenter, Dilly Carter, to guide and advise on how best to clean a messy car.

Škoda also offers a number of Škoda Simply Clever features to help in the battle against the mess, including a rubbish bin that goes in the door pocket, boot organisers, and new screen cleaner for the touchscreen display in the Kodiaq and Superb.