Husband lets 28-year-old coworker borrow family car, 32-year-old wife insists she stop using it: 'I will not put myself in this situation again'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Feb 2, 2026 11:00 AM EST

This wife is realizing that her husband's coworker has been borrowing their car for way too long. 

This story is a surprising read. Before you check out the whole thing below, ask yourself: "When was the last time I let someone else drive my car?" I'm not talking about just like, letting your husband or wife use the car to get groceries. I mean, would you let your next-door neighbor borrow it? How about your teenager who isn't on the family insurance plan yet? What about a coworker? You probably wouldn't do that, right? 

It has nothing to do with wanting to be helpful or kind, because a lot of us want to imbue those qualities naturally. But you simply cannot let other people drive your car due to the incredible amount of risk it carries. If they somehow get into a fender-bender or slide on a little patch of icy snow, the financial and legal consequences could turn your life upside down in an instant. You'll know this firsthand if you've ever been in a car accident before — the months and years of legal paperwork and meetings with lawyers, the back-and-forth with insurance companies, and the long wait to get your car back from the mechanic, can all put a damper on your life plans. 

This woman knows that she and her husband shouldn't be lending out their car… at least she does now that the internet has told her in no uncertain terms. She does seem upset by the harshness of a lot of the comments, but I think that this is exactly the wakeup call that she and her husband needed. As she notes, she's 38 weeks along, expecting her baby in probably about a month or so, and this type of undue stress is not going to be good for either her or her baby. The response she got to her post is her learning the easy way what could happen if the coworker borrowed the car and crashed it. The hard way would be letting things play out in real life. Chances are the coworker wouldn't wreck the vehicle, but it's one of those chances you simply should not ever take. 

If her husband really wanted to be nice to the coworker, he could offer occasional rides. But I think in this case, a little white lie might be the best way to go about it. Something like, "Oh, we actually will need the car back today, it has to go into the shop," with 0 other explanation, might do it. But if she presses for an explanation, they could lie and say they found a buyer who will pay 5x over the offering price, or some other extravagant number that she couldn't pay. It seems important not to ruffle feathers too much, since the husband, rather unwisely, chose to involve himself too deeply in the coworker's personal affairs. No one has to be "to blame" here — this could hopefully resolve quickly with few hurt feelings. 

The post has now been deleted, but thanks to my swift screenshotting skills, I've preserved it for our lovely readers down below. You can see if you think the commenters were too harsh, or if they were just giving this couple a much-needed reality check before the baby is born. 

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  • 01
    Man in blue vest sits in car and gestures at dashboard while sitting next to woman in yellow who is strapped in in the driver's seat
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    My (32f) husband's (35m) coworker (28f) has been using my car (Prius) but I want it back now and feel like an AH given the situation.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 03
    For context, I am currently 38 weeks pregnant. My husband has always hated how small my car is but I have loved how great it is on gas. We have an SUV and when I was around 12 weeks pregnant (mid August), we decided to buy a truck so my husband would have peace of mind that baby and I would be safe on the road regardless of whichever car I drove.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    So my Prius sat in our driveway. Anytime I wanted to use it for short errands, I'd have to call AAA because the battery would be drained. I would then need to drive it around for at least 30 minutes to charge the internal battery, so my short errand would turn into a full on outing.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    Then my husband's coworker got into an accident (September/October). She and her boyfriend have two kids so them being down a car was a huge challenge for their family. She knew we had an extra car at home and asked if we'd sell it (at that time we didn't want to) and eventually asked if she could borrow it (beginning of December).
    via u/[deleted]
  • 06
    Well, my husband preemptively agreed to let her borrow it. He said it was ultimately my decision and had told his coworker he doesn't have a problem but it's my car. My husband is genuinely very kind. He goes out of his way to help friends and family and is the first to volunteer if someone needs help. It's just who he is and I love him for that but can also see how he can be taken advantage of.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 07
    I didn't feel 100% comfortable but I got to thinking. about the holidays, her kids, and we initially decided she could use the car through January 15 since the insurance would need to be renewed for 6 months and my insurance would be requesting updated photos. Early January I had this overwhelming feeling that we were really taking on a huge liability with her
    via u/[deleted]
  • 08
    using the car. I told my husband I would be open to selling it now just so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. My husband asked her if she liked the car (she said she loved it, loved the gas mileage) and asked if she wanted to buy it and gives her a price (she said she'd have to check with her boyfriend).
    via u/[deleted]
  • 09
    Well a week goes by and I ask my husband what's going on, are they going to buy it? And he mentions how her boyfriend wants to take it to a mechanic and have it checked out to see if it's worth what I'm asking for. I told my husband, if they don't think it's worth it then they should return it and not continue driving it and devaluing it. My husband then tells me they probably can't afford what we're asking for all at once so they would need to make installments. I told him
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    then we're in the same place where we're taking on an additional liability for an extended time. I told him god forbid she gets into an accident, now our insurance will go up for several years. I told him I ✓ didn't want to deal with that additional stress with . newborn coming soon. I then mentioned to him that I feel like they're taking advantage of the situation and how I really didn't feel comfortable at all.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 11
    Well now we're to the end of January and I'm fed up. My car insurance renewed for another 6 months this morning so I asked my husband again about it. He mentioned that she hasn't been able to have anyone look at her car (mind you, she got into an accident in September or October). I told him well, I really don't feel comfortable anymore and it's beyond what we initially agreed to and how if she's not going to buy it then I want it back. My husband got a little snippy
    via u/[deleted]
  • 12
    with me and told me he'd bring it home today and make her walk home if that's the case. I told him that's not what I wanted but I want an answer as to how we're moving forward. I don't want to be an AH and leave her high and dry but it's been about two months and I haven't asked her to pay me anything to use the car (except the very low car insurance for the last two months). So am I the AH?
    via u/[deleted]
  • 13
    ETA: I don't know how to turn off comments but I'm genuinely getting so overwhelmed and stressed out so I will probably delete this soon if I can't figure that out.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 14
    - I get it — what I agreed to is / was incredibly stupid. I have read multiple comments about worst case scenario which totally validate how I'm feeling but don't help with my stress or anxiety. As I mentioned, I am currently 38 weeks pregnant and I am deeply worried about this.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 15
    I already reached out to the coworker. We have a firm deadline they will discuss tonight and if they decide - to not buy it, they will return it tonight. Trust I will rˆ+ put myself in this situation again.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16

    Commenters couldn't believe what they were reading, and were extremely honest with this person

    teresajs NTA If someone else has an accident while driving your car, you could be held legally responsible for any expenses beyond your insurance coverage. And your insurance may deny any claims because these
    via u/
  • 17
    other people aren't covered drivers on your policy. This is a HUGE financial risk. HUGE.
    via u/
  • 18
    West-Vehicle-21... NTA, this is incredibly stupid. You are taking on a MASSIVE liability by doing. this. Get your car immediately.
    via u/
  • 19
    Woman in gray coat looks at man in blue vest who touches hood of car while talking
    via Andrej Lišakov For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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