Woman Bans Roommate From Borrowing Her Car After She 'Forgot' To Refill Gas Three Times

We've all known someone who takes advantage of every opportunity they are given.

After all, 'Give an inch, and they'll take a mile,' was written for a reason, side-eyed the members of the "Am I the A**hole?" (AITAH) subReddit.

One Redditor's roommate had recently started asking to use her car, even though she had one of her own, and each time she returned it, the gas tank was empty, and she 'forgot' to refill it.

When this happened for a third time, the Original Poster (OP) decided it was time to say no to any further free rides, despite her roommate's demands to 'trust' her that she would pay her back.

She asked the sub:

"AITAH for telling my roommate she can't borrow my car after she 'forgot' to fill up the gas tank three times?"

The OP's roommate had recently started borrowing her car more regularly.

"I (24 Female) live with my roommate (25 Female), and we share a lot, except for cars. I have my own, and she has hers."

"Lately, she's been asking to borrow my car pretty often, which I was okay with at first. But she's 'forgotten' to fill up the gas tank three times now."

"The first two times, I just refilled it and told her to please be more careful."

But the third time was the final straw.

"Yesterday, she took my car to run errands and came back with the gas light on again."

'When I asked her about it, she said she 'thought it was fine' and promised to fill up next time."

"I told her I'm done letting her borrow my car until she shows she can be responsible."

The OP's roommate did not appreciate being cut off from the OP's car.

"She got really upset and said I'm being petty and that I should just trust her."

"I'm annoyed because it feels like she's taking advantage, and honestly, I don't want to keep paying for her mistakes."

"AITAH for cutting her off?"

Fellow Redditors weighed in:

• NTA: Not the A**hole
• YTA: You're the A**hole
• ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
• NAH: No A**holes Here

Some reassured the OP that she didn't have to keep letting her roommate take advantage of her.

"If the roommate had gas money, she probably would be driving her own car. She just doesn't want to pay for gas."

"Otherwise, why the h**l else would she be begging for someone else's car when she has her own? And then bringing it back with the gas light on and claiming 'she forgot'? THE GAS LIGHT LITERALLY WAS REMINDING HER ALL THE WAY HOME." - Burgerthyme

"It's way more fun to spend gas money on stuff for herself and then get offended when called out for literally getting a free ride. NTA." - bluespruce5

"She's 100% taking advantage of you. She didn't forget; she just wants you to foot the bill for her travel. She's using you to save money, and now she's trying to guilt you into letting her continue to do it."

"She has her own car, so what reason has she even been giving to use yours instead of just using her own? Stick to your guns, stop letting her take advantage of you." - KayleighGibson

"NTA. Personally, I would not have allowed it in the first place. The only person who has ever borrowed my car was my dad. And he only asked because he had an important errand while his car was in the shop."

"Guess what? He topped off my gas tank and bought me lunch."

"Constantly not refilling the gas... do you really need a reason to say no more?" - processedgrouch

"NTA. Why is she borrowing your car if she has her own? Oh, that's right, this one has 'free' gas." - No_Rent_5363

"NTA. To be trusted, you have to be trustworthy. She isn't. Plain and simple."

"OP trusted her the first time, and she didn't fill the tank. OP trusted that the first time was a mistake, but she repeated it a further two times. Three strikes, she's out."

"Now, OP trusts that the car will remain unused until she proves trustworthy again." - ZaharielNemiel

"Tell her that it's easy for her to earn your trust back, OP. You'll tell her the next three times your car is on empty, and she can go with you and fill it up. Problem solved."

"If she declines, she's admitting that she doesn't have a memory problem, she has a cheapness problem, and a taking advantage of other people problem."

"NTA." - Curious-One4595

"My grandma always said to be wary of people who say, 'Trust me.' They know they have either not earned that trust or have already lost it. The roommate, case and point. NTA." - IcestormsEd

"Remind her that trust is earned. Trust is based on experience."

"You gave her three chances to earn your trust. Three times, she has shown that when it comes to the car, she can't be trusted."

"No. NTA." - st_nick5

"Yeah, you trusted her the last three times to refill it, and she didn't. She's shown you a pattern that she can't be trusted to refill the tank and isn't responsible enough to borrow your car. NTA."

"Side note that unless you have insurance that covers her to be driving your car, you're taking a risk letting someone else drive your car. If she causes an accident or is in an accident, it's you and your insurance they're going after." - PuzzleheadedTap4484

"She needs a wake-up call via you telling her she's taking advantage and owes you money for fuel. If she doesn't pay, chalk it up as a lesson to never let her borrow it."

"Secondly, what if she damages the car? How much money will you be out then? Get you and your car out while you still can." - Chrips_1

Others pointed out that, for insurance purposes, the OP shouldn't lend her car out anyway.

"NTA, but for the sake of your insurance, you shouldn't be letting just anyone drive your car."

"If you live together, a lot of policies require the other person to either be listed or excluded. She may not even be covered driving your car." - NoPicturesAZ

"If she has her own car, she (at least in my state) is required to have her own insurance and prove it to OP's insurance company."

"That said, NTA. IF (big IF) you ever allow her to borrow your car again, she should be required to give you the money to fill the tank up BEFORE she gets in it. She won't, which means she can't get in.." - CreativeMusic5121

"She is burning more than gas. She is putting 'wear and tear' on your tires and car."

"The Government allows you to claim about 67 cents per mile driven to allow for depreciation. Keep that in mind. It costs you more than gas to let her borrow it."

"Also, if she has an accident and hurts someone, you may become liable, as well." - Beautiful-Bag-3629

"NTA. The roommate may be having money issues that OP doesn't know about... which means that they may have dropped their insurance and expect OP's insurance to cover them, as well. OP, beware." - twopointsisatrend

"NTA. She has her own car, and she's clearly seen the price of fuel, which is why she's sponging yours."

"The only way to 'trust her' is for her to cough up fuel money by way of apology, not offer words…"

"Don't let her use your vehicle. She's not paying fuel, and if it gets damaged, she won't be paying that, either." - Infinite_Hat5261

"Before lending your car to anyone, the first step is to check your insurance policy. There's a chance that any accidents your roommate causes in your car will become your financial responsibility."

"She really hasn't proven herself to be trustworthy in fueling the car. It makes sense that you would stop lending your car. Her entitlement isn't worth the risk." - Trick_Few

"That's a huge risk letting someone drive your car. What if she got into an accident? Her fault or the other person's? You are out of a car or now have a damaged one even after it's been repaired."

"If it's her fault, insurance rates could go up. Plus, the mileage she is putting on it, and wear and tear, including tires, oil changes, and maintenance."

"How does she drive? Hard on a car, avoid potholes, parking it where you get door dings?"

"Remember, this is not her car, and she's acting like one of those people who does not care about other people's property. She has already shown you she won't even return it with a full tank for the use of your car, but on empty. You gave her an inch and she took it a mile. Then calls you petty."

"Sure, your car is nicer, newer, and she looks good in it. It's free, even down to the gas."

"Don't let someone borrow your car. If they need help, you can drive them there or even gas money (it's cheaper than lending your car). Myself, I offer to top off their tank, and in doing so, if I had another emergency, they might be willing to lend a helping hand again." - bia834

"Please, never lend your car. Nothing good comes from lending anything, really, but when it comes to a car, you could find yourself in a situation that will cost you time and money to get out of. It could be life-changing."

"Your insurance company won't cover anything that happens while your friend is driving your car. Think about that. Your car could get totaled, and they aren't going to pay. Worst case scenario, your friend kills someone with your car, and you will lose everything. Stop lending your car... to anyone." - HappyGardener52

Even if it wasn't immediately clear to the OP, it was crystal clear to the subReddit that her roommate was taking advantage of her, her car's miles, and her gas, all on her dime.

Unless the roommate changed her ways and paid the OP back for the gas she already used, they saw no reason for her to have access to the OP's car again in the future.

But since she had her own car that didn't need to be repaired, maybe she should focus on using her own possessions.