AITAH for refusing to lend my coworker my car after she called me irresponsible for driving it?

A Redditor shares how his pride and joy, a bright orange Honda Civic, became the center of a workplace conflict. After a coworker criticized his car as “irresponsible,” she later asked to borrow it in a moment of need. The Redditor refused, reminding her of her earlier comments. Now, he’s dealing with fallout at work and wondering if he overreacted.

‘ AITAH for refusing to lend my coworker my car after she called me irresponsible for driving it?’

I (28M) work at a mid-sized office and have a pretty noticeable car: a bright orange 20-year-old Honda Civic that I’ve lovingly fixed up over the years. It’s loud, it’s old, but it runs great, and I take pride in it. My coworkers often poke fun at it, calling it a “go-kart” or a “clown car.” I laugh it off—because honestly, I love my car.

Recently, one of my coworkers, *Sarah* (35F), has been particularly vocal about it. Last week, she made a snide comment in the break room, saying: *“I can’t believe you actually drive that thing. It’s so irresponsible. What if it breaks down and causes an accident?”* I rolled my eyes and said my car is perfectly safe.

Fast forward to yesterday. Sarah came to my desk, visibly stressed. Apparently, her car broke down, and she needed a vehicle to pick up her kids from school. She asked, *“Could I borrow your car for the afternoon? Just a couple of hours, I promise.”*

I was stunned. I reminded her of her “irresponsible” comment and said: *“If my car isn’t safe enough for me, I don’t think it’s safe enough for you or your kids.”* She looked embarrassed and said she “didn’t mean it that way,” but I stuck to my no. I don’t lend my car to anyone, especially after her constant judgment.

She ended up scrambling for a ride from another coworker, but now she’s giving me the cold shoulder and telling others that I’m “petty” for holding a grudge. Some of my coworkers are saying I should’ve just let it go and helped her out, but others think she had it coming. Now I’m wondering—was I too harsh? Should I have just let her borrow the car despite everything?. AITAH?

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

BulbasaurRanch −  Sounds like her giving you the cold shoulder is perfectly welcome. Doesn’t seem like the type that having a relationship is worth the effort.. Trash takes out itself sometimes.

Independentvoter40 −  NTA – Who lets someone drive their car at work. With liability issues out there, no way. EDIT\* If they got in a wreck you’d be on the hook!

judgingA-holes −  NTA – See I’m so petty that ever time I would see her I would start asking has she gotten a new car yet because clearly it’s irresponsible of her to drive a car that breaks down all the time, and tell her that maybe she needs to get an old civic like you because you don’t have that problem. But I mean, that’s just my petty ass.

Maximal_gain −  NTA your car, your choice. my insurance won’t cover another person driving it period. Unless they are on my insurance.

sttaydown −  NTA and any coworker who believes you are could have just as easily leant their car instead and see how that plays out.

MsChrisRI −  “I’m not holding a grudge. Sarah’s always calling my old car an accident risk. What if it broke down with her children in it?”

StyleBeneficial3008 −  F**k that! You’re NTA. Let me talk s**t about you all the time, but now I need you to let me use your car… get the f**k out of here with that bs! Good riddance you don’t need her bitchy ass around you anyway.

Js987 −  “Some of my coworkers are saying I should’ve just let it go and helped her out, but others think she had it coming.” Sure looks like another AI generated story. But if it’s not, never lend your vehicle.

-KristalG- −  NTA. Tell others how funny her face was, when you rejected her request. Since she gonna talk s**t to your colleagues about you, two can play this game.

Clean_Factor9673 −  NTA. Co-worker has no entitlement to use your car.

Do you think the user was justified in refusing to lend his car, or should he have set aside the past comments to help out in a tough situation? How would you handle a similar request from someone who’s been critical of you? Share your thoughts below!