When someone gives you a ride, it’s nice to offer to pay at least something towards the gas.

In today’s story, one man doesn’t offer to pay for the gas, but the situation is quite a bit different. He didn’t ask for a ride. He drove the car as a favor for his friend.

Does that make it different, or should he still pay for gas?

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AITA for not paying for gas for driving my friends car after they asked me to drive it?

My friend (M24) and me (M24) are both from a city quite far away from the city we live in now for university (8 hour drive).

We are friends but not in daily contact and can go a couple of weeks without talking, not that it’s important but just trying to make some context.

My friend lost his dad 2 years ago and very understandably is mourning the loss.

His friend asked for an unusual favor.

His dad was the one who used to help him out with a lot of things.

The thing is I was in our hometown for my granddads 70th birthday, and my friend called me. Asked me how I was planning on getting back.

And I said I would take the train and mentioned I hadn’t bought a ticket yet.

He asked me if I could do him a favor (this is important) and said his car was by his house and needed a change of tires and he wanted it in our university town. So he asked if I could change the tires and drive it to him. He even said that it would also help me out as I would save the money that I would originally use on the train ticket.

He did the favor.

I wanted to help out as I know that he’s been having a though time, so I agreed.

I changed his tires (winter to summer tires) and drove the car for eight hours to his apartment.

When I arrived and I handed him his keys he asked how much gas was left.

And I said that it was to close empty, and I apologized for not filling it before arriving, as it hadn’t crossed my mind.

His friend wanted something more than the car.

He said it was fine but asked me to send him money for gas.

I was surprised and said that I didn’t know that was a part of the deal.

He said that you don’t borrow someone’s car without filing the tank.

I said «sure, but I didn’t ask to borrow the car. You asked me to do you a favor and bring the car to you. And I did.» I also said that it wouldn’t make sense for me to pay him for letting me do him a favor.

His friend was pretty upset.

He got really mad and started very passive aggressive tell me how he should just pay me money instead for letting me use his stuff.

I was tired from driving and to make it end I offered to pay half of it, even tho I estimated that it would cost more than what my train ticket would.

He told me to «get of my high horse» and took the keys and walked into his apartment.

Did I misunderstand? Should I have offered to paid more than half or was he out of line for asking? Am I the jerk for not agreeing to pay?

It’s not like OP asked to borrow the car. The friend asked OP to do him a favor. You don’t make someone pay for the priveldge of doing you a favor!

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

If anything, his friend owes him money.

He saved his friend so much money!

This is true.

His friend isn’t a real friend.

Nobody thinks he owes his friend money.

Only one of these friends acted like a friend.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.