His daughter, Jessica Rudd, says a mix-up occurred after the former PM dropped his family at a Noosa restaurant during an afternoon storm on Tuesday.

She said he intended finding a park but before he could drive off, a group of people got into his car.

“I thought I saw some people pile into his car, told myself it wasn’t – must be a similar looking Uber,” she wrote on Twitter.

“It wasn’t. It was Dad’s car.”

She said the group didn’t realise they’d accidentally gotten into the former PM’s car.

When informed they were not in an Uber, they offered Rudd money to take them to nearby Hastings St anyway.

Jessica Rudd said her father agreed to give them a lift for free as it was raining but they still didn’t realise their driver was the 26th prime minister of Australia.

“The lovely but tipsy crew had been at the restaurant since lunch and asked for a lift to Hastings St. Said they’d pay. He said he’d give them a lift. Took them half the ride to discover who their driver was. He’s here now,” she wrote.

Rudd, who lives at Sunshine Beach, served as prime minister between 2007 and 2010 and again for two months in 2013.

He holds positions at a number of prominent multilateral institutions and is undertaking academic research on China with a number prestigious universities.

Rudd recently fronted a federal parliamentary inquiry into media diversity in Canberra.