A teen who wrote off his mum's car in what police believe was a drag race last night, faces a charge of dangerous driving and has an infringement notice for being over the breath-alcohol limit.

The 19-year-old from Hamilton owned up to being behind the wheel of the Subaru before he lost control of the vehicle, which spun across the road, hit a hedge, and bounced on to its roof.

Police said the driver and his three passengers narrowly escaped with their lives and fled the scene.

Emergency services were called to the crash about around midnight, arriving to find the abandoned car on its roof.

"The crash is still under investigation however it appears two cars have been travelling northbound and at some stage both been on the wrong side of the road," Sergeant Juliet Burgess said.

"We think the Subaru has been travelling north on Silverdale Rd at high speed when it has clipped foliage on the right side of the road, careered out of control back on to the correct left-hand side of the road before impacting with a hedge and bouncing back on to the road, landing on its roof."

Burgess said the men, who were "extremely lucky to escape uninjured", returned about an hour later to survey the damage.

She said one of them owned up to being the driver and was breathalysed, returning a result of 150mgms.

"The legal limit for a driver aged under 20 is zero, so the man was issued an infringement notice for that and also faces a charge of dangerous driving," Burgess said

"His trouble doesn't end there however as the registered owner of the car is his mother."

Burgess said there was a second car involved in the crash and asked for any witnesses to contact the Hamilton police.

- © Fairfax NZ News