The high level evidence is that lighting can travel thousands of feet through air. An inch or two of rubber is nothing.
It's the metal cage of the car that provides lighting a more conductive path around instead of through you.
It's the metal cage of the car that provides lighting a more conductive path around instead of through you.
That's different than laying in a ditch or sitting in a car. At least in the car, the body is higher off the ground, and a lower resistance path than you. Perhaps a convertible, open top, bare metal floor with a flat tire might be comparable.