I’m not a back-seat driver.

That’s the claim from a man who says he was arrested on a DWI charge in Manhattan — even though he was sleeping in the back seat of his car at the time.

Elias Silva, 38, of Connecticut, says in court papers that he met up with a pal in the Meatpacking District on May 10, 2013, and, after cocktails, went back to his Honda Accord, where he caught some Z’s in the back as he waited for a friend to return.

But Silva says he rudely woken by a cop who told him to leave. After Silva protested, arguing he was legally parked, the cop ordered him out of the car and arrested him, according to his Manhattan federal court lawsuit.

His lawsuit says the officer “stated to the NYC District Attorney’s Office that he observed the plaintiff operating a motor vehicle immediately prior to the time of arrest and that the plaintiff was in an intoxicated condition.”

“At no time did [Silva] sit in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, put the keys in the ignition or otherwise operate his vehicle,” his suit says.

Silva also accuses the officer of falsifying a sworn police statement.

Silva’s DWI charge was dismissed in November 2014 following an 18-month legal battle.

His suit alleges false arrest and malicious prosecution and calls for a jury trial and $1 million in damages.

“We’ll review the allegations,” a city Law Department spokesman said.