They have not been known as Chelsea Tractors for nothing it seems.
For it appears that there are more 4x4s per capita in London than anywhere else.
Even though they are built as off-roaders, they are more likely to be seen in the crowded streets of Chelsea and other well-heeled areas of the capital than the country roads and muddy tracks for which many of them were built.
London has been named as the UK capital of 4×4 and SUVs with one in three vehicles in the city being off-roaders
A survey suggests that up to one in three vehicles in London are a 4X4 or sports utility vehicle (SUV) , which includes models such as Range Rovers to Bentley Bentaygas and the beefier BMWs, Mercedes-Benz and Audis .
It says that Londoners are 19 percentage points more likely than the national average – of 13 per cent – to drive an off-roader – concluding that around 32 per cent of Londoners own one.
It concludes: ‘When it comes to car style, Londoners are also living up to their ‘Chelsea Tractor’ stereotype it seems, by favouring a 4×4. A third of London motorists favour a Chelsea Tractor.’
The report by Privilege insurance adds: ‘Land Rovers are five percentage points more common in Yorkshire and The Humber than the rest of the UK, sharing the top spot with Ford and Volkswagen.’
Wales is now the last bastion of the traditional four-door saloon car with ownership there 14 percentage points above the national average.
London is also the Audi capital of Britain, with the German marque 12 per cent more likely to be seen in the capital than average. This translates to one in six of London’s motorists (17 per cent).
Audi is also strong in Scotland and Northern Ireland with ownership levels three and 11 percentage points above national average respectively.
Nissans rule in the North East where many are made at the Japanese car firm’s Sunderland factory. It enjoys a disproportionately high concentration of ownership that is five percentage points above the national average. It followed closely behind by the North West where ownership is four percentage points above average.
Even though they are built as off-roaders, they are more likely to be seen in the crowded streets of Chelsea
Ford, Land Rover and Volkswagen rule the roost in Yorkshire and Humberside (all five percentage points above the national average) while Vauxhalls are favourite in the East Midlands (seven percentage points above average).
BMWs have a disproportionately high presence in the West Midlands – the heartland of Britain’s home-grown Jaguar Land Rover which has factories there – at four percentage points above average.
Ford is the best performer in the East of England where ownership is four percentage points above the national average.
Renault’s hot spot is in the South West (four percentage points above average), while the South East is where FIAT performs disproportionately well, (three percentage points above national average), boosted by its small Fiat 500.
Spanish car-maker SEAT – part of the giant Volkswagen group – is particularly strong in Wales where ownership is seven percentage points above the national average.
When it comes to colour, drivers in the North East, Wales and Northern Ireland are proportionally more likely to drive white cars (six, seven and seven percentage points above the national average respectively).
By contrast, dark blue is the colour favoured by motorists in the East (six percentage points above average), the South East (two percentage points higher) and the South West (six percentage points higher.)
Black is favoured in London (eight percentage points above national average), the East Midlands, and Scotland (both plus five percentage points), where it shares the honours with silver.
Across the nation, hatchbacks came out as the most popular car type, driven by more than 15million motorists, with Ford the most popular model and silver the most popular colour.