Chelsea named 4x4 capital of UK

By Leo Stevens

People who refer to city owners of off-road 4x4 vehicles as having "Chelsea tractors" appear to have shrewd observation skills as a survey has revealed that the stylish south-west London suburb has the highest proportion of 4x4s in Britain.

The poll by car insurance company Diamond discovered that 17.8 per cent of vehicles in Chelsea in SW3 were 4x4s. Kensington, in the W8 area of west London, had the second highest rate of 4x4s with a rate of 17.4 per cent.

Banchory in Aberdeenshire was third with 17 per cent, with Turriff, another Aberdeenshire area, in fourth place with 16.4 per cent.

The higher rate of 4x4s in suburban areas of southern England rather than in rural farming areas is a particularly common occurrence as Guildford in Surrey, Wadhurst in Kent and Brentwood in Essex also featured in the top 10.

The poll also discovered that the most popular 4x4 was the Range Rover, with the Land Rover Freelander second.

Haulage contractors were most likely to drive 4x4s, while they were also a firm-favourite with bank directors, farmers and agricultural contractors, the study also revealed.