True to their nickname the cars are most popular in wealthy Kensington and Chelsea, in west London
7 April 2021 • 2:00pm
SUVs at a car plant in Russia. The larger models have grown in popularity in recent years.
Credit: Andrey Rudakov /Bloomberg
City drivers should think twice before buying a 4x4, the RAC Foundation has said, as research reveals Chelsea tractors are more common in towns than in the countryside.
Steve Gooding, director of the foundation, a research group which is independent of the roadside assistance company, said it was right to question whether urban drivers needed the larger vehicles, which have become increasingly popular in the UK in recent years.
Advertising campaigns focus on a romantic image of the SUV as the car of the great outdoors. Photograph: PA/handout
The stereotype of the Chelsea tractor, the derogatory term used to describe the tendency of the London middle classes to use 4x4 vehicles for the school run, is based on reality, according to new figures.
Promoted by carmakers and advertisers as a vehicle that takes you back to nature, new data shows that SUVs, which produce much greater CO2 emissions than most other cars, are most popular in affluent urban areas such as Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster.
Two south London boroughs rank among the top ten areas where people are most likely to buy an SUV. New research shows SUVs are most popular in affluent urban and suburban areas, with Chelsea topping the list, followed by Richmond in fourth place and Wandsworth in seventh. The study, conducted by Badvertising, a new campaign to stop adverts fuelling the climate emergency, found two thirds of SUVs are registered to urban households. The report further found that areas where SUVs are most popular correspond closely with those where road space is most scarce. These areas are also where the highest proportion of cars are parked on-street.
Two south London boroughs rank among the top ten areas where people are most likely to buy an SUV. New research shows SUVs are most popular in affluent urban and suburban areas, with Chelsea topping the list, followed by Richmond in fourth place and Wandsworth in seventh. The study, conducted by Badvertising, a new campaign to stop adverts fuelling the climate emergency, found two thirds of SUVs are registered to urban households. The report further found that areas where SUVs are most popular correspond closely with those where road space is most scarce. These areas are also where the highest proportion of cars are parked on-street.
Calls to cull Chelsea Tractors in cities after report finds 75 per cent are used for school runs dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.