‘4X4 drivers should have permits’

More than half of British adults would like to see permits introduced for 4x4s unless they are specifically needed for work or business, new research from Virgin Money Car Insurance shows. The study comes as the public backlash against 4x4s builds amid signs that sales are falling and councils are introducing higher parking charges.

Around 52 per cent of adults say motorists should need permits to buy or drive 4x4s other than for business purposes. Women take a tougher line on 4x4s than men with 56 per cent backing the introduction of permits compared to 48 per cent of men.

Just 30 per cent disagree with the introduction of such permits with another 19 per cent neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

The research is the latest blow for 4x4s – sales fell last year by 6.2 per cent to 175,805 - and local councils across the country are considering introducing higher charges for parking permits for cars with the highest carbon emissions. Richmond Council in South-West London has trebled the cost of parking permits to £300.

However the latest research from Virgin Money Car Insurance shows people in the Midlands, East Anglia and London are least likely to back permits for 4x4s. Less than half of Londoners support the introduction of permits for 4x4s.

Jason Wyer-Smith of Virgin Money Car Insurance said: “Reports of the death of the 4x4 might be exaggerated as sales are still relatively healthy. And of course the caricature of the Chelsea Tractor is a bit overdone as many people genuinely need 4x4s for work or because they live in rural areas. It’s also worth remembering that some 4x4s are no more environmentally harmful than a large family car.

“However it is clear that more and more consumers are taking a keener interest in the environment and starting to consider cars in terms of their carbon emissions. 4x4s and other perceived ‘gas guzzlers’ are an easy target. Permits to own 4x4s sound draconian but with Local Authorities increasingly using punitively priced parking permits to try to curb their use, perhaps the introduction of the 4x4 ownership permit isn’t so far off.”

Across the country Londoners are one of the least likely to back 4x4 permits while adults in the South West of England are most likely to support the introduction of permits.