New data reveals Britain's most popular cars by postcode - MAPPED
Forget personalised number plates - the brand of car you drive says more about you than you might realise.
Car registration data has revealed where the owners of different makes of car are most likely to live.
Those with a BMW key in their pocket are most commonly found around the money markets of Canary Wharf or the rarified boundaries of Surrey’s Virginia Water.
And Mercedes are the vehicle of choice for people in the most expensive parts of London, including Belgravia and Knightsbridge. Meanwhile, eco-friendly drivers in upmarket Hampstead are most likely to plump for an all-electric Tesla.
Data relating to all private car registrations has been released by the DVLA.
It shows in which of around 2,500 postcode areas each brand of car is most likely to be found.
For the nation’s most popular brands – Ford and Vauxhall – there is still that traditional link to households who live close to the factories that produce them.
So Fords are most commonly found on the Essex coast near its factory in Dagenham, east London, and in Halewood, Liverpool, near another manufacturing site.
And the Vauxhall brand is most frequently registered to homes in Luton and Ellesmere Port, which are both sites for the carmaker’s factories.
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Dacia – renowned for producing some of the cheapest cars available – are most popular in remote rural areas of Scotland and Wales. Volvos, which have a reputation for lasting several years, are most commonly found in rural areas such as Yorkshire and the Scottish borders.
James Ruppert, author of Bangernomics, said: “Real people buy really useful cars – image is irrelevant. That explains why VWs, Volvos and Dacias live in the regions. And practicality and value is the preserve of the suburbs, with their Fords and Vauxhalls.
“But when it comes to image, the City dwellers want to be noticed in their Mercedes and BMWs. Or make a hi-tech eco statement in a Tesla.”