Our love affair with sport utility vehicles and crossovers seems to be showing no signs of slowing down and nor does the choice of models coming on to the market.

Such is the popularity of this sector – thanks to models that combine the practicality of an estate car, higher ground clearance to get off the beaten track, a higher driving position for better visibility and extra traction when the going gets tough – it's little wonder so many motorists see them as a 'one size fits all' mode of transport.

The advent of 'soft-roaders' and crossovers, with front-wheel drive and on-demand four-wheel drive options, means the days of 4x4s being seen as 'gas-guzzlers' are long gone and now the new generation of off-roaders' running costs compare favourably with a conventional family hatchback or estate car.

Their popularity extends to the used car market with Motors.co.uk seeing plenty of searches across the 4x4 sector.

Not surprisingly, in what is essentially a rural area, searches for 4x4s in East Anglia are 13% higher than the national average.

The sector is the fourth most popular category behind estates, hatchbacks and convertibles, accounting for one in nine used car searches. In London the 4x4 sector drops to sixth most searched-for category with saloons and coupe also above it.

According to Motors.co.uk, East Anglia's top 10 4x4 makes and models being searched are:

1 Nissan Qashqai.

2 Nissan Juke.

3 Honda CR-V.

4 Range Rover Sport.

5 BMW X5.

6 Ford Kuga.

7 Range Rover.

8 Kia Sportage.

9 Toyota RAV4.

10 Volkswagen Tiguan.

All these models are popular across the country but it's interesting to pick out some regional favourites.

The Nissan Qashqai and Juke, both volume sellers new, and Volkswagen Tiguan are slightly more popular searches with used buyers in East Anglia than nationally but the big winners here are the BMW X5 with local searches 15% higher than across the UK and the Ford Kuga which shows a whopping 60% gain in its share of searches for specific 4x4s.

Dermot Kelleher, director of marketing and business intelligence at Motors.co.uk, said: 'The sport utility vehicle market is just as attractive to used buyers as can be seen from the number of people searching for specific models on Motors.co.uk.

'And compared to the overall national figure, there was a slightly higher proportion searching for the top 10 in East Anglia which could be down to the rural location and drivers wanting the reassurance of being able to get to grips with slippery country roads.

'People in the countryside often rely more on being able to get around under their own steam so need a vehicle that can cope with the extremes of surface water and snow.

'That's why added traction has added attraction for them.