RAC launches car passport service
The RAC will launch a used-car history checking service for dealers on 26 February.
The RAC Car Passport offers retailers a £1 a check rate until the end of March, after which the tariff will be set at £2.99 per check or £2.49 for 5,000 checks or more, £1.99 for 10,000 plus and from 99p above 50,000.
Robert Diamond, managing director of Motoring Services at RAC, said, ‘RAC Car Passport for dealers marks a departure. It uses exactly the same data sources as other provenance checks and is effectively identical in specification.’
Diamond said data for the checks is collated from the Finance and Leasing Association, to determine whether there is outstanding finance and the Police National Computer Database, to see if the vehicle has been stolen; and the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR) for insured claims.
The initiative is an extension of the provenance checking service the RAC has offered consumers since December 2014 under the RAC Car Passport banner. It will initially be marketed to the RAC’s approved used car dealer network and dealers selling RAC Warranty products.
Meanwhile, the RAC has also commented on the provisional 2015 road traffic estimates released by the government.
Chief engineer David Bizley said, ‘Government figures show there has been an increase in traffic in line with a rise in the country’s business output, so slower average speeds appear to be on the downside for motorists.
‘The government is investing in major roads and has ring-fenced car tax income to continue the investment beyond 2020, but the evidence suggests the condition of local roads is still in need of extra investment.’
