RAC plc
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
supplying products and services for motorists. Initially formed as the "Associate Section" of the Royal Automobile Club
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
, it was incorporated as R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. in 1978. It was then sold by the members of the Royal Automobile Club to Lex Service Plc in 1999, which subsequently renamed itself RAC Plc. In 2005, RAC Plc was bought by Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
and delisted.
R.A.C. Motoring Services, RAC Financial Services Ltd. and RAC Insurance Limited are subsidiaries of RAC Ltd. RAC Direct Insurance is a trading name of London and Edinburgh Insurance Company Ltd. The ultimate parent company of RAC Limited and London and Edinburgh Insurance Co. is Carlyle Group
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is an American-based global asset management firm, specializing in private equity, based in Washington, D.C. The Carlyle Group operates in four business areas: corporate private equity, real assets, market strategies and fund-of-funds, through its AlpInvest subsidiary...
.
History
The Royal Automobile ClubRoyal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
was formed in 1897 which set up an "associate section" to assist members with roadside assistance
Breakdown cover
Breakdown cover is a service that provides assistance to motorists whose vehicles have suffered a mechanical failure that is significant enough to leave them stranded at their present location....
and to provide motoring services. The club incorporated the associate section as R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. in 1978.
In 1987, the organisation introduced an "Advanced Computer Aided Rescue System".
In 1991, it established the RAC Foundation
RAC Foundation
The RAC Foundation is a motoring advocacy group that 'explores the economic, environmental, mobility and safety issues relating to roads and motor vehicles and campaigns to secure a fair deal for responsible road users'...
as its research arm. The RAC Foundation was later turned into a charity and received a legacy from Royal Automobile Club members when R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. was later sold.
British School of Motoring
British School of Motoring
The British School of Motoring is a driving school in the United Kingdom, providing training in vehicle operation and road safety....
(BSM) was purchased by R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. in 1998.
In September 1999, Lex Service Plc purchased R.A.C. Motoring Services from members of the Royal Automobile Club
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
and renamed themselves as RAC Plc in 2002. In March 2005, Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
Plc acquired RAC Plc for around £1.1 billion. The main competitors to the RAC are The AA
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
and Green Flag
Green Flag
Green Flag is a roadside rescue company based in the UK. It was formed in 1971 as the National Breakdown Recovery Club and operated under this name under the ownership of National Car Parks until 1994, when it was renamed Green Flag as a symbolic brand name...
.
The company sold RAC Auto Windscreens
Auto Windscreens
Auto Windscreens is a British automotive glazing company specialising in windshield repair and replacement. The company was established in 2011 after the collapse of the previous company, which had operated since 1971....
in 2008.
Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
Plc ceased providing loans under the RAC brand name in January 2008 and dissolved its partnership with the Co-operative Bank
Co-operative Bank
The Co-operative Bank plc is a commercial bank in the United Kingdom and Guernsey, with its headquarters in Manchester.The bank markets itself as an ethical bank, and refuses to invest in companies involved in the arms trade, global climate change, genetic engineering, animal testing and use of...
Plc.
The RAC's parent company, Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
sold BSM to a German company in January 2009. BSM is the UK’s largest driving school with around 2,700 driving instructors; it is also one of the largest driving instructor training providers. BSM has since been sold to Acromas Holdings which owns the AA.
Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
Plc sold RAC to Carlyle Group
Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is an American-based global asset management firm, specializing in private equity, based in Washington, D.C. The Carlyle Group operates in four business areas: corporate private equity, real assets, market strategies and fund-of-funds, through its AlpInvest subsidiary...
in June 2011.
United Kingdom
24/7
24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to a business or service available at all times without interruption...
and deal with approximately 4 millions calls a year. They have introduced, for trial, two hybrid vehicles, to cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The RAC has won the prestigious JD power award for the last four years for the best roadside patrols in the UK.
Europe
RAC Europe is breakdown cover for U.K. customers that travel to Europe. RAC Europe covers 47 European countries and provides English-speaking Incident Managers available 24 hours a day to assist. The office is based near Lyon in Villeurbanne, France.RAC Direct Insurance
RAC Direct InsuranceInsurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
provides car, motorcycle, van, home and travel insurance.
RAC Legal Services
RAC legal services provides advice and representation to customers involved in personal injury claims.RAC Vehicle Checks and Examinations
RAC Vehicle Checks and Examinations conduct vehicle checks that show if a car has been stolen, written-off, has outstanding finance or previous plates, is at risk of being sold illegally, and that its number plate and chassis number correspond. RAC Vehicle Checks are conducted by HPI.HPI provides a check on a car's status - assessing whether a car has been stolen, written-off, clocked, has outstanding finance or previous plates, is at risk of being sold illegally, and that its number plate and chassis number correspond. It will also check whether the car's documents are genuine.
RAC Examinations Inspectors make physical checks on the car to make sure it is mechanically and structurally sound.
Travel and traffic information
RAC provides travel and traffic services including online route planners, in-car navigation and help with travel documents.Awards
J.D.Power and Associates ranked the RAC the best in satisfying emergency roadside assistance customers in 2008, this is the fourth consecutive year the RAC has held this title. They also have a Greenfleet Breakdown/Recovery Company of the Year 2006 award for the most environmentally friendly roadside patrols.Team RAC
In 2006
2006 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 49th British Touring Car Championship season. As in 2005, there were ten racing weekends at nine different circuits; each round comprising three races, making a thirty round competition in total.-Changes for 2006:-Teams and...
, RAC teamed up with WSR (West Surrey Racing)
West Surrey Racing
Founded in 1981, West Surrey Racing is a UK-based motorsport team run by New Zealander Dick Bennetts. He is responsible for masterminding the careers of such names as Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Jonathan Palmer, Rubens Barrichello, Maurício Gugelmin and Eddie Irvine with his involvement in F3 and...
to form Team RAC and to race in the British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
(BTCC) with two MG ZS
MG ZS
The MG ZS is a sports family car. The ZS is essentially a badge engineered Rover 45 . The 45 in turn is a facelifted version of the Rover 400 which was launched in hatchback form in 1995 and saloon form in 1996. The Rover 400 had much in common with the Honda Civic of 1995-1999...
cars and from 2007
2007 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 50th British Touring Car Championship season. It was won by Fabrizio Giovanardi with 10 race wins and 17 podiums...
onwards, two (and sometimes three) BMW E90 320si cars. The racing cars were liveried in RAC's corporate orange and have achieved a number of wins, including winning the BTCC Independent Drivers Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
with Colin Turkington
Colin Turkington
Colin Henry Turkington is a Northern Irish auto racing driver. His most notable success to date was becoming 2009 British Touring Car Champion driving for Team RAC. Most recently he has competed in the 2010 World Touring Car Championship driving a BMW 320si for West Surrey Racing...
in 2007
2007 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 50th British Touring Car Championship season. It was won by Fabrizio Giovanardi with 10 race wins and 17 podiums...
, 2008
2008 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 51st British Touring Car Championship season. It was also the first that the championship is sponsored by HiQ...
and 2009
2009 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 52nd British Touring Car Championship season. It began at Brands Hatch on the Indy layout on April 5 and finished after 30 races over 10 events on the Grand Prix layout at Brands Hatch on October 4...
. Turkington was also able to clinch the outright win in the 2009 BTCC Drivers Championship
2009 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 52nd British Touring Car Championship season. It began at Brands Hatch on the Indy layout on April 5 and finished after 30 races over 10 events on the Grand Prix layout at Brands Hatch on October 4...
for Team RAC.
For 2010
2010 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 53rd British Touring Car Championship season. It began at Thruxton Circuit on April 4 and finished after 30 races over ten events at Brands Hatch on October 10....
RAC have reduced their level of sponsorship with the team.