1st Central partners with the RAC

The RAC’s breakdown cover will be made available to 500,000 customers of car insurer 1st Central from 12 September.

1st Central has partnered with the RAC to offer its breakdown cover under both the 1st Central Plus and 1st Central Premier products.

RAC business roadside managing director, Phil Ryan, said: “We’re very pleased to have forged a new relationship with 1st Central. We believe there is a great opportunity to encourage more of their customers to take out breakdown cover, given the high level of trust in the RAC brand.”

1st Central chief commercial officer Andy James said of the partnership: “With customer service being one of the biggest differentiators for today’s insurance businesses, providing an easy experience is 1st Central’s priority.”

“We know our customers consider their breakdown needs to be an important part of their insurance offering. So, we’re delighted to be partnering with a trusted brand like RAC to provide breakdown cover, and believe they will offer great value and service to our customers.”

The RAC has recently developed an All-Wheels-Up recovery system, which turns a patrol van into a recovery vehicle, by lifting all four wheels of a stricken vehicle off the ground, saving customers time by not having to wait for a separate recovery vehicle.

The recovery system, which is an extension of the rapid deployment trailer fitted in every RAC patrol van, can be used to transport a variety of vehicles that can’t currently be recovered by patrol vans, including electrics, hybrids, automatics and vehicles with multiple punctures or broken transmissions.

The RAC’s most recent innovation is its EV Boost technology, which enables electric vehicles to be given the equivalent of a fuel can top-up via a lightweight charger powered by the patrol van.

It has also launched the RAC heavy duty 4×4 patrol van, which is a specially adapted Isuzu D-Max, fitted with the All-Wheels-Up recovery system and EV Boost, but capable of recovering heavier vehicles due to its greater towing capacity.

Mark Dugdale