RAC Cars partners with Motors.co.uk to shake up car search market

• RAC Cars to join Motors.co.uk Network from May 2016
• Dealers to get access to more leads from their marketing spend through single relationship, saving them time and effort
• Partnership creates new combined stock levels of over 400,000 cars

RAC Cars and Motors.co.uk have joined forces to create a powerful new advertising partnership that takes competition in the car search market to the next level.

The industry-changing partnership gives vehicle dealers access to RAC Cars’ and Motors.co.uk’s combined audiences through one relationship, providing dealers with an exceptional route to advertise their stock to a substantial in-market car buying audience.

Together, the two businesses’ combined advertised stock increases to over 400,000 cars from more than 8,000 dealers, with audiences of 4.2m across the Motors.co.uk Network and 1.2m visitors per month across the RAC’s online brands. The Motors.co.uk Network already includes major automotive websites such as Parkers, Sunday Times Driving, Motoring.co.uk and Carsite.

Dealers will be able to access both brands’ consumers via a single Motors.co.uk stock feed, saving time and money. Customers will also easily be able to take advantage of the RAC’s market-leading range of products designed to inspire buying confidence including history checks, vehicle inspections, loans, breakdown cover, insurance and the RAC BuySure scheme. For RAC Approved Dealers that provide BuySure, there will be an enhanced package on RAC Cars giving them additional advertising prominence in recognition of the fact that all their vehicles are prepared to this high standard.

The first significant development of the new partnership will be the launch of a new RAC Cars website in May, with enhanced functionality and an improved user journey.

Phill Jones, managing director of Motors.co.uk, said: “In RAC Cars, we have a partner that shares our passion for becoming a trusted matchmaker for automotive buyers and sellers.

“This is great news for both car dealers and prospective buyers. It will provide dealers with access to a larger audience of in-market car buyers through a single relationship, while consumers will benefit from a greater choice of vehicles and the reassurance of RAC’s compelling consumer products. It also underlines Cox Automotive’s ongoing investment in Motors.co.uk to be the trusted advertising partner to the automotive industry.”

Robert Diamond, managing director of Motoring Services at RAC, said: “In response to frustrations from dealers and concerns expressed by buyers, RAC Cars has always had the ambition of shaking-up the used car market. We believe that we have certainly done this, significantly enhancing competition in the sector to get a better deal for vehicle retailers while at the same giving buyers more choice, together with the buying confidence the RAC name brings.

“Our partnership with Motors.co.uk is the logical next step to deliver maximum benefit for dealers via our significant combined reach and the ability to engage with our eight million members. There is also a very real benefit to both dealers and consumers as every decision to buy is supported by the opportunity to take advantage of the RAC’s industry-leading products which are designed to give buyers greater reassurance they are purchasing a car that doesn’t have a hidden history or an underlying mechanical issue.

“It is clear that in Motors.co.uk we have chosen the right partner with one goal in mind – to deliver more leads to dealers. And, in creating great, cost-effective solutions for dealers we are also providing great car-buying solutions for customers to buy the right car for them.”