RAC hits 150 mobile mechanics milestone enabling nationwide fleet servicing and repairs at home or work

The RAC has now recruited more than 150 mobile mechanics as demand continues to grow for servicing and repairs to be carried out at home or work.

With four-in-10 (40%) UK adults now working from home at least some of the week, RAC Mobile Mechanics – launched in June 2023 – is ideal for businesses running fleets of vehicles that brings the garage to where it’s needed.

Servicing of combustion and electric vehicles can be carried out wherever is most convenient, whether at a driver’s home, place of work or fleet depot, meaning there is no downtime as work can be scheduled to suit the driver and fleet manager. RAC Mobile Mechanics can also be booked outside of core operating hours, before or after a driver’s shift or on a rest day, guaranteeing minimal vehicle downtime and maximising business efficiency.

The mobile servicing solution was originally introduced in response to RAC research where six-in-10 drivers (62%) said they would prefer a trained mechanic to service their vehicle at home or work, rather than taking it to a garage.

Since then, the RAC has been on a recruitment drive to boost its expert team to meet the changing maintenance and repair needs of fleet managers and drivers of their vehicles. The service now covers 80% of national postcodes across the length and breadth of the UK, from Penzance in the south to Perth in Scotland.

While the RAC’s famous patrols fix four-out-of-five breakdowns on the spot, there are some repairs that cannot be done safely at the roadside. Increasingly, patrols are providing a seamless, end-to-end time-saving service for members by booking RAC Mobile Mechanics to attend their homes or workplaces to carry out repairs soon after, adding convenience. The RAC is also seeing this benefit its business customers as vehicles can often be fixed more quickly without the need for a garage booking.

In terms of routine maintenance, RAC Mobile Mechanics can complete diagnostic checks, interim and full services to keep the car running between full services. As you would expect from the RAC, all mechanics are highly experienced in vehicle diagnostics, qualified to IMI Level 2 standard and EV trained.

RAC service, maintenance and repair chief executive Paul Coward said: “Our teams at the RAC know just how time-consuming and challenging managing the servicing schedule of a fleet can be. For this reason, it’s vital they can rely on a servicing solution that is delivered efficiently via experienced staff who are trained to extremely high industry standards.

“We believe our nationwide RAC Mobile Mechanics servicing and repair offer ticks both boxes for fleets – the confidence of not only having servicing completed to vehicle manufacturer specifications by fully qualified technicians but carried out wherever the vehicle happens to be, removing the time and productivity cost associated with having to take vehicles off the road and to a dealer, garage or central servicing location.

“Critical service companies like couriers, as well as those in the refrigeration and FMCG sectors, are understandably particularly sensitive to vehicle downtime. Our solution is well suited to them as a dealer service usually results in a vehicle being off the road for a whole day. Repairs can take even longer and incur greater costs due to additional downtime and alternative vehicle hire.

“Our flexible booking system means they’re able to pinpoint specific timeslots for servicing to ensure vehicles are quickly available for drivers again and, with no need to take vehicles to a central location or dealer for servicing, there are significant time gains to be had too.

“The calibre of our Mobile Mechanics has even earnt us an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating, demonstrating just how much demand there really is for the service.”

For complete peace of mind, all RAC Mobile Mechanics’ servicing adheres to OEM-standard specifications to protect residual vehicle values and to ensure vehicle manufacturer warranties remain valid. The RAC’s technicians are multi-skilled and therefore can complete full services, full diagnostic checks and oil changes as well as some repairs, avoiding further future vehicle downtime. The RAC’s team of remote experts are also on hand to assist with any vehicle-specific service queries drivers may have.