The RAC, partner to this April’s Great British Fleet Event, has reached a new milestone in its work to roll out its fleet servicing and repairs service nationwide.
It’s now recruited more than 150 mobile mechanics as demand continues to grow for servicing and repairs to be carried out at home or work.
The mobile servicing solution also now covers more than 80% of national postcodes across the UK, following the latest recruitment drive.
The service 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.
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 and “brings the garage to where it’s needed”.
Servicing of combustion and electric vehicles can be carried out wherever is most convenient, whether that’s at a driver’s home, place of work or fleet depot.
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.
While the RAC’s 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 using the mobile service so that mechanics attend drivers’ homes or workplaces to carry out repairs soon after breakdowns, adding convenience.
It’s a particular benefit for business customers as vehicles can often be fixed more quickly without the need for a garage booking.
RAC Mobile Mechanics can also support drivers and fleets with routine maintenance, completing diagnostic checks, interim and full services to keep the car running between full services. All mechanics are highly trained 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.”
It’s a particular benefit for critical service companies such as couriers, as well as those in the refrigeration and FMCG sectors, where vehicle downtime impacts operations. Businesses can use the flexible booking system to find specific timeslots for servicing to ensure vehicles are quickly available for drivers again, without the need to travel to a central location or dealer for servicing.
“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,” added Coward.
