RAC Cars
RAC Cars is a UK digital automotive marketplace that lets consumers search, buy, and sell used cars, vans, and electric vehicles, and connects them to RAC Approved Dealers and cross-sold RAC services such as breakdown cover, mobile mechanics, and vehicle inspections.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
RAC Cars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RAC Cars
- Legal name
- heycar
- Website
- https://raccars.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- RAC Cars is a UK digital automotive marketplace that lets consumers search, buy, and sell used cars, vans, and electric vehicles, and connects them to RAC Approved Dealers and cross-sold RAC services such as breakdown cover, mobile mechanics, and vehicle inspections.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RAC Cars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Automotive Marketplace
- NAICS
- Automobile Dealers (4411), Used Car Dealers (441120)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)
Keywords
Where RAC Cars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
RAC Cars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Automotive Marketplace: RAC Cars operates as an online marketplace connecting used car buyers with dealers and private sellers. Revenue is generated through dealer listings, referral fees, and integration with RAC's paid services including breakdown cover, vehicle inspections, and history checks.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | RAC Breakdown Cover starting at £5.49/month |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
RAC Cars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RAC Cars operates an online automotive marketplace at cars.rac.co.uk where users can search, browse, and purchase used cars, new cars, electric vehicles, and used vans in the UK. The platform connects individual buyers with dealers and private sellers, and is integrated with the broader RAC portfolio of services including RAC Approved Dealers, vehicle history checks, valuations, breakdown cover, mobile mechanics, tyres, and vehicle inspections.
Product overview
RAC Cars operates a multi-category vehicle marketplace platform primarily focused on used cars, complemented by new cars, electric vehicles, and vans. The core product is the used car marketplace at cars.rac.co.uk, which integrates with the RAC brand ecosystem of automotive services including RAC Approved Dealers (certified dealer network), RAC Breakdown Cover, RAC Mobile Mechanics, RAC Tyres, RAC Vehicle History checks, and RAC Vehicle Inspections. The platform also offers a Value My Car valuation tool and is powered through a partnership with heycar. Additional services like Fuel Finder in the myRAC app provide ancillary automotive utilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Used Car Marketplace Search and browse platform for used vehicles listed by dealers and private sellers across the UK, with filters by make, model, price, location, fuel type, and transmission.
Quantifiable outcome
- Most breakdowns resolved within 60 minutes or less
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use RAC Cars
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
RAC Cars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
RAC Cars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- heycarcoreRAC Cars announced a partnership with heycar, integrating heycar's expertise and innovation into the RAC Cars car buying portal. This partnership enhances the digital car buying experience by combining RAC's established automotive service brand with heycar's marketplace innovation and technology capabilities. The integration makes finding a car simple while providing access to RAC's comprehensive services including breakdown cover, insurance, car inspections, and history checks.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RAC Cars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- PistonHeads: UK enthusiast-focused automotive marketplace for used performance and enthusiast cars. Comparable marketplace model with a narrower niche (premium/enthusiast) relative to RAC Cars' mass-market positioning.
- Cazoo: UK online used car retailer offering home delivery, financing, and warranty bundles. Competes with RAC Cars on the consumer-facing car purchase experience and dealer-disintermediation model.
- Cinch: UK online used car retailer (Constellation Automotive Group) selling directly to consumers with delivery and part-exchange. Overlaps with RAC Cars on consumer used car purchase funnel.
Direct peers
- Carwow: UK-based online car marketplace and lead-generation platform that helps consumers buy new and used cars. Comparable in marketplace model and target buyer, though Carwow is more weighted toward new-car configurator and dealer-competition mechanics.
- CarGurus: Operates a transparent-pricing car marketplace serving the UK and other markets. Competes directly on dealer listings, search/filter UX, and lead generation — closely comparable in product, target customer, and business model to RAC Cars.
- Auto Trader Group: UK's dominant online automotive marketplace connecting buyers and dealers for new and used vehicles. Operates the same core marketplace model with listing fees, dealer subscriptions, and consumer financing introductions — a directly comparable peer to RAC Cars.
- Motors (Cox Automotive): Long-running UK car search and marketplace site owned by Cox Automotive. Directly comparable marketplace proposition targeting the same used car buyer and dealer supply side as RAC Cars.
Broad incumbents
- Cox Automotive UK: Owns Motors.co.uk and provides dealer software, remarketing, and digital marketing solutions to UK automotive retailers. Comparable as a broader-incumbent operator in UK automotive digital marketplaces.
- heycar: Parent group of RAC Cars and a UK/European online car marketplace itself. Comparable as a directly competing marketplace brand and is also the technology platform partner powering RAC Cars.
Regional players
- AvailableCar: UK-based used car retailer with a fixed-price online-plus-physical model. Less of a marketplace overlap but competes in the same UK consumer used-car-purchase funnel as RAC Cars.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
RAC Cars social profiles
Digital presenceRAC Cars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RAC Cars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
RAC Cars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RAC Cars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RAC Cars
What does RAC Cars do?
RAC Cars operates an online automotive marketplace at cars.rac.co.uk where users can search, browse, and purchase used cars, new cars, electric vehicles, and used vans in the UK. The platform connects individual buyers with dealers and private sellers, and is integrated with the broader RAC portfolio of services including RAC Approved Dealers, vehicle history checks, valuations, breakdown cover, mobile mechanics, tyres, and vehicle inspections.
Is RAC Cars a public or private company?
RAC Cars is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was RAC Cars founded?
RAC Cars was founded in 2010. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is RAC Cars based?
RAC Cars is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does RAC Cars make money?
One revenue line is on record: automotive Marketplace.
Who are RAC Cars's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are PistonHeads, Cazoo and Cinch. Direct peers are Carwow, CarGurus, Auto Trader Group and Motors (Cox Automotive). Broad incumbents are Cox Automotive UK and heycar. AvailableCar is listed as a regional player.
Does RAC Cars have an API?
No public API is recorded for RAC Cars.
What industry is RAC Cars in?
RAC Cars's product category is Online Automotive Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAKAE, Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C. Its NAICS code is 4411 and its SIC code is 5500.