The number of dealerships now recognised as ‘SAF Approved’ under the Finance & Leasing Association’s (FLA’s) Specialist Automotive Finance (SAF) initiative has reached 2,000.

SAF was introduced by the FLA in 2007 to help raise motor finance standards in showrooms for the benefit of car buyers.

TC Harrison dealer group helped SAF reach the 2,000th showroom milestone after putting 35 employees, across its seven dealerships, through the online SAF competence test.

A dealership or group can apply to become SAF Approved once all customer-facing staff have passed the SAF test and the company has agreed to adhere to FLA best practice on treating finance customers fairly.

Potential car buyers are able to search for their nearest SAF Approved showroom by visiting the FLA’s Dealer Directory at the www.FinancingYourCar.org.uk website.

David Bocking, joint managing director at TC Harrison, said: "TC Harrison is a family firm which prides itself on family values and we are committed to providing the best possible level of customer care.

"The SAF training undertaken by our staff to achieve the FLA’s certification will help give our customers confidence that the advice we give them is of the highest standard."

Paul Harrison, head of motor finance at the FLA, said: "This big milestone for SAF shows the significant support for the initiative right across the retail motor industry.

"Our aim is to work with showrooms across the UK to ensure that dealer staff benefit from the knowledge that SAF provides, so that car buyers have confidence in forecourt finance."