Post-sale preparation has been introduced for the first time for the RAC Approved Dealer Network covering cars and vans sold under the RAC BuySure used car programme.

Until now, dealers had to pre-prepare all vehicles to the agreed standard before they were made available for sale. Now, they can wait until a vehicle has been sold to complete them. 

Only members of the RAC Approved Dealer Network are allowed to sell vehicles under the RAC BuySure initiative.

This is designed to provide customers with a nationwide approved used vehicle scheme and is open to car supermarkets, independents and franchised dealers.

RAC BuySure sees these dealers commit to an 82-point RAC ‘approved preparation standard’ on every vehicle, a vehicle data check, and a minimum of three months of RAC Warranty cover. In support of this, the RAC provides 12 months' RAC breakdown cover and enrolment for the customer to RAC accident care at no extra cost.

Vehicles sold through the RAC Approved Dealer Network are regularly audited by the RAC to ensure that the dealer is meeting all of these standards.

Sean Kent, director, corporate and independent dealers, said: "This is a move that does nothing to compromise the integrity of RAC BuySure but allows our dealers to improve their cash flow on a per unit basis. Investing in bringing a vehicle up to the very high standard that we expect can sometimes be a barrier, especially for smaller dealers.

"During 2016, we are aiming to recruit around 150 new dealers and introducing post-sale preparation is something that will potentially open up the pool of possible candidates."