[citation needed] The Royal Automobile Club was formed in 1897 by Frederick Richard Simms, which set up an "associate section" to provide members roadside assistance and motoring services.

The RAC Foundation was later turned into a charity, and received a legacy from Royal Automobile Club members when R.A.C.

[4] The RAC moved into a bespoke control centre at the M4 / M5 interchange in Almondsbury in 1994, designed by Grimshaw Architects.

[9] They sold some parts of the business for £500m,[9] including RAC Auto Windscreens in December 2008, and BSM to a German company in January 2009.

Aviva ceased providing loans under the RAC brand name in January 2008, and dissolved its partnership with The Co-operative Bank.

[14] In December 2015, Carlyle agreed to sell its remaining stake to CVC Capital Partners, in a transaction valuing the RAC at £1.4 billion.

Power ranked the RAC highest in "satisfying roadside assistance customers" for the fourth consecutive year.

RAC Europe covers forty seven European countries, and provides English speaking Incident Managers, available twenty four hours a day to assist.