Dealers linked to service plan provider Emac will offer a ‘lucky 13’ initiative throughout March – an extra free month when new and used car owners bought a two- or three-year contract.

Chief executive Angela Barrow said: “March is a key month to secure long-term customer loyalty and we want to provide dealers with an additional edge to ensure they benefit.”

She said dealers who had sold customers a service plan were set to reap rewards next month.

“We have consistently seen a strong relationship between service plans and customer retention,” said Barrow.

“In the rush to maximise every sales opportunity during the peak March period, long-term customer retention can be overlooked.

"We developed the ‘lucky 13’ plan as an innovative option to help dealers.”