The RAC has sent out letters promising legal action to more than 40 independent dealers which have been using its logo in their marketing material.

The RAC said all but a couple have complied with the request to stop using the brand and its logo. However, the remaining dealers are currently the subject of litigation by the RAC’s legal department.

The campaign has been prompted in part by the launch of the RAC’s new RAC BuySure and RAC Cars dealer initiatives, where only authorised dealers are permitted to use the brand under a set of guidelines.

RAC head of dealer propositions Mario Dolcezza said: “The RAC brand is rightly valued by customers as one of the most trustworthy in the UK and allowing its use in an uncontrolled manner where our brand equity is endangered makes no sense for consumers, properly authorised dealers or the RAC itself.

“We are pleased to say that the dealers we have contacted who were using the brand inappropriately have almost all complied very quickly and those that haven’t will be the subject of determined legal action including the involvement of Trading Standards. We are also aware of others that we will be contacting soon.

“This is something that we are very much determined to stop.”