by Joe Jeffrey
TowCheck scheme launched by NCC to help caravanners and dealers find the perfect combination
It goes without saying that one of the most important things to consider when it comes to towing your vehicle is safety. And now, the NCC (National Caravan Council) has launched TowCheck – a new service to help caravan dealers match a car and touring caravan combination for their customers to ensure safe and legal use on UK and European roads.
TowCheck, which is owned and operated by industry trade body the NCC, costs less for NCC dealer members to use and looks set to revolutionise the way safe and legal car and caravan combinations are identified for customers.
Key highlights of TowCheck include: the use of Vehicle Registrations Marks (VRM’s) so searching a car/caravan combination has no reliance on knowing the exact car make and model; a refined search function to generate lists of suitable caravans for a given car; assistance in providing advice on suitable makes and models when I comes to purchasing a new car; the ability to download personalised reports; as well as the automatic download of car data every quarter.
Touring caravan data for TowCheck is collated from within the industry as well as Central Registration and Identification Scheme (CRiS), the National Register for UK caravan keepers. Car data comes from the world’s leading provider of automotive intelligence, JATO Dynamics. These datasets mean TowCheck features more than 1.5 billion car and caravan combinations.
Of the new scheme, David Whitehead, NCC technical director, said: “We’ve put a lot of hard work and time into TowCheck, Beta testing and refining it against feedback to ensure it offers a truly user friendly and useful service.
“We’re confident that TowCheck will help dealers quickly and easily identify the right touring caravan for any given customer, giving consumers peace of mind before they make a purchase.”
For more information, TowCheck’s website can be accessed here. Furthermore, visitors to the Motorhome & Caravan Show 2015, taking place between 13 to 18 October, can find out more about TowCheck and carry out free checks on the dedicated pod in Hall 19 during showtime.
