For four decades, CA Cars has been helping driving instructors get behind the wheel of reliable, dual-control vehicles. As we approach our 40th anniversary, let’s take a look back at the people and milestones that have shaped our business into one of the UK’s most experienced suppliers of driving instructor cars.
Where it all began
CA Cars was founded in 1986 by Sylvia Yeo, owner of Acclaim Driving Academy. The aim was simple: to create a dedicated business to supply vehicles for her driving school.
For the next 20 years, CA Cars supported Acclaim’s instructors before gradually expanding its services to other independent driving instructors and schools in the UK. Based within Acclaim’s offices in Enderby in Leicestershire, the business soon earned a reputation for its dependable service and long-lasting customer relationships.
A driving force behind CA Cars
Around the same time, a young car saleswoman from Leicester, Karen Laundon, decided to start her own business after seeing the growing demand from local driving instructors - including members of her family.
Karen co-founded Robinsons Contracts, pioneering a vehicle leasing model specifically for driving instructors. It was an approach that was hugely successful and one that many other suppliers in the UK have since adopted.
The next phase of CA Cars
Karen retired and sold Robinsons Contracts in 2006 and was invited to join CA Cars as a business consultant in 2012. This marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter with many members of the original Robinsons team choosing to reunite with her at CA Cars.
Karen later took over the business, relocating operations to Kilby Bridge where the team continued to expand and draw on decades of industry knowledge.
Today, many of the people behind the success of CA Cars remain at the company, having worked together for years, some even decades, bringing unrivalled experience to each and every customer they support.
Built by people who understand driving instructors
One thing that has always set CA Cars apart is our vast understanding of the driving instructors industry.
Many of our team over the years have been former driving instructors themselves, while others have experienced instructor training firsthand to better understand the needs of our customers.
One memorable moment involved a member of the team taking a Part 3 test in the early 1990s. After confidently telling the examiner to ‘drive straight over the roundabout’, the examiner did exactly that, bringing the car to a stop on the grass in the middle!
It’s stories like these that remind us how closely connected we are to the profession and why we genuinely understand the challenges instructors face.
Still family-run after 40 years
As CA Cars celebrates 40 years in business, we’re incredibly proud to remain a family-run company with the same values we started with. Behind every vehicle is a dedicated team of 22 people working across sales, administration, accounts and customer service, many of whom have been with the business for many years, our Software Developer David joined CA at 16 and built all our systems, and is now still here 30 years later.
To find out more about CA Cars and our range of services, get in touch with our expert team today.
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