“Roole, the car club open to all motorists”

Identicar changed its name and became Roole in 2022. Originally specialized in window engraving for cars, the company significantly expanded its range of services over the years. It then needed a new identity that reflects its recent offerings. An interview with its CEO, Jonathan Tuchbant.

Statements collected by Romain Bernard and Antoine Chênerie

Historically, what was your company’s first activity?
We were founded in 1982, with a service that has since become widespread: glass engraving. This deterrent measure against theft has proven its effectiveness since its launch. The idea is simple: we engrave the last eight characters of the serial number onto the window of the car, making it easily identifiable by law enforcement when parked on the street or found. At the same time, we record the data in a database accessible to insurers and authorities (police, gendarmerie, customs. Ed.). We have never abandoned this service, which remains very important to us, and today we still offer it in our packs sold at dealerships.

Why did you subsequently offer additional services?
Protecting a vehicle is good, but we also wanted to protect the driver and help them manage their auto budget. That is why we launched our first supplementary services in 1997. The idea is to mimic health mutual insurance schemes. Our guarantees supplement insurance, which does not reimburse – or very rarely – the full value of a car in case of theft. We can also provide loaner cars to our members so they can continue their daily activities. Later, we aimed to enrich our services with guarantees covering all automotive-related risks. Today, we also intervene in case of breakdowns, glass damage, flat tires, vandalism, in short, all situations where our clients need assistance. We can finance deductibles requested by insurance or even organize point recovery courses.

What prompted you to change the name of your company?
In people’s minds, Identicar is primarily associated with car engraving. We needed to find a name that better reflects the diversity of our services. That’s why we became Roole at the beginning of 2022. This change marked the culmination of a shift started in 2015. That year, we decided to move beyond just reacting to problems and to support motorists on a daily basis. We gradually embraced the idea of a car club. With 800,000 members at the time, we believed we were already capable of negotiating benefits for our community in the travel and mobility sectors.
Today, we are even stronger, with 1.2 million members. Besides being protected against theft and having Auto supplementary coverage, our community now benefits from numerous advantages: free Ulys toll subscription for a year, preferential rates at parking lots, discounts on leisure or vacations, etc. We have truly adopted a club approach, and we needed a new name to embody this new direction.

You launched a new app called Roole Premium parallel to your other services. Who can use it, and what does it do exactly?
The Roole Premium app is reserved for our members. It provides easy access to all Roole services. All the deals and shops offering discounts to the community are listed on a map. The Premium app also allows users to view their guarantees or contracts, report claims online, and sometimes even book a point recovery course. Users can also check their vehicle maintenance schedule, since we are now connected to manufacturers’ databases. Essentially, this tool extends our overall philosophy: enabling our clients to save money and enjoy their driving experience.

What makes the price of your plans vary?
The product price is fixed, regardless of the car. Roole works somewhat like Netflix or a phone operator: the number of services determines the price. Currently, most of our clients pay between 12 and 16 euros per month, but they save a lot when their car breaks down with our “mutual” plan or through ongoing deals.

How does one become a Roole member?
The subscription happens at the point of purchase at a dealership. This also allows us to offer discounts at partner dealerships for after-sales services, because a vehicle sold by a dealership—rather than directly by a private individual—has an enhanced reliability, as its maintenance has been verified. ●

Roole Eco-Driving

Alongside the Premium app, you also offer a free app available to everyone called Roole Eco-Driving.

Can you present it to us?
We started working on a free app three years ago. The idea was to create a sort of laboratory to explore new ideas. Interestingly, this app was called Roole from the very beginning, even before we adopted this name for the entire company, which was then still called Identicar. Currently, Roole Eco-Driving allows you to do several things, such as recording all your trips, tracking those of your friends, notifying your loved ones that you’ve arrived safely, etc. It can also be used for eco-driving training—as the name suggests—estimating fuel savings or challenging friends on trips, and more. Each of your performances is rewarded with points that help you climb our “Rooleurs” ranking. You can also get help from another Rooleur in case of trouble on a trip, or assist someone else via a user connection system around you. The community aspect is strong. We now aim to go further with a new app that will soon bring many new features. We are still working on it, more details will be available by the end of the year…

Why offer a free app?
We see ourselves as an open car club for all motorists, whether they pay for a service or not. This approach is already present in Germany and the United States. Launching a free app fits within this philosophy. To go even further, we have also launched our own media platform that covers all topics related to automotive usage.

Learn more: www.roole.fr