BBC One Watchdog launched the investigation into RAC's conduct after receiving a number of complaints.

RAC customer John Smith was told by a patrol he needed to replace his battery but his suspicions were raised and he took his old battery for testing to the shop he had got it from.

“They couldn’t see any reason why they [the RAC] couldn’t get the car started and in a few minutes the battery would have charged up and everything would have been back to normal again," he told Watchdog.

Kate Amar, from Nottingham, experienced a similar problem in August and was persuaded to buy a £90 new battery.

Miss Amar and two other motorist who had similar experiences all say the RAC report on their batteries showed they were in a ‘good state of health’.

The investigation saw 10 cars which had their batteries run down placed in locations across the country.