Privacy notice.

Who we are

Compare Car Offers is a vehicle valuation and buyer comparison service operating in the United Kingdom. In this notice, "we" and "us" mean [REGISTERED COMPANY NAME], company number [NUMBER], registered at [REGISTERED OFFICE ADDRESS].

We are the data controller for the personal data described here. Our registration with the Information Commissioner's Office is [ICO REGISTRATION NUMBER]. You can contact us about anything in this notice at [PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS].

What we collect, and why

Where vehicle data comes from

When you enter a registration we query the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service and, where enabled, the DVSA MOT history service. These return information about the vehicle — make, year, colour, fuel, tax and MOT status, and previously recorded mileage readings.

That information relates to the vehicle rather than to you personally, but because you have linked it to yourself by submitting an enquiry, we treat it as your personal data and protect it accordingly.

Who we share it with

Buyers. Your vehicle details are shared with motor trade buyers whose stated buying preferences match your car, so they can price it. At this stage they receive the vehicle and your general area — not your name, telephone number or email address.

Your chosen buyer. Your name and contact details are released to a buyer only when you decide to proceed with them. At that point they become a data controller in their own right for the purposes of completing the purchase, and their own privacy notice applies alongside ours.

Your lender. Where there is outstanding finance, the details necessary to obtain and settle a figure are shared with the buyer and your finance company.

Service providers. Hosting, email delivery, form processing and analytics providers process data on our instructions under written terms.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not pass your contact details to buyers you have not chosen.

Marketing

Marketing consent is a separate, optional tick and is never bundled into obtaining a valuation. Declining it has no effect on your valuation, your offers or the service you receive.

If you do consent, you can withdraw at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email, by replying STOP to any text message, or by contacting us. Withdrawal takes effect promptly and does not affect the lawfulness of anything sent beforehand.

How long we keep it

• Enquiries that do not proceed: [RETENTION PERIOD — e.g. 12 months], then deleted.
• Completed sales: retained for [RETENTION PERIOD] to meet legal, accounting and dispute-resolution obligations.
• Lookup and security logs: retained for up to 180 days for fraud prevention, then deleted automatically.
• Marketing consent records: kept while consent is active and for a period afterwards to evidence that consent was properly obtained.
• Cached vehicle data: 24 hours.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have inaccurate data corrected, to have data erased in certain circumstances, to restrict or object to processing, and to receive your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these, contact [PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS]. We will respond within one month. You will not be charged.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk, though we would ask you to raise it with us first so we have the opportunity to put it right.

Cookies, security and changes

We set only essential cookies unless you accept analytics cookies through the banner. Full detail is in our cookie policy.

Data is transmitted over encrypted connections and access is restricted to those who need it. Registration numbers are transmitted in the body of requests rather than in web addresses, so they do not appear in server logs or browser history.

If we change this notice materially we will update the date below and, where the change affects you significantly, tell you directly.

Last updated

[DATE]. Version 1.0.