Privacy Policy

Who we are

CarCostCheck (carcostcheck.co.uk) provides free and premium vehicle analysis reports using government and licensed third-party data sources. CarCostCheck is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (registration ZC104940). For anything about your data, email hello@carcostcheck.co.uk.

What data we collect

• Registration plates you search: These are sent to the DVSA and DVLA, and for paid reports to Experian through our data partner OneAuto, to generate your report. We log each search with the registration, the time, an approximate town or region and country worked out from your IP address, and a scrambled (hashed) form of your IP address. We use this to run the service, stop misuse and fix problems. We do not store your full IP address with searches.
• Pages you visit: We log the pages viewed on our site, the page you came from, an approximate location and the type of device (mobile, tablet or desktop). Each report has its own page address, so these logs include the registrations whose reports were viewed.
• Checkout steps: When you open the checkout we record the steps you take (for example which product you chose and whether payment went through) against a random ID held in a cookie, with your device type, operating system and browser. With each order we also store the page you first arrived on and where you came from, such as a search engine, an AI assistant or an advertising campaign tag, and pass these to Stripe with the order.
• Email addresses: If you buy a report, Stripe collects your email address at checkout and passes it to us. We keep it with your report so we can send and resend your report link, answer support questions and send you reminders about that car, such as when its MOT or road tax is due, a follow-up on its MOT advisories, when its manufacturer warranty may end, or a year after your check. Your report email and our reminder emails include a discount code for a future check, and every reminder email has a one-click unsubscribe link. Report emails are sent by Resend.
• Other emails you give us: If you sign up for a free MOT reminder, we keep your email address, the registration and its MOT expiry date for that reminder. If you are asked to confirm your email address to keep running free checks, we keep the address, the code we sent you and an approximate location. If you send us a trade enquiry, we receive the details you enter by email.
• Postcodes (valuations): For the local dealer value in a valuation, we use a postcode you type in or the billing postcode supplied with your payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay and Link supply one). We send it, with the registration and mileage, to Marketcheck through OneAuto, and store it with your valuation.
• Accounts: An account is optional. If you create one, we keep your email address, your name if you give it, and your login details (passwords are stored in scrambled form by our database provider, Supabase), and link your reports to the account. Trade accounts also hold your dealership name, credit purchases and the checks you run. If you add your dealership details on a trade account, we use your forecourt postcode to show local demand figures on your dashboard. These details are not published.
• Payment information: Payment is handled entirely by Stripe. We never see or store your card details.
• Analytics data: We use Google Analytics, which uses cookies, and Vercel Web Analytics to understand how people use the site (pages visited, time on site, device type).

Cookies

We use essential cookies for site functionality and logins, a cookie holding a random ID so we can measure how the checkout performs, and analytics cookies (Google Analytics) to understand site usage. Stripe may also set cookies during the checkout process. We also keep a few settings in your browser's local storage, such as pop-ups you have closed and how many free checks you have run today. You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time.

Third-party services

• DVSA: MOT history data is fetched from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency API.
• DVLA: Vehicle details are fetched from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency API.
• Experian (via OneAuto): Premium vehicle history data (stolen, finance, write-off, keepers, VIN, plate transfers) is provided by Experian. We send the registration, and the vehicle data that comes back is stored with your report (see below).
• Marketcheck (via OneAuto): Supplies the dealer listings behind the local dealer value in a valuation. We send the registration, mileage and postcode.
• Stripe: Processes payments for paid reports and trade packs. See their privacy policy.
• Supabase: Our database and account provider. It stores the reports, logs and account details described on this page. See their privacy policy.
• Resend: Delivers our emails (report links, reminders and verification codes). See their privacy policy.
• Vercel: Our hosting provider, and the provider of Vercel Web Analytics. See their privacy policy.
• Google Analytics: Measures how the site is used. See Google's privacy policy.
• Telegram: We receive a notification of each order (the registration, product, price and your email address) through Telegram's messaging service. See their privacy policy.

Premium report data retention

When you purchase a premium, valuation, or bundle report, we store the generated report data, the registration, your email address and your Stripe checkout session ID in our Supabase database. This lets us deliver a “view your report online” link in your confirmation email that you can revisit at any time, including any corrections we make to how the report is shown, and lets us resend the link and send the reminders described above.

The vehicle history data in a report describes the car, not you. When you buy a report we fetch that data fresh from Experian at the time of purchase, and we never give you data fetched for another customer. If you buy a second report on the same car within 30 minutes, it uses the data we fetched for you minutes earlier. Trade account checks may reuse a report on the same registration from the last 24 hours, in which case no credit is used. DVSA and DVLA data may be stored for up to 7 days.

We retain this report data indefinitely so your link continues to work. We do not sell your personal data. We use your email address to deliver your report, to answer customer-service queries and to send the reminder emails described above, which include a discount code for a future check. You can unsubscribe from reminders at any time using the link in any reminder email.

Right to deletion. You can request deletion of your report data at any time by emailing hello@carcostcheck.co.uk. Once deleted, your report link will stop working, but any PDF copy you have saved or printed is unaffected.

Your rights (UK GDPR)

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to access, correct, or delete any personal data we hold about you, and to object to us using it for reminder emails. For report data specifically, see the Premium report data retention section above for details on deletion. For any other concerns, contact us at hello@carcostcheck.co.uk. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.