Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 3 July 2026

1. Who We Are (Controller)

This Privacy Policy explains how CarAdvisor ("we", "us", "our") collects and uses personal data when you use the CarAdvisor website and iOS app (together, the "Service"). CarAdvisor is operated by an individual. For the purposes of UK GDPR, the individual operating CarAdvisor is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

If you need to contact us about privacy, email support@caradvisor.uk.

2. Summary

  • We process vehicle registration numbers you enter to retrieve MOT history and related vehicle data through our own backend service.
  • Our AI Analysis feature sends vehicle and MOT information (never your registration number, account details, or other personal identifiers) to an AI provider to generate a plain-English analysis.
  • Your History and Garage are stored on your device and, if you are signed in to iCloud, synced across your devices through your private iCloud (CloudKit) database - which we cannot access.
  • If you create an account, your account details (such as your name and email address) are stored securely in our cloud database.
  • We use service providers for app analytics, crash reporting, performance monitoring, and feature feedback for first-party purposes only.
  • We do not track you across other companies' apps or websites for advertising purposes, and we do not share your data with data brokers or advertising networks.
  • We do not sell personal data.

3. Personal Data We Collect

Depending on how you use the Service, we may process the following categories of personal data:

  • Vehicle registration number (VRN) you enter to perform a lookup.
  • Lookup results and app content such as MOT history data returned from official sources and any nickname you assign to a vehicle.
  • History and garage data (e.g., saved vehicles, recent lookups, timestamps). This is stored locally on your device and, where you are signed in to iCloud, synced across your devices via your private iCloud (CloudKit) database.
  • Account data if you create an account (for example, using Sign in with Apple): your name, email address, account identifiers, and account timestamps. This is stored in our cloud database (Google Firebase / Firestore).
  • Authentication identifiers: the app authenticates with our backend using Firebase Authentication (including anonymous authentication if you do not create an account). A unique authentication identifier accompanies requests from the app to our backend so we can secure and operate the Service.
  • Purchase data if you buy credits or other in-app purchases: purchases are processed by Apple, and we never receive your payment card details. We may receive transaction identifiers and maintain your credit balance to provide the features you purchase.
  • Support communications if you email us (content of your message and any attachments) or use the contact form on our website. The iOS app may include device/app details in the message to help troubleshooting.
  • Device and usage data such as basic device information, app interactions, diagnostics, crash reports, and performance data collected via service providers (see "Sharing and Service Providers").

4. Where Vehicle Data Comes From

When you enter a registration number, the app sends it to our backend API, which retrieves vehicle and MOT information from official UK government data services, including DVSA (for MOT history) and DVLA (for vehicle information services, where applicable). Our backend also computes related information such as estimated tax rates and Clean Air Zone compliance. We request this information only when you enter a registration number.

5. AI Vehicle Analysis

If you use the AI Analysis feature, we send information about the vehicle - such as make and model, year of manufacture, fuel type, engine size, emissions data, and aggregated MOT history statistics (test results, mileage figures, and defect summaries) - to a third-party AI provider (currently DeepSeek) to generate the analysis.

  • Your vehicle registration number is not sent to the AI provider.
  • Your name, email address, account identifiers, and other personal identifiers are not sent to the AI provider.
  • The AI provider may process this information on servers outside the UK (see "International Transfers").
  • AI output is generated automatically and is provided for general information only - see our Terms & Conditions for important limitations.

6. How We Use Your Data and Our Lawful Bases

UK GDPR requires us to have a lawful basis to process personal data. We typically rely on the following:

  • Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)): to provide the features you request (processing the VRN, retrieving results, generating AI analyses, operating your account, and delivering purchased credits).
  • Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): to keep the Service secure, diagnose issues, understand usage, and improve reliability (for example, crash reporting and performance monitoring). We balance these interests against your rights and expectations.
  • Legal obligations (Article 6(1)(c)): to comply with applicable laws, where required.
  • Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): where we ask for it (for example, if we introduce optional settings for specific analytics features). If we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

7. Sharing and Service Providers

We share data only as needed to operate the Service:

  • Government data services: when you perform a lookup, the VRN is sent via our backend to the relevant UK government service endpoints (DVSA and DVLA) to retrieve vehicle/MOT information.
  • Hosting: our backend API is hosted by a cloud hosting provider (Vercel), which processes requests from the app (including the VRN you look up) in order to serve them.
  • AI provider: vehicle and MOT information (excluding your VRN and personal identifiers) is processed by our AI provider (DeepSeek) to generate AI analyses, as described in section 5.
  • Apple: if you sign in with Apple, authentication is handled by Apple. History and Garage sync uses Apple's iCloud (CloudKit), where data is stored in your private iCloud database under Apple's terms and privacy policy. In-app purchases are processed by Apple, and we do not receive your payment card details.
  • Accounts and cloud database: account data is stored with Google Firebase (Firestore), and sign-in is managed through Firebase Authentication.
  • Analytics, crash reporting, diagnostics and performance: we use Google Firebase (including Firebase Analytics, Firebase Crashlytics, and Firebase Performance Monitoring) to help us understand app usage, measure performance, and diagnose crashes. These providers may receive device and usage data. This data is used exclusively for first-party analytics to improve CarAdvisor. We do not use it for cross-app tracking or advertising, and we do not share it with advertising networks or data brokers. Vehicle registration numbers are excluded from analytics and masked in logs.
  • Feature feedback: if you submit feedback through an in-app feedback tool (currently Votice), your submission and related metadata may be processed by that provider.
  • Support and contact: if you email us at support@caradvisor.uk, we process the information you send to respond to your request. If you use the contact form on our website, your message is delivered to us by a form-processing provider (FormSubmit).
  • Legal: we may disclose information where required by law or to protect rights, safety, and security.

7.1. No Tracking or Advertising

We do not track you. Tracking means linking data collected from our app with third-party data for advertising purposes, or sharing the collected data with data brokers. We do not:

  • Use your data for behavioural advertising or ad targeting
  • Create user profiles for advertising purposes
  • Share your data with advertising networks or data brokers
  • Link your data from CarAdvisor with your activity on other companies' apps or websites
  • Enable Google's advertising features in Firebase Analytics

Our analytics are used solely to understand how CarAdvisor is being used so we can fix bugs, improve performance, and develop better features.

8. International Transfers

Some of our service providers process personal data outside the UK. For example, Google (Firebase) and Vercel may process data in the United States and other countries, and our AI provider (DeepSeek) may process the vehicle information described in section 5 on servers outside the UK, including in China. As set out in section 5, the data sent to the AI provider does not include your registration number or personal identifiers. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we use providers and contractual arrangements designed to help ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (for example, relevant contractual protections and other measures as applicable).

9. Retention

  • History/Garage: retained on your device (and in your private iCloud database, if syncing is enabled) until you delete it in-app or uninstall the app.
  • Account data: retained until you delete your account (you can do this in the app's settings) or ask us to delete it, after which it is removed from our systems within a reasonable period.
  • Support emails and contact form messages: retained as long as reasonably necessary to handle your request and maintain support records.
  • Diagnostics/analytics/crash reports: retained according to our service providers' retention settings and policies, and for as long as needed for the purposes described.

10. Your Rights (UK GDPR)

Subject to certain legal limits, you have rights including:

  • Right of access
  • Right to rectification
  • Right to erasure
  • Right to restrict processing
  • Right to data portability
  • Right to object (including to processing based on legitimate interests)
  • Rights related to automated decision-making (where applicable)

To exercise your rights, contact us at support@caradvisor.uk. You can also delete your account directly in the app's settings. For History and Garage data, you can delete entries directly in the app (deleting an entry removes it from your device and your private iCloud database).

11. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Children

The Service is not directed to children and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns, please contact us first at support@caradvisor.uk so we can try to resolve them. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will update the "Last Updated" date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice.