Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 14, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to VRMCHECK. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you use our website (the "Site") and related services (collectively, the "Services"). It also outlines your rights and how you can exercise them.

By using our Services (whether as a guest or a registered user), or by otherwise providing us with your personal data (for example, by contacting us via email), you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms, please discontinue use of our Services.

Definitions

In this Policy:

  • "Personal data" (or "personal information") means any information that can identify you, directly or indirectly, such as your name, email address, phone number, IP address, or payment details.
  • "Services" refers to the vehicle history checking services and related functionalities provided through our Site.
  • "VRM" stands for Vehicle Registration Mark (the license plate number) that you may enter to retrieve a vehicle report.
  • "We," "us," or "our" refers to VRMCHECK.
  • "You" refers to any user of our Services.

We process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and, where applicable, the EU GDPR. We strive to follow industry best practices to ensure your data is handled securely and lawfully.

2. Who We Are

Controller: The organization responsible for processing your personal data is VRMCHECK (referred to as "VRMCHECK," "we," or "us"). VRMCHECK is the data controller for the personal data processed via our Services.

Note: If we appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) or other privacy contact, we will update our contact details in this Policy. For now, please direct any data protection queries to the email above.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from You

You may provide personal information directly to us. For example:

  • When you create an account on our Site, you provide your email address and a password (which is stored in encrypted form). You may also choose to provide additional details like your name or phone number for your profile or contact purposes.
  • When you use our Services to check a vehicle, you input a vehicle's registration number (VRM) or other identifiers. This is information you voluntarily provide so we can perform the lookup and deliver a report.
  • If you make a purchase (such as buying a vehicle history report), you provide information necessary to process the transaction (e.g., payment details, billing information).
  • When you contact us (via email or contact forms) or submit feedback/reviews on our Site, you provide us with whatever personal data is in those communications (such as your name, email, and the content of your message).

Automatically through Your Use of the Services

When you interact with our Site, we automatically collect certain technical data about your visit via cookies, logs, and other tracking technologies. This data may include:

  • IP Address and general location (e.g., city or region) inferred from it.
  • Device and Browser Information: such as device type, operating system, browser type and version, screen resolution, and unique device identifiers.
  • Usage Data: such as the pages or screens you view, how you arrived at our Site (referral source), search queries on the Site, dates/times of access, and other information about your interactions (e.g., button clicks).
  • Cookies and Similar Identifiers: we (and authorized third parties) use cookies and similar tracking tech to collect and store information - see Section 6 (Cookies and Tracking Technologies) for details.

From Third Parties

We may receive personal data about you from third-party sources in certain situations, such as:

  • Payment Processors: If you make a purchase, our payment partner (e.g., Stripe) will collect your payment details. After processing, we receive information about the transaction from the payment processor.
  • Vehicle Data Providers: In order to fulfill the vehicle history reports you request, we query external databases and APIs.
  • Analytics/Advertising Partners: If we use analytics services (e.g., Google Analytics) or advertising networks, they may provide us with aggregated insights or information about your interaction with our Site.

4. Personal Data We Collect

The types of personal data we collect and process depend on how you interact with our Services:

Account Information

If you register an account, we collect your email address (required) and password. Passwords are stored in hashed/encrypted form for security. You may also provide a display name, your full name, phone number, or other profile details (optional).

Vehicle Query Data

When you use our Service to look up a vehicle, you provide us with the vehicle's registration number (VRM) and possibly other identifiers. We use this information to retrieve the vehicle's history from various sources.

Transaction and Payment Data

If you purchase a vehicle report or other paid service, we collect information related to the transaction including order details, payment details (processed by Stripe), and billing contact info.

Communication Data

If you contact us via email, support ticket, or other channels, we will collect the information you provide including your contact details and the contents of your message.

Technical and Usage Data

We automatically collect data about your device and how you use the Site, including log files, device identifiers, usage analytics, and cookies data.

5. How We Use Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

Providing the Service

  • Account Creation and Management: We use your registration information to create and maintain your user account.
  • Vehicle History Reports: When you input a VRM, we use that data to fetch the relevant vehicle information. (Legal basis: Contractual necessity)
  • Payments: We use your personal data to facilitate payment for our services.
  • Communications and Support: We use your contact information to respond to you and resolve issues.

Improving and Personalizing our Services

We analyze usage data and feedback to improve our website's functionality, performance, and user experience. (Legal basis: Legitimate Interests)

Security and Fraud Prevention

We use personal data to keep our Services and users safe, including authentication, monitoring for fraudulent activity, and enforcing our terms.

Marketing and Promotional Communications

We will only send you marketing communications if you have given us consent. You can opt out at any time. (Legal basis: Consent)

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your device when you visit a website.

We use the following categories of cookies:

  • Necessary Cookies: Essential for the operation of our website.
  • Functional/Preference Cookies: Remember your choices and provide enhanced features.
  • Analytics Cookies: Collect information about how visitors use our Site.
  • Security/Fraud Detection Cookies: Used for security purposes.

For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.

7. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Data

We value your privacy and only share personal data with third parties for the purposes outlined in this Policy. We do not sell your personal data to third-party marketers.

Service Providers (Processors)

These are third-party companies that we engage to perform services on our behalf:

  • Payment Processor - Stripe: We use Stripe to process credit/debit card payments securely.
  • Cloud Hosting and Infrastructure: We host our website and database on secure servers.
  • CAPTCHA and Security - Cloudflare: We use Cloudflare for security and bot protection.
  • Email/Communication Services: We use email service providers to send transactional emails.

Vehicle Data Sources (Third-Party APIs)

Data Source Provider Data Provided
DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service UK Government (DVLA) Vehicle registration details, make, model, color, tax status, MOT expiry
DVSA MOT History Service UK Government (DVSA) MOT test history including dates, pass/fail, mileage, advisories
CheckCarDetails Third-party provider Stolen status, outstanding finance, write-off status, mileage discrepancies

Important: We do not give any personal information about you to these vehicle data sources - only the vehicle identification needed for the check.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy:

  • Account Data: Kept as long as your account remains active.
  • Vehicle Reports: Accessible for 30 days, retained on servers for up to 60 days.
  • Transaction Records: Kept for six (6) years for tax and legal compliance.
  • Communication Data: Retained for 1-2 years for audit purposes.

9. Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws, you have various rights regarding your personal data:

Right to be Informed

You have the right to be provided with clear, transparent information about how your personal data is collected and used.

Right of Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Data Subject Access Request).

Right to Rectification

You have the right to have inaccurate personal data corrected and incomplete data completed.

Right to Erasure

You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data when there is no compelling reason to keep it.

Right to Restrict Processing

You have the right to ask us to stop or suspend processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Right to Data Portability

You have the right to obtain your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.

Right to Object

You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for direct marketing or based on legitimate interests.

Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at compliance@vrmcheck.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

Right to Complain

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/

10. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data very seriously. Our security measures include:

  • Encryption: All communications are protected by HTTPS/TLS. Sensitive data is encrypted or hashed.
  • Access Controls: Access to personal data is restricted on a need-to-know basis.
  • Firewalls and Network Security: We use firewalls and monitoring systems.
  • Security Testing: We periodically conduct vulnerability scans and penetration testing.
  • Data Backups: We regularly back up critical data with encryption.
  • Third-Party Standards: We choose providers with strong security track records.

In the event of a data breach that poses a high risk to your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

11. International Data Transfers

VRMCHECK is based in the United Kingdom. When we transfer personal data outside the UK/EEA, we ensure adequate safeguards are in place:

  • Adequacy Decisions: We may transfer data to countries with adequate data protection.
  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): For providers in countries without adequacy decisions.
  • Additional Measures: We assess if technical or organizational measures are needed.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data:

Email (Privacy/Data Protection): compliance@vrmcheck.co.uk

Email (General Support): support@vrmcheck.co.uk

Postal Address: [To be provided]

13. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by prominent means on our Site or via email.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. The "last updated" date at the top indicates when the latest changes were made.

Last Updated: January 14, 2026

Thank you for reading our Privacy Policy. We value your trust in VRMCHECK and are dedicated to protecting your personal data. If you have any questions, please reach out to us.