Privacy Policy

Last updated July 2026

1. Who we are and what this policy covers

Autoland is a UK marketplace where private sellers and motor dealers advertise used cars, and where buyers search for, compare and contact those sellers directly. This policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect your personal data when you use our website, create an account, list a vehicle, message another user or otherwise interact with us.

For the purposes of UK data protection law — the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 — the data controller is Autoland Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. "We", "us" and "our" refer to Autoland Ltd. "You" refers to anyone who uses Autoland, whether as a buyer, a private seller, a dealer or a visitor. If you have any questions about this policy, you can reach us at hello@autoland.co.uk or on 020 7183 8923.

2. The information we collect

We collect personal data that you give us, that is generated as you use the marketplace, and that we obtain from trusted third parties such as the DVLA. Depending on how you use Autoland, this may include:

  • Account details — your name, email address, phone number, password (stored in hashed form), and whether you are registered as a private seller, a buyer or a dealer.
  • Listing details — everything you publish when advertising a car, including the make, model, year, mileage, price, condition, service history, photographs and free-text description.
  • Vehicle registration and lookup data — the registration number (number plate) you enter, and the vehicle details we retrieve when we check it against DVLA and DVSA records (for example make, model, colour, fuel type, MOT history and tax status) to verify your listing.
  • Messages — the content of enquiries and conversations exchanged between buyers and sellers through Autoland, including any contact details you choose to share in them.
  • Location and postcode data — the postcode you enter to advertise a vehicle or to search by distance, which we use to show buyers how far a car is from them.
  • Payment and subscription data — for dealers who take out a paid plan, billing details and subscription status. Card details are handled directly by our payment processor and are not stored by us.
  • Device and usage data — your IP address, browser and device type, the pages and listings you view, search terms, referring pages, and approximate location derived from your IP address.
  • Cookies and similar technologies — small files and identifiers set in your browser, as described in section 9 and in our Cookie Policy.
  • Support correspondence — any messages, reports or attachments you send us when you contact our support team or report a listing.

3. How we use your information

We use your personal data to operate the Autoland marketplace and to keep it safe and trustworthy. In particular, we use it to:

  • create and manage your account and authenticate you when you sign in;
  • publish your car advert and display it to relevant buyers;
  • verify vehicles by checking the registration you enter against DVLA and DVSA records, so that listings show accurate, validated details and an MOT history;
  • connect buyers and sellers by passing enquiries and messages between you;
  • power search and filtering, including matching listings to a buyer's postcode and chosen distance;
  • detect, investigate and prevent fraud, cloned vehicles, scams, spam and other misuse of the platform;
  • process dealer subscription payments and manage paid plans;
  • send service emails and notifications, such as new-enquiry alerts, listing status updates, security notices and important changes to our terms;
  • provide customer support and respond to your queries and reports;
  • understand how the marketplace is used so that we can improve and secure it; and
  • comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

We only send marketing emails where you have asked to receive them or where the law otherwise allows, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

4. Our legal bases for using your data

UK GDPR requires us to have a lawful basis for each use of your personal data. We rely on the following:

  • Performance of a contract — to create your account, publish your listing, deliver enquiries and provide the marketplace services you have asked for, and to take dealer subscription payments.
  • Legitimate interests — to verify vehicles against DVLA and DVSA data, prevent fraud and abuse, keep the platform secure, analyse and improve our service, and send service-related communications. We balance these interests against your rights and only rely on this basis where it is fair to do so.
  • Consent — for non-essential cookies, optional marketing communications and any other activity where we ask for your agreement. You can withdraw consent at any time.
  • Legal obligation — where we must process data to comply with the law, for example to respond to a valid request from law enforcement or a regulator, or to meet accounting and tax requirements.

5. When we share your information

We do not sell your personal data, and we never have. We share it only where it is needed to run the marketplace, to comply with the law, or with your agreement. The categories of recipient are:

  • The DVLA and DVSA — we query these government services using the registration number you provide so that we can verify vehicle details and MOT history. We only send the data needed to perform the lookup.
  • Other Autoland users — when you publish a listing, its details are shown publicly to buyers, and when you send or receive an enquiry, the relevant message content is shared with the other party so you can communicate.
  • Hosting and infrastructure providers — trusted suppliers who host our servers, store data and keep the platform running, acting as our processors under contract.
  • Our payment processor — for dealers on paid plans, a regulated payment provider processes subscription payments and handles card details securely on our behalf.
  • Professional advisers and service partners — such as analytics, email delivery, fraud-prevention and security providers who help us operate the service, again under appropriate contracts.
  • Law enforcement, regulators and courts — where we are required to disclose information by law, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, our users or the public, for example in connection with a suspected crime such as vehicle fraud.
  • Buyers or successors of our business — if Autoland is involved in a merger, acquisition or reorganisation, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.

6. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this policy, and then we delete or anonymise it. In general:

  • account data is kept while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards so we can reopen it if you return or handle any dispute;
  • listing details remain visible while your advert is live and are retained for a limited period after it ends to support fraud prevention and any follow-up enquiries;
  • messages between buyers and sellers are retained for a limited period to help resolve disputes and investigate misuse;
  • vehicle lookup results may be cached briefly to avoid repeated queries and to keep listings accurate;
  • billing and subscription records are kept for as long as required to meet our accounting and tax obligations; and
  • data held for fraud prevention or to meet a legal obligation is kept for as long as that purpose requires.

When data is no longer needed, we securely delete it or remove information that could identify you.

7. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have a number of rights over your personal data. These include the right to:

  • access the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy of it;
  • rectification — to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected;
  • erasure — to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances;
  • restriction — to ask us to limit how we use your data while a concern is resolved;
  • portability — to receive certain data in a structured, machine-readable format or have it sent to another provider;
  • object to processing based on our legitimate interests, and to object to direct marketing at any time;
  • withdraw consent where we rely on it, without affecting processing carried out before you withdrew it; and
  • complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@autoland.co.uk. We will respond within the time limits set by law, normally within one month. You can also raise concerns with the ICO at ico.org.uk, though we would appreciate the chance to help you first.

8. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, keep the site secure and understand how it is used. Essential cookies are needed for the marketplace to work; other cookies, such as analytics, are used only where you have given consent. You can manage your choices in your browser and through our cookie controls. For full details of the cookies we use and how to control them, please see our Cookie Policy.

9. How we keep your data secure

We take the security of your data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it. These include encryption of traffic in transit, hashing of passwords, access controls that limit who can see your data, monitoring for suspicious activity, and contractual safeguards with the providers who process data on our behalf. No service can be completely secure, so we also encourage you to use a strong, unique password, to keep your login details private, and to be cautious of anyone who contacts you outside Autoland or asks for payment before you have seen a vehicle.

10. International transfers

We aim to store and process personal data within the UK or the European Economic Area. Where a provider we use processes data outside the UK, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place as required by UK data protection law — such as a UK adequacy decision or the International Data Transfer Agreement (or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses with the UK Addendum) — so that your data continues to be protected to the same standard.

11. Children

Autoland is intended for people aged 16 and over. It is not designed for children, and you must be at least 16 to create an account or use the marketplace. If we learn that we have collected personal data from someone under 16 without the appropriate consent, we will delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our service, technology or the law. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page, and where the changes are significant we will tell you more directly, for example by email or a notice on the site. Please check back from time to time to stay informed.

13. How to contact us

If you have any questions about this policy, want to exercise your rights, or would like to make a complaint, please get in touch and we will be glad to help: