Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how MC Motors (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses and protects the personal data of customers, prospective customers and visitors to our website. It is written in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

MC Motors is an independent used car dealership trading from Caldyne Park, Wallage Lane, Rowfant, Crawley, RH10 4NQ. We are the data controller for the personal data we hold about you.

2. The Personal Data We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Identity data: your name, date of birth (where required for finance or proof of identity), and a copy of photographic ID.
• Contact data: your home address, email address and phone number.
• Vehicle data: details of any vehicle you wish to buy, sell, part-exchange, source, or enquire about, including registration number, mileage and condition.
• Financial data: bank account details for payment, deposit refund or part-exchange settlement; finance application details, where applicable.
• Transaction data: details of vehicles you have bought from us, dates, payment methods, and outstanding balances.
• Communications data: records of correspondence between us, including emails, messages and call notes.
• Technical data: when you visit our website, we may collect your IP address, browser type, device type and information about how you interact with the site (see “Cookies” below).

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data:

• directly from you, when you enquire by phone, email, in person at the forecourt, or through any of the forms on our website;
• from third parties, including finance brokers, the DVLA, vehicle history check providers (e.g. HPI), insurance providers and previous owners; and
• automatically, through cookies and similar technologies when you use our website.

4. Why We Use Your Data and Our Lawful Bases

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following:

4.1 Performance of a contract

To process a vehicle sale, part-exchange, sourcing request, or finance application; to arrange delivery or handover; and to manage payments.

4.2 Legitimate interests

To respond to enquiries, manage and improve our service, prevent fraud, protect our business and property, and where appropriate, to send you relevant information about vehicles in stock that may match your stated preferences. You can object to processing on this basis at any time.

4.3 Consent

To send you marketing communications by email or SMS, where you have actively opted in. You can withdraw consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any marketing message or by contacting us.

4.4 Legal obligation

To comply with tax, accounting, anti-money-laundering, motor trade and consumer-protection laws; to make notifications to the DVLA; and to respond to lawful requests from the police, courts, or HMRC.

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We never sell your personal data. We share it only where necessary, with the following categories of recipient:

• Finance providers and brokers, where you have applied for vehicle finance through us.
• Vehicle history check providers (such as HPI), to verify the status of a vehicle being part-exchanged or sourced.
• The DVLA, to update vehicle keepership and tax status.
• Insurance and warranty providers, where you have requested cover.
• Our accountants and professional advisers, for legitimate business administration.
• IT and website service providers, including our hosting provider and email service, who process data on our behalf under written contract.
• Regulators or law enforcement, where required by law.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We keep your personal data only for as long as we need it. Typical retention periods are:

• Enquiry data (no purchase): up to 24 months from the date of last contact.
• Sale, part-exchange and finance records: at least 6 years from the end of the financial year in which the transaction occurred, to comply with HMRC requirements.
• Anti-money-laundering records: 5 years from the end of the business relationship.
• Marketing preferences: until you withdraw consent or object.

At the end of the relevant retention period, your personal data is either securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Marketing

We may, with your consent, send you information about new arrivals, offers and services that match your stated interests. You can opt out at any time by:

• clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email;
• replying STOP to any marketing SMS; or
• contacting us using the details below.

8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure — to ask us to delete your data, where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it.
• Right to restrict processing — to ask us to suspend processing your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object — to object to processing where we are relying on legitimate interests, or to direct marketing.
• Rights in relation to automated decision-making — we do not currently take decisions about you based solely on automated processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 12 below. We will respond within one (1) month. There is normally no charge for exercising your rights, although we may charge a reasonable fee for clearly unfounded or excessive requests.

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to function properly and to help us understand how visitors use the site. The categories of cookie we use are:

• Strictly necessary cookies, which are required for the site to work (e.g. remembering form input).
• Analytics cookies, which help us understand how visitors interact with the site so we can improve it.
• Functional cookies, which remember your preferences.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking cookies may affect the functionality of the site.

10. Data Security

We have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure. These include secured access to digital records, encrypted transmission of payment data, and contractual protections with third-party service providers.

In the unlikely event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours and, where required, notify you directly.

11. International Transfers

Most of our service providers are based in the United Kingdom. Where any provider is located outside the UK or European Economic Area, we ensure that an appropriate transfer mechanism (such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Standard Contractual Clauses) is in place.

12. How to Contact Us or Complain

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or wish to make a complaint, please contact us:

MC Motors
Caldyne Park, Wallage Lane
Rowfant, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 4NQ
Phone: 07939 862818
Email: info@mcmotorssussex.co.uk

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

13. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version will always be published on this page, with the “Last Updated” date at the top reflecting the most recent change.