LEGAL

Privacy Notice

Last updated: 15 September 2026

MultiCars Direct respects your privacy and is committed to handling your personal information responsibly.

This notice explains what personal information we collect, how and why we use it, who we may share it with, how long we keep it and the rights available to you.

It applies when you use the MultiCars Direct website, create or use an account, contact us, use our features or interact with services made available through MultiCars Direct.

1.Who we are

MultiCars Direct is operated by MCD Collections Ltd, trading as MultiCars Direct.

For the personal information described in this notice, MCD Collections Ltd is generally the controller, which means we decide why and how that information is used.

Some services available through MultiCars Direct, including YourRoad and services provided by dealers or other third parties, may involve another organisation acting as a controller in its own right. Where that applies, the relevant organisation will provide its own privacy information where appropriate.

If you have any questions about this notice or how we use your personal information, you can contact us at:

Email: privacy@multicarsdirect.co.uk

2.Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use MultiCars Direct.

Information you give us

You may give us information when you:

create or sign in to an account;
contact us;
make a data protection request or complaint;
use a form or feature that asks you to provide information;
save or manage information associated with your account; or
choose to use another service made available through MultiCars Direct.

This may include information such as:

your name;
email address;
telephone number;
account and authentication information;
information contained in messages or enquiries; and
any other information you choose to provide.

Please avoid including sensitive personal information in free-text messages unless it is genuinely necessary.

Information about how you shop

Depending on the features you use and your privacy choices, we may process information about your activity on MultiCars Direct, such as:

searches and filters;
vehicles you save to your shortlist;
vehicles you have recently viewed;
the vehicle or collection you are currently viewing;
relevant navigation or browsing state; and
features you choose to use.

Some of this information may remain only on your device rather than being linked to an identifiable MCD account.

Technical and usage information

When you use MultiCars Direct, we and our service providers may receive limited technical information such as:

IP address;
browser and device type;
operating system;
pages visited;
approximate location derived from technical information;
referring website or traffic source;
timestamps;
website performance information;
security and diagnostic information; and
information about how the service is used overall.

We explain our use of cookies, browser storage and similar technologies in our Cookies & Technology Notice.

Information from other sources

Where relevant, we may receive information from:

authentication and technology providers;
YourRoad;
dealers or other businesses where you have asked us to interact with them;
vehicle and listing data providers;
security and fraud-prevention providers; and
other service providers involved in a feature you choose to use.

Vehicle and listing information will not usually be personal information about you simply because you view a vehicle. It may become connected with you where, for example, it forms part of an enquiry, saved feature or service you choose to use.

Where we obtain personal information about you from somewhere other than you, we will provide the information required by data protection law where applicable.

3.How we collect your information

We collect personal information in three main ways.

Directly from you

For example, when you:

create an account;
contact us;
make a request;
use a feature;
change a privacy setting; or
provide information as part of a service.

From your device

Some information is generated when you use the website, including technical information, security information and permitted website usage information.

From other organisations

We may receive limited information from organisations involved in providing a feature or service you have chosen to use.

We do not assume that information received from another service can be used for unrelated purposes.

4.How we use your information and our lawful bases

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for using personal information.

Different lawful bases can apply to different activities.

How we use your information, why, and the lawful basis that applies
How we use your information	Why	Lawful basis
Operate and deliver MultiCars Direct	To make the website and its features available and reliable	Legitimate interests and, where applicable, performance of a contract or steps you ask us to take
Protect MultiCars Direct	To prevent misuse, investigate security issues and protect our services and users	Legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligation
Provide accounts and saved features	To authenticate you and provide features you choose to use	Performance of a contract or steps at your request where applicable; otherwise legitimate interests
Maintain search, navigation and requested site functionality	To provide a smooth and usable shopping experience	Legitimate interests
Provide and support YourRoad integration	To make YourRoad available and allow the service to operate smoothly when relevant to your shopping journey	Legitimate interests before activation and, where applicable, performance of a contract or steps at your request once you choose to use the service
Respond to enquiries and support requests	To communicate with you and deal with your request	Legitimate interests or steps at your request
Understand service usage and performance	To monitor reliability, understand overall use and improve MultiCars Direct	Legitimate interests, subject to the privacy choices and rules that apply to relevant technologies
Remember optional browsing preferences	To provide optional convenience and personalisation features you have chosen	Consent where required
Meet legal and regulatory requirements	To comply with obligations that apply to us	Legal obligation
Establish, exercise or defend legal claims	To protect our legal rights and resolve disputes	Legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligation
Send optional marketing communications	Where we introduce these and you have chosen to receive them	Consent, or another lawful basis where specifically permitted by law

Our legitimate interests

Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests include:

operating and improving MultiCars Direct;
providing a smooth, useful vehicle-discovery experience;
integrating services customers reasonably expect to be available;
keeping our systems secure;
preventing misuse and fraud;
understanding whether our services are functioning effectively;
responding to customers and resolving issues; and
protecting our business and legal rights.

We consider whether our interests are necessary and proportionate and whether your rights and interests override them before relying on this basis.

The lawful basis used for personal information under the UK GDPR is separate from the rules governing cookies and similar technologies. Where permission or an objection mechanism is required for those technologies, we provide that separately through our privacy controls.

5.YourRoad

YourRoad is available through MultiCars Direct to provide affordability and related car-buying functionality.

YourRoad is designed to remain available as you move through relevant parts of your shopping journey, helping you continue the experience without unnecessarily starting again.

To make this possible, MultiCars Direct may provide YourRoad with limited information relevant to the service, such as:

the vehicle or page you are currently using;
information needed to connect and maintain the service; and
limited technical or service information necessary for the experience to function.

This is separate from advertising or marketing tracking.

If you actively choose to use YourRoad, you may provide additional personal information directly through the YourRoad experience. Depending on the features available, this could include identity, contact, affordability or finance-related information.

Information you provide directly to YourRoad is handled in accordance with the privacy information presented for that service. Using YourRoad does not itself give MultiCars Direct, YourRoad or any other organisation permission to use your information for unrelated advertising or marketing.

Information entered into YourRoad is not automatically treated as MCD browsing or marketing information simply because YourRoad is available through a MultiCars Direct page.

Where another organisation is responsible for particular YourRoad processing, you will be told who that organisation is and how your information is used at the relevant point.

6.Accounts, saved features and enquiries

Accounts

If you create a MultiCars Direct account, we may use account and authentication information to:

create and secure your account;
recognise you when you return;
provide account-based features;
maintain your preferences where applicable; and
respond to account-related requests.

We only use account information for purposes compatible with providing and administering the service unless we have another lawful basis.

Shortlists and saved features

Information you deliberately save, such as vehicles added to a shortlist, may be stored so that the feature works as expected.

Some features may operate only on the device you are using. Where account-based syncing is available, the relevant information may instead be associated with your account.

Enquiries

If you ask MultiCars Direct to send an enquiry or information to a dealer or another organisation, we may share the information necessary to fulfil that request with the recipient you have chosen.

That organisation may then use your information as a controller in its own right and should provide its own privacy information.

Simply browsing a dealer's vehicle on MultiCars Direct does not by itself authorise that dealer to contact you.

7.Service analytics and website operation

We use limited technical and service analytics to understand how MultiCars Direct is performing and how the service is used overall.

This may include information about:

page visits;
device and browser types;
traffic sources;
website performance; and
general feature usage.

We use this information to maintain and improve the service.

We do not use our current service analytics to create advertising profiles about individual visitors.

Our website infrastructure and service providers may also process technical information required to host, deliver, monitor and secure the service.

You can find more information about cookies and similar technologies, including available controls, in our Cookies & Technology Notice.

8.Who we share information with

We do not sell your personal information to advertisers.

We may share personal information where necessary with the following categories of recipients.

Technology and service providers

Organisations that help us:

host and deliver our website;
provide databases and authentication;
secure and monitor our systems;
provide communications or customer-support infrastructure; and
provide permitted service analytics.

These currently include providers such as Cloudflare and Lovable for relevant website infrastructure and service operations.

Our providers may only use personal information in accordance with their role, our arrangements with them and applicable law.

We may share limited service and vehicle context with YourRoad where necessary to make that service available through MultiCars Direct.

Additional information you provide directly through YourRoad is governed by the relevant YourRoad privacy information.

Dealers and other businesses you choose to interact with

If you ask us to send information to a dealer or another provider, we may share the information necessary to carry out your request.

If you actively choose to use finance-related functionality, information may be provided to organisations involved in delivering that service where relevant.

The appropriate privacy information will be provided as part of that process. MultiCars Direct does not treat browsing a vehicle as permission to submit a finance application.

Professional advisers

We may share information with professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants, auditors or insurers where reasonably necessary.

Regulators, courts and public authorities

We may disclose information where required or permitted by law, including to regulators, law-enforcement bodies, courts or other public authorities.

Business changes

If our business or relevant assets are reorganised, sold, transferred or combined with another organisation, relevant personal information may form part of that transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

9.International transfers

Some of the organisations that help us provide our services may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where a transfer of personal information is subject to UK international-transfer rules, we take appropriate steps to protect it.

Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

transferring information to a country recognised by the UK as providing an adequate level of protection;
using an approved UK international data-transfer agreement or UK Addendum; or
using another lawful transfer mechanism together with appropriate safeguards.

You can contact us if you would like more information about the safeguards relevant to your personal information.

10.How long we keep information

We do not keep personal information indefinitely simply because we can.

The retention period depends on what the information is and why we hold it.

We use criteria including:

how long the relevant account, service or relationship remains active;
whether the information is needed to provide a feature you are using;
whether you have deleted or changed a relevant preference;
security, fraud-prevention and troubleshooting requirements;
applicable legal or regulatory requirements;
limitation periods for possible disputes or legal claims; and
whether information can instead be securely deleted or anonymised.

Account information

Kept while your account is active and afterwards only for as long as reasonably necessary for security, legal or operational purposes.

Shortlists and saved information

Kept until removed by you, your account or the relevant storage is deleted, or the information is no longer required to provide the feature.

Optional browsing preferences

Kept only for as long as needed to provide the optional feature and subject to the choices available to you.

Enquiries and communications

Kept for as long as reasonably required to deal with the enquiry, provide follow-up and meet any relevant legal or dispute-resolution requirements.

Security and technical information

Generally kept for a limited period appropriate to security, reliability, investigation and troubleshooting needs.

Service analytics

Individual-level technical information, where processed, is kept only for the period needed for the relevant service-analysis purpose. Aggregate information that no longer identifies a person may be retained for longer.

Where another organisation acts as controller for information collected through its service, its own retention periods apply.

11.Automated decisions and finance services

At the date of this notice, MultiCars Direct does not itself make solely automated decisions about you that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

MultiCars Direct is not itself deciding whether you should be approved for credit merely because you browse or save a vehicle.

If you choose to use a service involving finance, eligibility or credit assessment, automated processing may form part of the service provided by YourRoad, a lender or another finance provider.

Where data protection law requires information about automated decision-making, the organisation responsible will explain:

what information is being used;
why automation is being used;
the significance and likely consequences; and
any rights available to challenge or request review of a decision.

We will update this notice if MultiCars Direct itself begins carrying out automated decision-making requiring additional disclosure.

12.Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, you may have rights to:

access personal information held about you;
correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
erase personal information in certain circumstances;
restrict how information is used in certain circumstances;
object to certain processing;
receive certain information in a portable format;
withdraw consent where processing relies on your consent; and
exercise rights relating to certain automated decisions.

These rights are not absolute in every situation.

We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will only ask for information reasonably necessary to do that.

To exercise a right, contact:
privacy@multicarsdirect.co.uk

Your right to object

You have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests in certain circumstances.

If you object, we will stop the relevant processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds to continue or the information is needed for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Where personal information is used for direct marketing, you can object at any time and we will stop using it for that purpose.

13.Marketing choices

We do not currently use optional advertising or retargeting technologies on MultiCars Direct.

If we introduce optional marketing technologies or communications in future, we will provide the choices required by law.

Where you have chosen to receive direct marketing from us, you will be able to unsubscribe or withdraw that choice.

Using MultiCars Direct, creating an account, saving a vehicle or using YourRoad will not by itself be treated as consent to unrelated marketing.

Your marketing choices do not affect your ability to use MultiCars Direct or YourRoad.

14.Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies, browser storage and similar technologies for purposes including:

operating and securing the website;
providing requested features;
supporting the YourRoad experience;
remembering choices; and
understanding service performance.

Some uses are required or operate under an applicable legal exception. Others depend on the privacy choices available to you.

For full details, please see our Cookies & Technology Notice.

You can reopen Privacy choices from the website footer when those controls are available.

15.Children and age

MultiCars Direct is not designed as a children's service.

Finance-related YourRoad functionality is intended for people aged 18 or over.

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children for finance-related purposes.

If you believe a child has provided personal information to us in circumstances where they should not have done so, please contact us.

16.How we protect your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against:

unauthorised access;
accidental loss;
misuse;
alteration; and
unauthorised disclosure.

We also seek to limit access to personal information to people and service providers that reasonably need it for their role.

No website or online service can guarantee absolute security, but we review our safeguards as our services develop.

If we become aware of a personal-data breach, we will assess and respond to it in accordance with applicable law.

17.Changes to this notice

MultiCars Direct will continue to develop.

We may update this Privacy Notice where:

our services change;
we introduce new uses of personal information;
new providers or features become relevant;
our legal or regulatory obligations change; or
clarification is needed.

Where a change is material, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to your attention where appropriate.

The date at the top of this notice shows when it was last updated.

18.Contact, complaints and the ICO

If you have a question, want to exercise a data protection right or believe we have handled your personal information incorrectly, please contact us first:

MCD Collections Ltd trading as MultiCars Direct
privacy@multicarsdirect.co.uk

Data protection complaints

You can make a data protection complaint to us using the contact details above.

We will acknowledge a data protection complaint within the period required by law and will investigate it appropriately, keep you informed where necessary and explain the outcome.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.

You can find information about making a complaint at the ICO's website.

We would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns directly, but contacting us first does not remove your right to approach the ICO.