Privacy Policy
This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use Trusted Car Finance, why we collect it, how we share it with lenders and credit reference agencies, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it. Trusted Car Finance is a credit broker, not a lender.
Last updated 7 July 2026
Who we are
This website is operated by {{LEGAL_ENTITY}} (“we”, “us”, “our”), trading as Trusted Car Finance. For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, {{LEGAL_ENTITY}} is the data controller responsible for the personal data described in this policy.
Registered office: {{REGISTERED_ADDRESS}}.
Company number: {{COMPANY_NUMBER}}.
We are a credit broker, not a lender. We are applying to become an Appointed Representative of an FCA-authorised principal; we are not yet authorised. Details of our regulatory status and principal ({{PRINCIPAL_NAME}}, FCA reference {{FCA_REF}}) will be confirmed here once appointment is complete.
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at {{PRIVACY_CONTACT_EMAIL}} or {{CONTACT_ADDRESS}}.
The data we collect
When you use our eligibility form or otherwise contact us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:
Identity and contact details: your full name, date of birth, email address, telephone number, current and previous addresses and address history.
Financial and credit information: your employment status, income and regular outgoings, existing credit commitments, the amount and type of finance you are interested in, any deposit, and the vehicle or price range you have in mind. This is used to assess affordability and match you to suitable lenders.
Credit reference data: information returned by credit reference agencies about your credit history when a search is carried out (see the sections on soft search and credit reference agencies below).
Technical and usage data: your IP address, device and browser information, and how you interact with the site, collected through cookies and similar technologies. See our cookie notice for detail.
We collect most of this directly from you. Credit and affordability data may also be received from credit reference agencies and, where relevant, from lenders on our panel.
Lawful bases for processing
We only process your personal data where the law allows us to. The lawful bases we rely on are:
Consent: when you submit the eligibility form and ask us to check your options, you consent to us carrying out a soft search and sharing your details with lenders on our panel so they can assess your eligibility. You can withdraw consent at any time (see “Your rights”), though this will not affect processing already carried out.
Legitimate interests: we process certain data to operate and improve our service, to match you to appropriate lenders, to prevent and detect fraud, and to keep records. We only rely on legitimate interests where your rights and interests do not override ours, and we have assessed this balance.
Legal obligation: we may process and retain data where we are required to by law or by regulatory rules, including anti-money-laundering and consumer credit requirements.
We do not knowingly process special category data, and we do not ask for it as part of the eligibility check.
How the soft search and lender sharing work
When you check your options through our eligibility form, we (or a lender on our panel) carry out a “soft” credit search. A soft search has no initial impact on your credit score and is only visible to you, not to other lenders assessing future applications.
Based on the information you provide and the results of that soft search, we share your details with one or more lenders or their systems on our panel so they can indicate whether they may be able to help and on what terms.
If you decide to proceed with a specific lender, that lender will normally carry out a full “hard” credit search before making a formal decision. A hard search is recorded on your credit file and can be seen by other lenders. A hard search will only be carried out with your consent, and the lender will tell you before this happens.
Acceptance and the terms offered are always subject to the lender’s assessment and your circumstances; we cannot guarantee that you will be accepted.
Sharing your data with third parties
We share your personal data with:
Lenders and finance providers on our panel, so they can assess your eligibility and, if you proceed, administer your agreement.
Credit reference agencies and fraud prevention agencies, as described below.
Service providers who help us run our business, such as hosting, IT, analytics and customer communication providers, who act on our instructions under contract.
Regulators, law enforcement and other authorities where we are required to disclose data by law, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
We do not sell your personal data. Where any provider is located outside the UK, we put appropriate safeguards in place (such as UK adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses) to protect your data.
Credit reference agencies
To assess applications and to verify identity, we and the lenders on our panel may search records held by credit reference agencies (CRAs), including Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. When a soft search is carried out for an eligibility check, this is not visible to other lenders and does not affect your credit score.
If you proceed and a lender carries out a full application, the CRAs will place a record of that search on your file, and the lender may share information about how you manage the agreement. This can affect your credit score and may be seen by other organisations carrying out searches.
The CRAs each provide a Credit Reference Agency Information Notice (CRAIN) that explains in detail how they use the data shared with them, the lawful bases they rely on and your rights. You can read these on the Experian, Equifax and TransUnion websites.
How long we keep your data
We keep your personal data only for as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy, and to meet our legal, regulatory and accounting obligations.
Where you complete an eligibility check but do not proceed to an agreement, we typically retain your data for {{ENQUIRY_RETENTION_PERIOD}}.
Where you enter into a finance agreement through us, we retain related records for {{AGREEMENT_RETENTION_PERIOD}} to meet consumer credit and anti-money-laundering requirements.
When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it. Retention periods will be confirmed here in line with our principal’s requirements.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
be informed about how your data is used (this policy);
access a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
have inaccurate data corrected;
request erasure of your data in certain circumstances;
restrict or object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests;
data portability, where processing is based on consent or a contract and is carried out by automated means;
withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent.
Decisions about whether to offer you finance are made by lenders and may involve automated processing; you can ask a lender about your rights in relation to any automated decision.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at {{PRIVACY_CONTACT_EMAIL}}. We will respond within one month. We do not charge a fee unless a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first at {{PRIVACY_CONTACT_EMAIL}} so we can try to put things right.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection. You can reach the ICO at https://ico.org.uk, by calling 0303 123 1113, or by writing to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Complaints about a finance product or the finance service itself are handled under our separate complaints procedure.
Cookies and analytics
We use cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, to remember your preferences and to understand how the site is used so we can improve it. You can control non-essential cookies through your browser settings and any cookie banner shown on the site. For full detail of the cookies we use and their purposes, see our cookie notice.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our regulatory status or the law. When we make material changes we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Please check back periodically.