Who We Are
B8 Used Car Centre ("we", "us", "our") is the data controller responsible for the personal data you provide to us. We are based in Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share your personal data when you visit our website, enquire about a vehicle, purchase from us, or contact us by any means.
If you have any questions about how we handle your data, please contact us at sales@b8cars.com or call 0121 374 0252.
Data We Collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identity Data | Full name, date of birth, driving licence number |
| Contact Data | Email address, phone number, postal address |
| Transaction Data | Vehicle purchased, purchase price, payment method, part exchange details |
| Financial Data | Bank account details (for payment/refund), finance application information |
| Technical Data | IP address, browser type and version, device type, pages visited, time on site |
| Communications Data | Messages sent via our contact form, email correspondence, WhatsApp messages |
| Marketing Data | Your preferences regarding marketing communications |
We do not collect any Special Category Data (such as health, race, religion or biometric data) in the ordinary course of our business.
How We Collect Data
We collect personal data through the following means:
- Directly from you — when you complete an enquiry form, contact us by phone, email or WhatsApp, or purchase a vehicle.
- Automatically — when you visit our website, we collect technical data via cookies and analytics tools. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
- From third parties — we may receive data from finance lenders, AutoTrader, or vehicle history check providers in connection with a transaction.
How We Use Your Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- To respond to your enquiries and provide information about vehicles.
- To process your vehicle purchase, including managing payment and delivery.
- To arrange or facilitate finance on your behalf.
- To process part exchange transactions.
- To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
- To send you service-related communications (e.g. delivery confirmation, invoice).
- To send you marketing communications about our stock and services, where you have consented or where we have a legitimate interest to do so.
- To improve our website and customer experience using aggregated analytics data.
We will never sell your personal data to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following bases:
| Basis | When We Use It |
|---|---|
| Contract | Processing necessary to fulfil a vehicle purchase contract with you. |
| Legal Obligation | Compliance with financial, tax, and consumer protection legislation. |
| Legitimate Interests | Website analytics, responding to enquiries, fraud prevention, after-sales follow-up. |
| Consent | Marketing communications (email, SMS). You may withdraw consent at any time. |
Who We Share Data With
We may share your personal data with the following categories of third parties where necessary:
- Finance lenders — where you apply for vehicle finance.
- Delivery partners — where we arrange vehicle delivery on your behalf.
- Vehicle history providers — such as HPI or similar services.
- IT and website service providers — who host or support our website and systems.
- Professional advisers — accountants, legal advisers, where necessary.
- Regulatory authorities — where required by law (e.g. HMRC, FCA, police).
All third parties we work with are required to handle your data securely and in compliance with applicable data protection law. We do not permit them to use your data for their own purposes unless they have a separate lawful basis to do so.
International Transfers
We are based in the United Kingdom and primarily process your data within the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). Where we use third-party services that process data outside the UK or EEA, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision).
If you have questions about specific international transfers, please contact us.
How Long We Keep Data
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with our legal obligations. Our standard retention periods are:
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Vehicle purchase records & invoices | 7 years (legal/tax requirement) |
| Finance application data | 6 years from application date |
| Enquiry / contact data (no purchase) | 12 months |
| Website analytics data | 26 months |
| Marketing consent records | Until consent withdrawn + 12 months |
After the relevant retention period, your data is securely deleted or anonymised.
Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at sales@b8cars.com. We will respond within one calendar month. We will not charge a fee for reasonable requests.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113, if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and to help us understand how visitors use our site. For full details of the cookies we use, what they do, and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.
You can withdraw your consent to non-essential cookies at any time by adjusting your browser settings or using the cookie preference centre on our website.
Security
We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration.
These measures include SSL encryption on our website, restricted access to personal data within our organisation, and secure handling of payment information.
No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you have reason to believe that your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately.
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including AutoTrader, Google, Trustpilot, and finance providers. These websites have their own privacy policies and we have no control over how they handle your data.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal data.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised.
If we make material changes that significantly affect how we use your data, we will notify you by email (if we hold your email address) or by posting a prominent notice on our website.
Your continued use of our website or services after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact & Complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have a complaint about how we have handled your data, please contact us:
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
ico.org.uk | 0303 123 1113