Privacy policy

Last updated 14 October 2026

This policy explains what information VehicleFile handles when you use the site and why. VehicleFile is operated by Convertix Core, which is responsible for your information under UK data protection law. Contact us at contact@vehiclefile.co.uk.

Registration numbers you check

When you enter a registration, we send it to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to fetch the MOT record. We keep the result for up to twelve hours so a repeat check loads faster, then delete it. We do not link a registration to you, and we do not build a history of what you have checked.

A registration on its own does not identify a person, and MOT records contain no owner details.

Vehicles you have checked, on your device

So you can get back to a car quickly, the homepage lists the last few registrations you checked. That list is kept only in your own browser's storage on your device. It is never sent to us. Use "Clear list" on the homepage to remove it, or clear your browser's site data.

Your IP address

To stop automated scraping, we count how many new checks come from each visitor in a short period. We store a one-way scrambled version of your IP address for this, never the address itself, and discard it within the day.

Our hosting provider also keeps standard server logs, including IP addresses and pages requested, for security and troubleshooting. These are kept for a limited period and are not used to identify you.

Cookies

VehicleFile does not currently set any cookies, and every file the site needs, including its typefaces, is served from our own server. Until advertising starts, using the site does not send your information to any third party, apart from the registration you check going to DVSA.

Advertising

VehicleFile is free because it will be paid for by advertising, served by Google AdSense. Advertising is not running yet. Before it starts, we will update this policy and ask for your consent, as UK law requires, before any advertising cookies are set.

When advertising runs, Google and its partners may use cookies to show ads based on your visits to this and other websites. You will be able to choose non-personalised ads, and you can manage Google's ad personalisation at any time at Google Ad Settings. Google explains how it uses information from sites that use its services at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.

Our lawful basis

We handle the limited information above because we have a legitimate interest in running the service, keeping it fast, and protecting it from abuse. Advertising cookies will rely on your consent.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, have it corrected or deleted, or object to how we use it. In practice we hold almost nothing that identifies you, but email us and we will answer. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.

Changes

We will update this page when anything changes, and change the date at the top.