Privacy policy

Who we are

GarageLife (“we”, “us”) operates the website at garagelife.co.uk and the GarageLife mobile app. We are the controller of personal information described in this notice.

Questions about privacy: help@garagelife.co.uk.

What this covers

This notice covers the GarageLife website, the mobile app when it talks to our API, and emails we send about your account. It does not cover other sites we link to, such as YouTube, vendor websites, or a payment page hosted by Stripe.

Information we collect

Account. Name, email address, a hash of your password if you set one, and whether your email is verified. If you sign in with Google, we receive the account details Google shares for that sign-in (typically name, email, and a profile image). We also store your role (owner, vendor, or admin) and plan.

Garage and vehicles. Registration number (VRM), make, model, year, colour, fuel type, mileage, MOT and tax dates, photos, documents, service history, costs, mods, valuations, and whether a car profile or build journal is published. A VRM can identify a keeper, so we treat vehicle records as personal information.

Invoice scan. If you upload a garage invoice for scanning, the image or PDF is sent to Google Gemini to draft a service-history entry. You review that draft before it is saved.

Activity on the product. Event submissions and RSVPs, influencer favourites, vendor enquiries and quote requests (including the contact email and message you provide), vendor listing details, reviews, and reminder preferences. If you turn on browser notifications, we store the push subscription for that browser.

Location searches. A place or postcode you enter for fuel prices, charge points, events, or maps is used to return those results. Map tiles and geocoding are provided by OpenStreetMap and CARTO. Charge-point search can use Open Charge Map. Fuel prices come from the UK Government Fuel Finder service.

Payments. Paid plans are handled by Stripe. We store Stripe customer and subscription identifiers and your plan status. Card numbers are entered on Stripe, not on GarageLife.

Technical data. Standard server logs (such as IP address, browser type, and the page requested) are processed by our host to run and protect the site. If you opt in, Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights measure visits and page performance.

How we use it

• To provide the service — create your account, run garage tools, events, vendors, quotes, and reminders you ask for. Legal basis: contract.
• To look up vehicle data you request — send a VRM to DVLA and DVSA, and valuation requests to MarketCheck, when those lookups are switched on. Legal basis: contract.
• To keep the service secure — sign-in protection, bot checks on some forms (Cloudflare Turnstile), and abuse prevention. Legal basis: legitimate interests.
• To email you about your account — verification, password reset, welcome, quote and enquiry follow-ups, and reminders you have enabled. Legal basis: contract, or legitimate interests for service messages.
• To understand site use — optional analytics, only after you opt in. Legal basis: consent. You can withdraw that consent in Cookie settings.

We use personal information to run GarageLife. We do not sell it, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

Who we share it with

We share information with service providers who process it for us:

• Vercel — hosting, and analytics if you opt in
• Supabase — database and file storage
• Resend — account and enquiry emails
• Stripe — subscriptions, when you pay
• Google — sign-in, and Gemini when you scan an invoice
• DVLA and DVSA — vehicle and MOT lookups you start
• MarketCheck — valuations you request
• YouTube — creator and video search
• OpenStreetMap, CARTO, and Open Charge Map — maps, geocoding, and charge points
• UK Government Fuel Finder — fuel prices
• Cloudflare — bot check on forms that use it
• Your browser’s push service — if you enable event notifications

If you enquire with a vendor or request quotes, we send the message and contact email you provide to the businesses you contact. Published car profiles, build journals, and event listings are visible to other visitors. We may also disclose information if the law requires it.

International transfers

Some of these providers process personal information outside the UK. Where that happens, we use a transfer mechanism recognised under UK GDPR, such as an adequacy decision or standard contractual clauses.

How long we keep it

We keep account and garage information while your account is open. You can delete your account from the account page (password accounts). That deletes the user record and data tied to it. One-time email and password tokens are kept only until they expire or are used. Server logs are kept for as long as our host retains them. The cookie that stores your analytics choice lasts six months.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you can ask for a copy of your personal information, ask us to correct it, delete it, or restrict it, and you can object to processing based on legitimate interests. You can withdraw analytics consent at any time without affecting the rest of the site. Where we rely on a contract, you can ask for information you provided in a portable format.

To use these rights, email help@garagelife.co.uk. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Cookies

A cookie is a small file stored on your device. We use necessary cookies to run GarageLife. Optional analytics loads only after you choose Accept all, or turn analytics on in Cookie settings. Reject optional leaves analytics off. You can change this later from Cookie settings in the footer.

Analytics is Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights. They measure visits and performance and are built without advertising cookies. They do not load until you opt in. Stripe and Google set their own cookies only when you open checkout or Google sign-in.

Children

GarageLife is for car owners and businesses. It is not aimed at children under 16.

Changes

If we change this notice, we will update the date at the top and post the new version on this page.