Privacy Policy

Last updated: 18 May 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Sterling Motors Group UK Ltd, trading as Sterling Motors, collects, uses, stores and protects personal information.

Sterling Motors is an independent used vehicle dealership. We use personal information to respond to enquiries, arrange vehicle sales, manage reservations, process vehicle handovers, register warranties, refer finance enquiries to our broker where requested, arrange delivery, handle aftersales matters, deal with complaints and meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Sterling Motors is the “data controller” of the personal information we collect and use.

Business name: Sterling Motors Group UK Ltd

Trading name: Sterling Motors

Address: Sterling Motors, Blackpool Road, Kirkham, Preston, PR4 2RE

Email: hello@sterling-motors.com

Telephone: 01772 211008

1. Personal information we collect

We may collect and use the following types of personal information:

• Your name, address, email address and telephone number.
• Details of vehicles you enquire about, reserve, purchase, part-exchange or sell to us.
• Vehicle details such as registration number, mileage, service history, MOT information, ownership details and vehicle condition information.
• Enquiry details submitted through our website, Autotrader, social media, WhatsApp, email, telephone or other advertising platforms.
• Personal details needed to complete a vehicle sale, including your name, address, phone number, email address, invoice details, payment information and handover records.
• Payment and transaction information, including deposits, invoices, receipts and payment references.
• Identification details where reasonably required, for example for test drives, fraud prevention, vehicle handover, payment checks or legal compliance.
• Finance referral information, where you ask us to refer your enquiry to our finance broker.
• Warranty information where a vehicle warranty is arranged, registered or administered.
• Delivery information where vehicle delivery is requested.
• Communication records, including emails, messages, call notes and call recordings where calls are recorded.
• CCTV images if CCTV is in operation at our premises.
• Website usage information, such as IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and cookie information.

2. How we collect your information

We may collect information directly from you when you:

• Contact us by phone, email, website form, WhatsApp, social media or in person.
• Enquire about a vehicle.
• Reserve, buy, part-exchange or sell a vehicle.
• Request a test drive, vehicle viewing, delivery, warranty support or aftersales assistance.
• Ask us to refer you to our finance broker.
• Leave a review or interact with our social media pages.
• Visit our website or premises.

We may also receive information from third parties where relevant, such as advertising platforms, warranty providers, finance brokers, delivery companies, payment providers, vehicle history providers, repair garages, accountants, legal advisers or regulatory bodies.

3. Why we use your personal information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

Vehicle enquiries and customer service

We use your information to respond to your enquiry, answer questions, provide vehicle information, arrange viewings, arrange test drives and communicate with you.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests and/or steps before entering into a contract.

Vehicle sales, reservations and customer records

When you purchase, reserve, part-exchange or sell a vehicle through us, we use your personal information to complete the transaction, prepare invoices, issue receipts, create handover documents, arrange collection or delivery, register warranty cover where applicable, contact you about the vehicle and manage aftersales matters.

This may include collecting your name, address, email address, telephone number, vehicle details, payment details and any other information reasonably required to complete and record the transaction.

Lawful basis: contract, legal obligation and legitimate interests.

Warranty and aftersales support

We use your information to register, administer or assist with warranty cover, warranty claims, repairs, diagnosis, complaints, inspections and aftersales queries.

Lawful basis: contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation.

Finance referrals

Sterling Motors does not provide finance directly or make lending decisions. Where you ask us to assist with a finance enquiry, we may refer you to our finance broker or pass your details to them so they can contact you about finance options.

The finance broker will handle your finance enquiry separately and may act as a separate data controller. You should review their own privacy information before proceeding with any finance application.

Lawful basis: consent, steps before entering into a contract and/or legitimate interests.

Payments, accounting and tax records

We use your information to process payments, issue invoices, keep business records, manage deposits, maintain accounting records and comply with tax, VAT and company record-keeping requirements.

Lawful basis: legal obligation and legitimate interests.

Fraud prevention and legal protection

We may use your information to prevent fraud, verify details where necessary, protect our business, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, respond to legal claims and keep evidence of vehicle sales, communications, condition, payments and aftersales matters.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests and legal obligation.

Call recording

Where calls are recorded, recordings may be used for training, monitoring, customer service, record keeping, complaint handling and dispute resolution.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests.

CCTV

Where CCTV is used at our premises, it is used for security, crime prevention, staff and customer safety, and protection of vehicles, property and premises.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests.

Marketing

We may contact you about vehicles, services or offers where permitted by law. You can opt out of marketing at any time.

Lawful basis: consent or legitimate interests, depending on the type of marketing and our relationship with you.

Website analytics and cookies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to operate our website, understand website usage, improve performance and support advertising.

Where required, we will ask for your consent before using non-essential cookies such as analytics or marketing cookies.

Lawful basis: consent where required, otherwise legitimate interests for essential website functions.

4. Who we share your information with

We may share your information with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

• Warranty providers, such as Autoguard, where a warranty is arranged, registered or administered.
• Our finance broker, where you ask us to refer your finance enquiry.
• Payment providers and banks.
• Delivery companies.
• Vehicle history/check providers.
• Repair garages, inspection providers or diagnostic garages.
• Accountants, bookkeepers and tax advisers.
• Legal advisers, insurers or debt recovery providers.
• Website, IT, phone, email, CRM and cloud service providers.
• Advertising platforms, such as Autotrader, social media platforms or enquiry providers.
• DVLA, HMRC, law enforcement, regulators or other authorities where required by law.

We only share information where it is necessary, lawful and relevant to the reason it was collected.

5. How long we keep your information

We only keep personal information for as long as necessary.

As a guide:

• General enquiries may be kept for up to 24 months.
• Vehicle sales records, invoices, payment records, handover documents and accounting records may be kept for at least 6 years.
• Warranty, repair, complaint, inspection and dispute records may be kept for the length of the warranty or claim period and longer where needed to protect our legal position.
• Finance referral records may be kept for a reasonable period to evidence the referral and manage any related enquiry.
• Call recordings may be kept for a limited period unless needed for a complaint, dispute, training, monitoring or legal reason.
• CCTV footage, where used, is usually kept for a short period unless required for security, investigation, insurance or legal reasons.
• Marketing records may be kept until you unsubscribe or object.

6. How we protect your information

We take reasonable steps to keep your personal information secure and protect it from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

This may include password protection, restricted access, secure systems, reputable service providers and appropriate internal procedures.

7. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• Ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances.
• Object to certain types of processing.
• Ask us to restrict how we use your information.
• Ask for your information to be transferred to another provider where applicable.
• Withdraw consent where we rely on consent.
• Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

To exercise your rights, contact us using the details at the top of this policy.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information.

8. Cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies are small files placed on your device. Some cookies are essential for the website to work properly. Others may help us understand website usage, improve performance or support advertising.

Where required, we will ask for your consent before using non-essential cookies such as analytics or marketing cookies.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Some website features may not work properly if cookies are disabled.

9. Links to other websites

Our website or adverts may contain links to third-party websites, such as finance brokers, warranty providers, social media platforms or advertising platforms.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-party websites. You should read their privacy policies before submitting personal information to them.

10. Updates to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on our website.