Terms of Use

Last updated: 15 March 2026  |  Version 1.0
Please read these Terms carefully before submitting a review or using CarVerdict. By accessing this website or submitting a review, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use this site.

1. About CarVerdict

CarVerdict ("we", "us", "our") is a UK-based car review platform that allows verified vehicle owners to submit honest, first-hand reviews of cars they own or have previously owned. Our mission is to help UK car buyers make informed purchasing decisions based on genuine owner experiences.

CarVerdict is operated as an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any car manufacturer, dealership, or automotive industry body.

2. Who Can Use CarVerdict

2.1 Age requirement

You must be at least 18 years old to submit a review on CarVerdict.

2.2 Genuine ownership

You may only submit a review for a vehicle that you currently own or have previously owned. Reviews from people who have never owned the vehicle — including test drives, borrowed cars, fleet vehicles used briefly, or vehicles owned by another person — are not permitted.

2.3 UK users

CarVerdict is primarily intended for UK residents reviewing UK-registered vehicles. All ownership verification is carried out using the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service, which covers vehicles registered in the United Kingdom.

3. Ownership Verification

To protect the integrity of our platform, every reviewer must provide their vehicle's UK registration number (number plate) when submitting a review.

We use the free DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service to confirm that the registration number you provide corresponds to a vehicle matching the make, year, and fuel type you entered. This confirms the vehicle exists and that your details are consistent with DVLA records.

Passing the DVLA check does not guarantee that you personally owned the vehicle — it confirms that the vehicle details you submitted match registered records. By ticking the ownership confirmation checkbox, you are making a personal declaration that the review reflects your genuine experience as the owner of that vehicle.

Your vehicle registration number is stored securely and is never published, displayed publicly, or shared with third parties. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

4. Review Submission Rules

By submitting a review, you confirm that:

  • The review is written by you personally and reflects your honest, first-hand experience.
  • You owned or currently own the vehicle you are reviewing.
  • The review does not contain any false, misleading, or fabricated information.
  • You have not been paid, incentivised, or instructed by any third party to submit the review.
  • The review is your original content and does not infringe the copyright or intellectual property of any third party.

4.1 Prohibited content

Reviews must not contain:

  • False statements of fact about a vehicle, manufacturer, or dealership.
  • Defamatory, abusive, threatening, or harassing language directed at any individual, company, or group.
  • Discriminatory language based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
  • Explicit, graphic, or sexually inappropriate content.
  • Spam, advertising, promotional content, or links to external websites.
  • Content promoting illegal activities.
  • Reviews submitted on behalf of another person, or reviews intended to harm a competitor.
  • Personal information about any individual other than yourself (e.g. names, contact details, addresses).

4.2 Accuracy

You are responsible for ensuring that the information you provide — including car make, model, year, fuel type, mileage, and the content of your review — is accurate to the best of your knowledge. CarVerdict is not responsible for factual errors in user-submitted reviews.

5. Intellectual Property and Content Licence

5.1 Your content

You retain ownership of the review content you submit. By submitting a review, you grant CarVerdict a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual licence to publish, display, reproduce, translate, distribute, and promote your review on the CarVerdict platform and in any associated marketing materials, including social media.

5.2 CarVerdict content

All other content on CarVerdict — including the website design, layout, code, brand name, logo, ratings system, and editorial text — is owned by or licensed to CarVerdict. You may not copy, reproduce, or distribute any part of the CarVerdict platform without our prior written permission.

6. CarVerdict's Right to Moderate Content

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to:

  • Review and approve submissions before or after they are published.
  • Edit reviews for formatting, grammar, or to remove prohibited content, without altering the reviewer's opinion.
  • Reject or remove any review that we believe violates these Terms of Use, is fraudulent, or is otherwise harmful to the community.
  • Suspend or permanently ban any user who repeatedly or seriously breaches these Terms.

We will endeavour to act fairly and consistently, but we are not obliged to give reasons for any moderation decision. Moderation decisions are final.

7. Disclaimer — Reviews Are Opinions

Reviews published on CarVerdict represent the personal opinions and experiences of individual vehicle owners. They do not represent the views of CarVerdict. We do not endorse, verify the accuracy of, or take responsibility for the content of any user-submitted review.

CarVerdict is not a substitute for professional mechanical advice. If you have concerns about a vehicle's safety or reliability, please consult a qualified mechanic or automotive professional.

Ratings, scores, and sentiment analysis displayed on CarVerdict are derived from submitted reviews and algorithmic processing. They are indicative only and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for any purchasing decision.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CarVerdict shall not be liable for:

  • Any loss or damage arising from your reliance on user-submitted reviews or ratings.
  • Any indirect, consequential, or incidental loss arising from your use of this website.
  • Any temporary unavailability of the website due to maintenance, technical issues, or circumstances beyond our control.
  • Any content submitted by users that infringes the rights of a third party.

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under English law.

9. Third-Party Services

CarVerdict uses the following third-party services in the course of operating this platform:

  • DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service — to verify vehicle registration numbers against UK records.
  • Google Natural Language API — to perform automated sentiment analysis on submitted reviews.
  • Google Analytics — to understand how visitors use our website (subject to your cookie preferences).

CarVerdict is not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or privacy practices of these third-party services. Links to external websites do not constitute an endorsement by CarVerdict.

10. Privacy

Your use of CarVerdict is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and your rights under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using this website, you agree to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Use from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our platform, or our practices. When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Your continued use of CarVerdict after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you should stop using the site.

12. Governing Law

These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms of Use, please contact us: