Privacy Policy
UK Car Imports / Focus Investments Limited
Last updated: 21 July 2026
UK Car Imports is the trading name of Focus Investments Limited. We provide vehicle sourcing, purchase administration, import, VRT, registration and related support services for clients importing vehicles, mainly from the United Kingdom into Ireland.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal data when you visit our website, submit a vehicle request, place a deposit, communicate with us, instruct us to source/import a vehicle, or use any of our related services.
For data protection purposes, Focus Investments Limited trading as UK Car Imports is the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services.
Contact details
UK Car Imports / Focus Investments Limited
51 Bracken Road
Sandyford Industrial Estate
Dublin 18
D18 CV48
Ireland
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ukcarimports.ie
If you have a privacy query or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us using the email address above.
1. Personal data we collect
We may collect and use the following categories of personal data.
1.1 Identity and contact details
This may include:
name;
address;
email address;
telephone number;
PPSN or other registration information where required for vehicle registration/VRT;
date of birth where required for legal, registration, identity or compliance purposes;
copies or details of identification documents where required for VRT, registration, customs, anti-fraud, finance, insurance, warranty or compliance purposes.
1.2 Vehicle and transaction information
This may include:
vehicle make, model, registration number, VIN, mileage, specification and service history;
vehicle preferences, budget, search criteria and purchase instructions;
auction, seller, garage, inspection and warranty information;
deposit details, invoice details, payment references and transaction records;
VRT, NOx, VAT, duty, customs, registration and transport information;
collection, delivery, port, shipping and handover details;
warranty election, warranty-provider correspondence and claim information.
1.3 Communications
We may collect and retain communications between you and UK Car Imports, including:
emails;
WhatsApp messages;
SMS messages;
website enquiries;
contact-form submissions;
call notes;
documents, photographs, reports or screenshots you send to us;
correspondence with sellers, mechanics, transporters, warranty providers, customs agents, Revenue/NCTS or professional advisers relating to your vehicle or transaction.
1.4 Inspection, diagnostics and repair information
Where relevant to a vehicle sourcing/import transaction or post-collection issue, we may process:
third-party inspection reports;
mechanic reports;
diagnostic reports;
MOT/NCT reports;
photographs or videos of the vehicle;
repair estimates and invoices;
warranty claim documents;
information about alleged defects, damage, faults or repairs.
1.5 Website, technical and cookie data
When you use our website, we may collect:
IP address;
browser type and version;
device type;
operating system;
pages visited;
date and time of visit;
referral source;
cookie identifiers;
analytics information, where you have consented to optional analytics cookies.
2. How we collect personal data
We collect personal data when:
you submit a website enquiry;
you place a deposit;
you request a vehicle search or quote;
you approve a vehicle, bid or purchase;
you send us documents for registration, VRT or import processing;
you communicate with us by email, WhatsApp, phone, SMS or online form;
you use our website;
a seller, garage, mechanic, transport provider, warranty provider, customs agent, Revenue/NCTS, payment provider or other third party provides information to us in connection with your transaction;
we need to process records for accounting, compliance, dispute handling or legal purposes.
3. Why we use your personal data
We use personal data for the following purposes.
3.1 To provide our vehicle sourcing/import service
This includes:
responding to enquiries;
sourcing or identifying vehicles;
communicating with UK sellers, garages or auction houses;
arranging or coordinating vehicle inspections;
processing deposits and invoices;
administering purchase payments;
arranging transport, shipping, collection or delivery;
assisting with customs, VAT, duty and import administration;
estimating and processing VRT and NOx;
assisting with Irish registration;
dealing with vehicle documents;
arranging optional warranty products where selected;
providing updates about your vehicle transaction.
3.2 To communicate with you
We may use your personal data to:
respond to your queries;
send operational updates;
request documents;
clarify instructions;
issue invoices or payment reminders;
provide vehicle, VRT, customs, transport or registration updates;
deal with complaints, disputes, warranty queries or post-collection issues.
3.3 To deal with third parties involved in the transaction
We may share necessary personal data with third parties such as:
UK sellers, garages, dealers and auction houses;
independent mechanics and inspection providers;
ClickMechanic or other inspection platforms;
vehicle history check providers;
transport, recovery, port and shipping providers;
customs agents;
Revenue/NCTS;
warranty providers;
payment providers;
accountants, insurers, solicitors, barristers and professional advisers;
IT, hosting, email and website service providers.
3.4 To comply with legal, tax and regulatory obligations
We may process and retain data for:
tax and accounting records;
VAT, customs, duty and VRT records;
company-law and business-record obligations;
Revenue or NCTS queries;
fraud prevention;
legal claims, disputes, investigations or proceedings;
compliance with court orders, regulatory requests or lawful authority requests.
3.5 To protect our business and legal position
We may use and retain relevant records to:
prove instructions given by a client;
prove acceptance of terms and conditions;
show what vehicle was selected or approved;
show what inspection, warranty or transport options were selected;
defend or pursue legal claims;
respond to complaints;
establish, exercise or defend legal rights;
prevent fraud or misuse of our services.
3.6 Marketing
We may send you marketing emails, vehicle alerts or updates only where we have a lawful basis to do so.
You can unsubscribe from marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us directly.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.
4. Lawful bases for processing
We rely on different lawful bases depending on the purpose of processing.
4.1 Performance of a contract
We process data where necessary to provide our services, including sourcing, purchase administration, inspection coordination, import, VRT, registration, transport and related support.
4.2 Steps before entering a contract
We process data where you ask us for a quote, vehicle search, import estimate or other pre-contract information.
4.3 Legal obligation
We process data where required for tax, accounting, VAT, customs, VRT, registration, legal or regulatory obligations.
4.4 Legitimate interests
We process data where necessary for our legitimate business interests, including:
operating and improving our business;
responding to customer queries;
maintaining transaction records;
preventing fraud;
dealing with complaints;
protecting our legal position;
enforcing our terms;
securing our website and systems.
We only rely on legitimate interests where those interests are not overridden by your data protection rights.
4.5 Consent
We rely on consent for optional marketing where required and for optional cookies or tracking technologies that require consent.
You may withdraw consent at any time, but this will not affect processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
4.6 Legal claims
We may process and retain data where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
5. Special category data
We do not normally collect special category data, such as health information, political opinions, religious beliefs or biometric data.
Please do not send us special category data unless it is strictly necessary. If you do provide such data, we will process it only where we have a lawful basis and where permitted by data protection law.
6. PPSN, identity documents and registration data
Where required for VRT, Revenue/NCTS, registration, customs, finance, warranty, anti-fraud or legal purposes, we may process PPSN, identity documents, proof of address and related registration information.
We use this information only for the relevant transaction, legal, compliance, accounting or dispute-handling purpose.
We restrict access to this data and retain it only for as long as necessary for the relevant purpose, including any legal, tax, registration, audit or dispute requirement.
7. Sharing personal data
We may share personal data where reasonably necessary with:
employees, contractors and service providers;
UK sellers, garages, dealers and auction houses;
mechanics and inspection providers;
transport, recovery, shipping, port and delivery providers;
customs agents and freight providers;
Revenue, NCTS and other public authorities;
warranty and insurance providers;
payment and banking providers;
website, hosting, email, IT and cloud providers;
accountants, auditors, insurers, solicitors, barristers and other professional advisers;
courts, regulators, law enforcement or public authorities where required or permitted by law;
a purchaser or potential purchaser of our business or assets, subject to appropriate safeguards.
We share only the personal data reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
Where we use data processors, we require them to process personal data only on our instructions and to protect it appropriately.
8. International transfers
Because our business involves sourcing vehicles from the United Kingdom, personal data may be transferred between Ireland/the EEA and the United Kingdom.
Transfers from the EEA to the UK may currently rely on the European Commission’s UK adequacy decision, meaning that personal data can flow from the EEA to the UK without additional transfer safeguards for covered transfers.
If we transfer personal data to a country outside the EEA or UK that is not covered by an adequacy decision, we will use appropriate safeguards where required, such as standard contractual clauses or another lawful transfer mechanism.
9. How long we keep personal data
We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, tax, accounting, contractual, warranty, dispute and regulatory purposes.
Typical retention periods are:
Record type Typical retention period
General website enquiries that do not proceed Up to 24 months
Vehicle quote/search records Up to 24 months, unless the transaction proceeds or a dispute arises
Deposit, order and transaction records 6 years from the transaction or longer if a dispute, audit or legal issue is ongoing
Invoices, accounting, VAT, customs and tax records 6 years or longer where required by law
VRT, import and registration records 6 years or longer where required for legal, tax, audit or dispute purposes
Warranty, inspection, transport and complaint records 6 years from completion of the transaction or longer if a dispute is ongoing
Legal correspondence and dispute records Until the dispute is resolved and for a reasonable period afterwards
Marketing data Until you unsubscribe or object
Cookie consent records For the period required to demonstrate consent and manage preferences
Revenue guidance states that business records normally need to be retained for six years, and VAT-related records may need to be retained for six years or until a relevant matter is finalised.
If a complaint, legal claim, Revenue query, audit, warranty dispute or investigation arises, we may retain relevant data for longer as necessary to deal with that issue.
10. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
These measures may include:
password protection;
access controls;
secure email and cloud systems;
device security;
data backup;
staff confidentiality;
limiting access to those who need the information;
secure storage of documents;
deletion or archiving when data is no longer required.
No internet transmission or electronic storage system is completely secure. You should avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information by unsecured channels.
11. Cookies and tracking technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Some cookies are necessary for the website to work. Others, such as analytics or marketing cookies, may require your consent.
Irish DPC guidance states that consent is normally required for non-essential cookies, and the DPC’s cookies FAQ confirms that analytics cookies require consent.
11.1 Types of cookies we may use
We may use:
Strictly necessary cookies
These are required for the website to function, process forms, remember basic settings, maintain security or provide a service you request.
Analytics cookies
These help us understand how visitors use our website, such as pages visited, traffic sources and site performance. We use analytics cookies only where consent is required and has been given.
Preference cookies
These remember choices such as cookie settings or website preferences.
Marketing cookies
These may be used to measure advertising performance or show relevant content. We use these only where consent is required and has been given.
11.2 Managing cookies
You can manage cookies through our cookie banner, where available, or through your browser settings.
You can withdraw cookie consent at any time by changing your cookie settings or clearing cookies in your browser.
Blocking some cookies may affect website functionality.
11.3 Cookie table
The exact cookies used on our website may change over time depending on website tools, analytics providers, advertising tools and technical services.
Cookie/provider Purpose Type Duration
Essential website/session cookies Website operation, security and form functionality Strictly necessary Session or short term
Google Analytics, if enabled Website analytics and performance measurement Analytics Varies
Cookie consent tool Records cookie preferences Strictly necessary/preference Varies
Advertising or tracking tools, if enabled Marketing measurement or advertising Marketing Varies
12. Your data protection rights
Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you have the following rights:
the right to be informed about how your data is used;
the right to access your personal data;
the right to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
the right to request deletion of your data;
the right to restrict processing;
the right to object to processing;
the right to data portability;
the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
rights relating to automated decision-making, where applicable;
the right to complain to the Data Protection Commission.
The Irish Data Protection Commission explains these GDPR rights and the right to be informed under Articles 13 and 14 GDPR.
To exercise your rights, contact us at:
We may need to verify your identity before responding.
We will normally respond within one month, unless the request is complex or we are legally entitled to extend the response period.
13. Complaints to the Data Protection Commission
If you are unhappy with how we process your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.
You also have the right to complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission.
Website: www.dataprotection.ie
14. Direct marketing
We may send marketing communications where you have consented or where we otherwise have a lawful basis.
You can opt out of marketing at any time by:
clicking the unsubscribe link in a marketing email;
replying with an unsubscribe request;
contacting us at [email protected].
We will not sell your personal data to third parties for their own direct marketing.
15. Third-party websites and services
Our website or communications may contain links to third-party websites, including sellers, garages, inspection providers, warranty providers, transport providers, payment systems, Revenue/NCTS or vehicle-history services.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites or services.
You should read the privacy policies of any third-party service you use.
16. Automated decision-making
We do not use personal data to make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
We may use automated website tools, analytics, pricing tools, forms or calculations to assist with enquiries, estimates, website operation or business administration, but final transaction decisions involve human review where appropriate.
17. Children
Our services are intended for adults who are legally able to purchase or import vehicles.
We do not knowingly provide vehicle sourcing/import services to children or knowingly collect children’s personal data for that purpose.
18. Accuracy of information
You must provide accurate and up-to-date information when using our services.
If your contact details, registration details, address, PPSN, identity information or vehicle instructions change, please tell us as soon as possible.
We are not responsible for delays, errors or losses caused by inaccurate or incomplete information supplied by you.
19. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business, website, services, legal obligations or data protection practices.
The latest version will be published on our website.
Where changes are significant, we may notify clients or users by email or website notice where appropriate.
20. Summary of how UKCI uses data in a vehicle transaction
In a typical UK Car Imports transaction, we may use your data to:
receive your enquiry or deposit request;
identify the vehicle you selected or approved;
arrange an independent inspection if requested;
communicate with the UK seller or garage;
administer payment;
arrange transport/shipping;
process customs, VAT, duty and VRT administration;
register the vehicle in Ireland;
deal with warranty-provider or seller communications where applicable;
maintain records for tax, audit, legal and dispute purposes.
We use only the personal data reasonably required for these purposes.