Terms and Conditions

1. About MotorChain

1.1 MotorChain is operated by MOTORCHAIN LTD (company number 16878900). MotorChain can be contacted at support@motorchain.co.uk.

1.2 MotorChain provides an online marketplace and software tools for vehicle listings, marketplace advertising, premium auctions, flash auctions, buyer enquiries, bidding, vehicle data import and account services.

1.3 MotorChain is normally a platform provider and intermediary. Unless a listing expressly says otherwise, MotorChain is not the owner, dealer, seller, buyer, insurer, lender, payment institution or vehicle transporter.

1.4 These terms apply when you browse, register, list a vehicle, bid, buy a MotorChain service, use an imported stock feed or otherwise use the platform.

2. Account types and eligibility

2.1 You must provide accurate information and keep it up to date. You must protect your login details and tell us promptly about unauthorised use.

2.2 Dealers must provide accurate business identity information and any information reasonably required for verification, tax reporting and fraud prevention. Private users must provide accurate personal details.

2.3 Private-user phone verification is required where the platform identifies it as necessary for auction participation. Dealer accounts are not subject to the private-user phone-verification requirement unless a separate security or legal check is required.

2.4 You must be legally able to enter contracts. If you use MotorChain for a business, you confirm that you have authority to bind that business.

3. Marketplace role and vehicle sales

3.1 A vehicle listing is supplied by the relevant seller. The seller is responsible for the vehicle, its description, condition, documents, availability, price and legal right to sell it.

3.2 MotorChain does not inspect or guarantee every vehicle, seller, image, document, mileage, specification, MOT status, tax status, finance status or ownership history. Data may be imported from dealer feeds, public records and specialist third-party vehicle-data providers. Imported data may be incomplete, out of date or wrong and must be checked by the seller.

3.3 MotorChain may display a seller's business identity, seller details and contact information where required for transparency, a transaction, fraud prevention or legal compliance.

3.4 Where a dealer sells to a consumer, the dealer remains responsible for all statutory consumer rights applying to that sale. Nothing in these terms permits a dealer to remove or reduce those rights.

3.5 MotorChain may correct, hide, suspend or remove a listing where it appears inaccurate, unsafe, unlawful, misleading, duplicated, unavailable, fraudulent or inconsistent with these terms.

4. Listing and seller duties

4.1 A seller must only list a vehicle it has the right to advertise and sell. A seller must not list a stolen vehicle, a vehicle subject to undisclosed finance, a vehicle with false mileage, a vehicle with forged documents or a vehicle it cannot supply.

4.2 A seller must disclose material facts, including known accident or write-off history, significant damage, finance, mileage concerns, faults, warning lights, import status, category status, number of keys and any important limitation on use.

4.3 A seller must ensure that photographs, descriptions, specifications, prices, auction settings, reserve settings, buyer-offer settings, dates and availability are accurate.

4.4 A seller must promptly correct errors and must not use MotorChain to mislead buyers, manipulate bids, create fake interest, evade fees, discriminate unlawfully or contact users for unrelated marketing without a lawful basis.

4.5 A seller must respond to a winning bidder and complete the agreed sale honestly. A seller must not cancel simply to avoid an agreed price unless there is a genuine legal or practical reason.

5. Vehicle data imports, synchronisation and auto-publishing

5.1 MotorChain may import and enrich vehicle information from a dealer feed, a public source or a specialist vehicle-data provider. Information may include registration details, specifications, images, descriptions, MOT or tax information and listing metadata.

5.2 The seller authorises MotorChain to receive, process, store and display imported stock for the seller's account, subject to the seller's feed permissions and any applicable data-protection and licensing rules.

5.3 Imported information is provided as an aid to listing and verification. The seller remains responsible for checking the final listing before publication and for correcting errors.

5.4 If synchronisation is enabled, MotorChain may update listings when the connected dealer source changes. If auto-publish is enabled, newly added vehicles may be published automatically after the configured checks. The seller must monitor and correct automatically published listings.

5.5 MotorChain may pause synchronisation or auto-publishing if the source feed is unavailable, produces repeated errors, contains unsafe or unlawful information, or creates a material risk of misleading listings.

6. Auctions and bids

6.1 Auction rules shown on the relevant auction page form part of these terms for that auction. They may include auction type, duration, reserve, starting bid, bid increments, buyer offers, scheduled start and end times and any buyer or seller conditions.

6.2 Unless an auction page expressly states that a bid is binding, a bid is a non-binding indication of interest. A winning bidder receives the first opportunity to proceed, but the vehicle sale contract is formed only when the buyer and seller separately agree the sale and its terms.

6.3 If the auction page states that a bid is binding, the auction-specific rules will explain the legal effect, payment obligations and cancellation rules before bidding. MotorChain must not describe a non-binding auction as a completed sale.

6.4 MotorChain may reject, cancel or correct a bid affected by a technical error, fraud, manipulation, identity issue, prohibited conduct or a material listing error.

6.5 A reserve means the seller has set a minimum price. “No reserve” means no reserve is set for that auction. These labels must not be used unless the auction has actually been configured that way.

6.6 Buyer offers, where enabled, are offers for the seller to accept or reject. They do not create a sale until the seller accepts and the parties agree the remaining terms.

6.7 When an auction ends, the winning bidder will receive an email stating the result and providing a “View vehicle” link to the specific won-auction vehicle page. Where appropriate, the email will include the seller's details and instructions for contacting the seller. The email will use MotorChain's approved email header, logo, footer and support contact.

6.8 The winning email must not imply that MotorChain has guaranteed the vehicle, arranged payment or completed the sale unless that is actually true.

7. Paid services, fees and payments

7.1 Paid services may include listings, sponsorship, premium auctions, flash auctions, subscriptions, credits, promotions and other services shown at checkout.

7.2 Before payment, MotorChain will show the price, applicable VAT treatment, service description, contract duration, renewal terms and any material limitations. The final payment button must make clear that selecting it creates an obligation to pay.

7.3 Payments may be processed by a third-party payment provider. MotorChain does not receive or store full card details. Unless expressly stated, MotorChain does not hold vehicle-sale funds, operate an escrow service or provide payment services between buyer and seller.

7.4 A promotion, credit or complimentary product has the value, balance, expiry, permitted product and restrictions displayed when it is granted. Benefits are tracked separately, may not be exchanged for cash and may expire, be revoked for misuse or be unavailable after the account is closed.

7.5 Credits may be applied only to eligible MotorChain charges. A promotion may grant free listings, discounts or a discount period, but it does not change the underlying vehicle-sale relationship between buyer and seller.

8. Subscriptions and auto-renewal

8.1 If a service renews automatically, the checkout and confirmation will state the renewal interval, price, renewal date and cancellation method.

8.2 You may cancel future renewal using the account controls or by contacting support@motorchain.co.uk. Cancellation stops future renewals but does not normally refund a period already used, subject to mandatory consumer rights.

8.3 MotorChain will not describe a subscription as cancelled until the cancellation has been successfully recorded and confirmed.

8.4 MotorChain may send service reminders about upcoming renewals. Promotional content in a message will be treated as marketing and handled under the applicable marketing rules.

9. Refunds and cancellation

9.1 Nothing in this section limits a consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

9.2 Consumers may have a 14-day cancellation right for distance service contracts. Where a consumer asks MotorChain to begin a service during that period, the consumer may be charged for the proportion supplied before cancellation where the law permits.

9.3 Digital content supplied immediately may require the consumer's express request and acknowledgement that the cancellation right is lost where the law permits.

9.4 If MotorChain cancels a paid service before it is supplied, or cannot supply it as promised, MotorChain will refund the affected amount unless a different remedy is required by law.

9.5 Refunds will normally be made to the original payment method within the legally required period. MotorChain will not charge a refund fee where the law prohibits one.

9.6 Vehicle-sale refunds, deposits or cancellations are matters between the buyer and seller unless MotorChain has expressly agreed to handle them. MotorChain is not responsible for a seller's failure to refund money it received directly.

9.7 A cancellation or failed payment for a send-to-auction service leaves the Marketplace advert unchanged where the service has not successfully completed. The auction replaces the Marketplace advert only after successful payment and publication. Existing paid listing time is not refunded. Active sponsorship carries over only for its remaining time and cannot exceed the auction end time.

10. Consumer and business users

10.1 A consumer is an individual acting mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession. A business user is acting for a business or commercial purpose.

10.2 Consumer terms must be fair and transparent. Nothing in these terms excludes statutory rights, liability for fraud, or other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

10.3 Business users agree that, to the extent legally permitted, MotorChain is not liable for indirect loss, loss of profit, loss of business, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill or loss of data, and that any liability cap will be stated clearly and applied fairly.

11. Prohibited conduct and enforcement

11.1 You must not use MotorChain to commit fraud, launder money, evade tax, infringe intellectual property, upload malware, harass another person, manipulate an auction, create misleading listings, scrape the service or bypass security controls.

11.2 MotorChain may warn, restrict, suspend or close an account; remove listings; cancel bids; withhold a benefit; or report conduct to the police, regulators, insurers, payment providers or other relevant organisations where reasonably necessary.

11.3 Where practical, MotorChain will explain the reason for an enforcement action and provide a route to appeal. MotorChain may act without advance notice where delay creates a safety, fraud, legal or security risk.

12. User content, reviews and intellectual property

12.1 You retain ownership of content you upload, but grant MotorChain a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, reproduce, format, adapt, display and distribute it as necessary to operate, market and improve the service.

12.2 You confirm that you have the rights and permissions needed for uploaded photographs, descriptions, documents, logos and other content.

12.3 Reviews and ratings must be genuine and based on a real interaction. MotorChain may moderate, remove or refuse content that is unlawful, misleading, abusive, irrelevant or manipulated.

12.4 MotorChain owns or licenses the platform, software, branding, design and non-user content. You may use the service only for its intended purpose.

13. Privacy and communications

13.1 MotorChain processes personal data as explained in the Privacy Policy in section 18 of this document. This may include data obtained from account holders, dealers, vehicle feeds, public sources and service providers.

13.2 The Privacy Notice explains the purposes, lawful bases, data categories, retention, recipients, international transfers and user rights. Where personal data is obtained from another source, MotorChain will provide the source information required by applicable data-protection law.

13.3 Service messages may be sent for account security, bids, auction results, payments, vehicle updates, support and legal notices. Marketing messages will be sent only where the applicable consent or soft opt-in requirements are met and will include an unsubscribe method.

13.4 Cookies and similar technologies are explained in the Cookie Policy in section 19. Optional tracking requiring consent is subject to a separate choice.

14. Availability and third-party services

14.1 MotorChain aims to keep the service available but does not guarantee uninterrupted operation, continuous data accuracy or compatibility with every dealer system.

14.2 MotorChain may rely on hosting, payments, email, analytics, vehicle-data and communications providers. Their services may be subject to their own terms and outages.

14.3 A data import, synchronisation or enrichment failure does not remove the seller's duty to check the published listing.

15. Complaints and contact

15.1 Contact support@motorchain.co.uk with the account email, relevant listing or auction ID, dates, screenshots and the outcome requested. MotorChain will investigate and keep a record of the complaint.

15.2 If a complaint concerns a vehicle sale, MotorChain may refer it to the seller because the seller is responsible for the vehicle contract. MotorChain will cooperate with lawful requests and regulator enquiries.

16. Changes to these terms

16.1 MotorChain may update these terms to reflect changes in law, services, security, suppliers or business operation. The current version will be published with its effective date.

16.2 Changes will not retrospectively remove rights already accrued. If a change materially disadvantages a consumer, MotorChain will provide any notice or cancellation right required by law.

17. General legal terms

17.1 If any part of these terms is invalid or unenforceable, the remaining parts continue to apply and the invalid part will be changed only as far as needed to make it enforceable.

17.2 A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver of that right.

17.3 You may not transfer your account or contract without MotorChain's consent. MotorChain may transfer its rights and obligations as part of a business sale, reorganisation or service transfer, provided users' legal rights are not reduced.

17.4 These terms and any non-contractual dispute are governed by the law of England and Wales, except that a consumer living in Scotland or Northern Ireland may also rely on any mandatory protections and courts available to them there.

18. Privacy Policy

18.1 This policy explains how MOTORCHAIN LTD acts as controller of personal information used to operate MotorChain. Contact support@motorchain.co.uk for privacy questions or to exercise your rights. A dealer, private seller or other recipient may act as a separate controller of information they receive and is responsible for their own use of it.

Information we collect

18.2 Information may include your name, contact details, account identifier, account type, business identity, registration and verification details, saved preferences and information you provide to support. Where required for seller verification or tax reporting, we may collect identification, date of birth, address, business registration and tax information.

18.3 We process vehicle listing information, registration identifiers, descriptions, images, documents, bids, offers, auction results, saved vehicles, enquiries and messages. Vehicle information may be personal information when it is linked to an identifiable person. Avoid uploading documents or images containing unnecessary personal information.

18.4 Transaction information includes purchases, membership and renewal records, credit balances, promotion use, payment status, refunds and payment-provider references. Payment providers process card information under their own notices. We do not store your full card number or card security code.

18.5 Technical information may include IP address, device and browser information, login and security events, time stamps, usage events and consent preferences. Optional analytics or advertising information is collected only where enabled and permitted by your choices and the law.

Where information comes from

18.6 We receive information from you, your activity on MotorChain, sellers and buyers you interact with, authorised dealer feeds, publicly available listings and records, specialist vehicle-data services, payment providers and verification or communications services. Public information does not lose its data-protection protection simply because it is publicly accessible.

18.7 Where we obtain personal information about you indirectly, we provide the source and categories of information as required by law, including identifying a specific known source where necessary. Contact support@motorchain.co.uk if you need information about the source of a record or wish to challenge its accuracy.

Why we use information and our lawful bases

18.8 We rely on contractual necessity to create and manage your account, provide services you request, operate listings and auctions, handle enquiries, administer benefits, collect our fees and process cancellations and refunds. Contractual necessity applies only where processing is necessary to perform our contract with you or take steps you request before a contract.

18.9 We rely on legal obligations where applicable to accounting, tax records and reporting, lawful regulator requests and other legally required records or disclosures.

18.10 We rely on legitimate interests, where these are not outweighed by your rights, to protect users and the platform, investigate fraud or misuse, maintain security, resolve disputes, keep proportionate audit records, improve service reliability and administer business operations. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests.

18.11 We rely on consent where required for optional marketing, optional tracking and other consent-based processing. You can withdraw consent without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing. Providing a service does not give us unrestricted permission to use your information for unrelated purposes.

18.12 Where you provide information for a legal or contractual requirement, failure to provide it may prevent us from verifying an account, operating a requested service or meeting a legal obligation. We explain material requirements when requesting the information.

Sharing information

18.13 We share information necessary for an enquiry or transaction with the relevant buyer or seller. Public listings can be viewed by other users and indexed by search engines. We do not publish private account, identification or payment information merely because you list a vehicle.

18.14 We use service providers for hosting, account authentication, payment processing, email and SMS delivery, support, security, verification, vehicle-data services and, where enabled, analytics. Providers receive information relevant to their role and appropriate contractual safeguards apply. A provider acting as a separate controller is responsible for its own processing.

18.15 Information may also be disclosed to professional advisers, regulators, tax authorities, law enforcement or courts where necessary and lawful, and to parties involved in a business transfer subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards. We do not sell personal information for unrelated third-party marketing.

International transfers and security

18.16 Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we use an applicable adequacy decision or appropriate safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum, and any required transfer assessment. Contact support@motorchain.co.uk for details of the applicable safeguards and how to obtain a copy, subject to lawful redactions.

18.17 We use proportionate technical and organisational measures to protect information, including access controls and security monitoring. You should protect your account credentials and report suspected unauthorised access promptly. No online service can promise absolute security.

How long we keep information

18.18 We retain information only for as long as necessary for its purpose. Account and listing records are retained while needed to provide the service and for proportionate periods afterwards for support, disputes, fraud prevention and legal duties. Financial and tax records are retained for the applicable statutory recordkeeping period.

18.19 Retention of bid and transaction records depends on audit, dispute and legal requirements. Support records depend on the matter and whether it is resolved. Security logs depend on security and investigation needs. Consent records are kept while needed to demonstrate preferences and compliance. A limited suppression record may be retained to honour an unsubscribe request.

18.20 We delete or anonymise records when no longer needed, subject to legal holds and backup cycles. Closing an account does not require immediate deletion of records we lawfully need to retain. Contact us for the retention criteria applicable to a particular record.

Your rights and complaints

18.21 Depending on the circumstances, you may request access, correction, erasure, restriction, data portability or object to processing. You may withdraw consent at any time and object to direct marketing at any time. These rights have legal conditions and exceptions; they are not all absolute.

18.22 Send requests to support@motorchain.co.uk. We may need proportionate identity verification. We normally respond within one month, subject to extensions or other rules permitted by law, and explain any refusal or limitation.

18.23 You may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or by telephone on 0303 123 1113. You may contact us first to seek a resolution, but you do not have to do so before contacting the ICO.

Automated processing and children

18.24 Automated processes may calculate auction results, apply benefits, synchronise listings and detect suspicious activity. These processes use the relevant auction settings, bids, balances, feed changes and security signals. They do not themselves establish a binding vehicle-sale contract under a non-binding auction. Contact us to query a result or request review of a restriction. Any solely automated decision with legal or similarly significant effects requires the notices and safeguards applicable by law.

18.25 MotorChain is intended for people legally able to use its services and enter the relevant contracts. If we become aware that information has been collected unlawfully from a child, we will investigate and take appropriate action.

18.26 Changes to this policy will be shown with an updated effective date. We will provide additional notice or obtain fresh consent where required for a material change in processing.

19. Cookie Policy

19.1 Cookies are small files stored on your device. Similar technologies include local storage, pixels, tags and device identifiers. This policy covers technologies used to store information on or access information from your device when you use MotorChain.

Purposes and categories

19.2 Strictly necessary technologies support functions you request, such as authentication, session management, security, payment processing and remembering consent preferences. They are used without consent only where the applicable legal exemption is met. A technology is not strictly necessary simply because it benefits our business.

19.3 Optional functional technologies may remember preferences beyond essential operation. Analytics technologies may measure page use, listing interaction and service performance. Advertising technologies may measure campaigns, personalise advertising or track activity across services. These categories are used only if deployed and legally permitted; optional technologies requiring consent remain disabled until you choose them.

19.4 Embedded third-party content or tools may use their own storage or tracking. We apply appropriate consent controls where required. Third-party notices explain their independent processing, where applicable.

Your choices

19.5 Where consent is required, the cookie controls allow you to accept, reject or select optional categories. Optional consent is not a condition of accepting these terms. Refusing optional cookies does not prevent use of the core service, although an optional feature relying on them may be unavailable.

19.6 You can change or withdraw your choices through MotorChain's cookie settings. You can also block or remove cookies using your browser. Blocking strictly necessary technologies may prevent login, payment or other requested features. Withdrawal does not invalidate processing undertaken lawfully before withdrawal.

19.7 We retain a record of your choices to apply and demonstrate them. We seek fresh consent where required if purposes or providers materially change.

Cookie duration and further information

19.8 Session technologies normally expire when the browser session ends. Persistent technologies remain until their stated expiry or deletion. The cookie settings must identify the technologies actually deployed, their provider, purpose, category and duration, including third-party technologies. Exact names and durations depend on the live configuration and must be kept current.

19.9 When cookie information is personal information, section 18 explains the applicable lawful bases, recipients, retention and your rights. Contact support@motorchain.co.uk for questions or details about a technology.

20. Agreement and separate consent choices

20.1 When you select the agreement checkbox, you agree to the contractual terms, including the Refund Policy in section 9, and acknowledge that the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy in this document have been made available to you.

20.2 The agreement checkbox does not grant consent to optional cookies, advertising, marketing emails or SMS, or waive your data-protection or consumer rights. These choices are requested separately where required, without preselected consent.

20.3 Suggested agreement wording: “I agree to the MotorChain Terms and Conditions, including the Refund Policy, and acknowledge the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.” The linked document must be accessible before agreement and available to save for future reference.

20.4 Any express request for a paid service to begin during a statutory cancellation period, and any legally required acknowledgement about loss of cancellation rights, is obtained separately at the relevant checkout.

21. Cancellation form

21.1 You may use this form where a statutory right to cancel applies. Using the form is optional; a clear statement sent to support@motorchain.co.uk is sufficient.

To: MOTORCHAIN LTD, support@motorchain.co.uk I give notice that I cancel my contract for the following MotorChain service: Service and order reference: ______________________________ Ordered on: ______________________________ Name: ______________________________ Account email: ______________________________ Address: ______________________________ Date: ______________________________ Signature, only if submitted on paper: ______________________________