Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 3, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data SaveVIN (the "Service") collects, how it is used, and the rights you have. SaveVIN builds vehicle recall and safety reports from public U.S. NHTSA data. This policy is aligned with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The data controller is the provider identified in our Impressum.
1. Data we collect
- Account data: your email address and an encrypted (hashed) password.
- Vehicle data: the VINs and year/make/model combinations you look up, and any vehicles you save to your garage for monitoring. A VIN can, in combination with other data, relate to an identifiable person, so we treat it as personal data.
- Billing data: processed by Stripe, Inc. We store a payment/subscription reference and status; we do not receive or store your full card number.
- Technical data: basic server logs (e.g. IP address, request time, user agent) needed to operate and secure the Service.
2. How we use your data, and legal bases (GDPR Art. 6)
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Provide lookups, reports and your garage | Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Process payments & subscriptions | Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Monitor saved vehicles & send recall alerts | Performance of a contract / your consent for the monitoring feature (Art. 6(1)(b)/(a)) |
| Operate, secure and debug the Service; prevent abuse | Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Comply with legal, tax and accounting obligations | Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) |
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.
3. Data sources
Recall, complaint and safety-rating information is retrieved from NHTSA public data (nhtsa.gov) using the VIN or year/make/model you provide. Recall and safety data is sourced from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer.
4. Sharing & processors
We share data only with service providers ("processors") that help us run the Service, under appropriate agreements:
- Stripe, Inc.: payment processing.
- NHTSA: we send the VIN or year/make/model to NHTSA's public API to retrieve recall data; NHTSA is a U.S. government data source.
- Hosting / email delivery providers: to run the Service and send recall alert emails.
Some processors are located in the United States. Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
5. Cookies
SaveVIN uses only cookies and equivalent local storage that are strictly necessary to sign you in and keep your session. These do not require consent. We do not use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. If we add any non-essential analytics in future we will ask for your consent first.
6. Data retention
We keep account and vehicle data for as long as your account is active. If you close your account or ask us to delete it, we delete or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we must retain certain records (for example, billing and invoice records) to meet legal, tax or accounting obligations.
7. Your rights (GDPR)
If you are in the EU/EEA you have the right to: access your data; rectify inaccurate data; erase your data ("right to be forgotten"); restrict or object to processing; data portability; and withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (in Germany, your competent state data-protection authority). To exercise any right, contact us at contact@savevin.com.
8. Security
We use technical and organizational measures (including encryption in transit (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and access controls) to protect your data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information.
9. Children
The Service is not directed to children and is not intended for use by anyone under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
10. Changes
We may update this policy; the "Last updated" date above reflects the latest version.
11. Contact
Data controller: see our Impressum. Privacy questions: contact@savevin.com.