Ranking, Sponsored Placement, Badges and Reviews Policy
How CarZoon orders vehicle results, labels paid prominence, explains Verified Dealer and vehicle labels, and handles reviews.
Plain-English summary: ordinary results are ordered by relevance and marketplace-quality signals. Any position affected by payment is labelled Sponsored or Ad. A badge is not a vehicle guarantee. Reviews must reflect genuine experiences and must not use invented ratings.
1. Organic search ranking
CarZoon may order ordinary results using the searcher's criteria and location, vehicle relevance, price and mileage filters, Advert recency, completeness, data quality, availability, Seller responsiveness, duplication controls and anti-fraud or quality signals.
The importance of a factor may vary by search, device, chosen sort option and product design. Organic ranking must not secretly depend on payment. A default order does not mean that CarZoon recommends the first vehicle or Seller.
2. User-selected sorting and filters
A user may change available filters or sort options, such as price, age, mileage or distance. Some filters depend on Seller or third-party data and inherit the limitations in the Vehicle Data Disclaimer.
3. Sponsored placement and paid prominence
Where an advertiser pays for additional prominence, every affected placement must be prominently labelled Sponsored or Ad on the result card and relevant detail page, including on mobile. Payment may affect the sponsored position but does not guarantee a sale, imply vehicle quality or remove normal moderation.
Featured or Highlighted describes a visibility service only. It must not be presented as verification, endorsement or a safety mark.
4. Verified Dealer
Verified Dealer means only that CarZoon completed the identity and business checks described in the Dealer Verification and Badge Standard at the recorded review date. It is not an approval of every vehicle, representation, transaction or service.
5. Free listings and ranking
Using a free listing allowance does not give an Advert paid prominence, a verification badge or an endorsement. An Advert may receive a separately purchased promotion only when it is clearly labelled and subject to the applicable advertising rules.
6. Vehicle badges and data labels
MOT, tax, ULEZ, mileage, history and similar labels must use a documented source, definition and timestamp. CarZoon may suppress a label when data is unavailable, disputed or stale. Colour and icon design must not create a broader safety, environmental or quality claim than the text supports.
7. Reviews
Any dealer or customer rating shown on CarZoon must reflect a genuine experience. CarZoon should verify the source of reviews, identify incentives, detect and remove fake reviews, moderate fairly, and provide a way to challenge inaccurate or misleading content.
Demo ratings, generated reviews and unverified imported scores must not be shown as genuine. If reviews are unavailable, CarZoon must not display a rating or review count that implies otherwise.
8. Manipulation and enforcement
Users must not manipulate availability, price, mileage, search terms, engagement, enquiries, reviews, ranking or platform badges. CarZoon may reduce visibility, remove a promotion, correct a label, pause an Advert or act against an Account where it reasonably identifies manipulation or a breach.
9. Questions and corrections
A Dealer may ask about the main parameters affecting visibility or challenge an incorrect badge through dealers@carzoon.co.uk. A user may report a misleading label or sponsored placement through Report an Advert or support@carzoon.co.uk.