Dealer Verification and Badge Standard

1. About this Standard

This Standard explains how CarZoon reviews a Dealer Account and controls the Verified Dealer badge and dealer listing access on carzoon.co.uk.

It applies alongside the Dealer Terms and Conditions, Vehicle Advert Rules and Advertising Standards and other applicable CarZoon policies. If another term sets a stricter requirement, the stricter requirement applies.

CarZoon may adapt the depth of a check to the Dealer's entity type, services, risk, proposed claims and available evidence. Completing an application does not guarantee approval.

2. CarZoon's role

CarZoon operates an automotive advertising and enquiry marketplace. It does not become the Dealer's regulator, trade association, insurer, lender, warranty provider, agent or guarantor by reviewing an Account or displaying a badge.

Verification is designed to reduce obvious identity, impersonation and business-status risks. No practical process can eliminate all fraud or confirm every future act, vehicle, statement or transaction.

3. Verification statuses

• Application Started Saved but not submitted; no public Dealer status.
• Verification Pending Submitted and under review; no public badge.
• More Information Required Review paused until specified evidence is supplied.
• Approved / Verified Required checks completed and approval recorded.
• Re-verification Due Updated evidence or checks are required to continue status.
• Suspended Badge, profile, Adverts or features restricted during review.
• Rejected Application not approved; reasons may be provided where appropriate.
• Closed Dealer relationship ended and public badges removed.

A user selecting a business Account type, paying for a Plan, importing stock or supplying a company number does not by itself create Verified Dealer status.

4. Dealer eligibility

An applicant must be a genuine motor trader or automotive business operating lawfully in the United Kingdom. The person applying must be at least 18 and authorised to bind and operate the Account for that business.

The applicant must provide complete, accurate and current information, cooperate with reasonable checks and be able to demonstrate a genuine trading presence and authority to advertise the stock it submits.

CarZoon may reject or restrict an application where the entity, representative, trading activity, premises, stock authority, regulated status or supplied evidence cannot be established to our reasonable satisfaction; where information materially conflicts; or where there is a material fraud, safety, legal or platform-integrity concern.

5. Information and evidence we may require

Depending on the Dealer and requested features, we may request:

• legal entity type, legal name and trading name;
• company or partnership number where applicable;
• registered office, trading address and branch information;
• official website, business email and telephone number;
• the representative's name, role, identity and authority;
• information about ownership or control where reasonably required;
• evidence of active motor trading, premises and stock;
• authority to advertise submitted vehicles;
• motor trade insurance information where relevant;
• VAT, FCA, ICO or other registration information where relevant;
• warranty, franchise, manufacturer or accreditation evidence; and
• other proportionate evidence needed to resolve a risk or discrepancy.

We will not normally need every type of evidence from every Dealer. We aim to collect information proportionate to the Account, services and risks involved.

6. Mandatory baseline checks

An incorporated applicant is normally compared with the current Companies House record. A sole trader, partnership or another entity may instead need proportionate identity, address and trading evidence.

7. Additional and conditional checks

A claim or feature may require evidence beyond the baseline review. CarZoon may disable that claim or feature until the additional check is complete.

Finance and credit

Verified Dealer status does not by itself authorise finance advertising. Where a Dealer requests a finance or credit feature, CarZoon may check the current FCA Financial Services Register, the firm's permissions, appointed-representative relationship, principal and official contact information, and require separate approval of the relevant promotion or workflow.

Insurance and test drives

Where the proposed activity makes it relevant, CarZoon may require current motor trade insurance evidence, including appropriate use, vehicle and test-drive cover. The Dealer remains responsible for ensuring that its cover is legally sufficient and current.

VAT, warranties and third-party claims

If a Dealer claims VAT registration, warranty authority, franchise, manufacturer approval, trade-body membership, award or accreditation, we may check the claim with the official register, provider or issuing body. A claim must not appear publicly after its evidence expires or is withdrawn.

8. Official and independent sources

Relevant checks may include:

• the Companies House service for company status, officers, filing history, registered office and other public information;
• the FCA Financial Services Register for regulated status, permissions and official contact details;
• the official HMRC VAT number check where VAT registration is claimed;
• the ICO register of fee payers where registration is relevant or claimed; and
• insurers, warranty providers, trade bodies, manufacturers and other authoritative sources relevant to a specific claim.

A record appearing on a public register does not by itself prove current trading legitimacy, authority over an Account, stock ownership, service quality or future conduct. Public records can be incomplete, delayed or misused by impersonators, so CarZoon compares more than one source where appropriate.

9. Manual review and decisions

Dealer approval is a recorded manual decision. We may contact the applicant through an independently sourced business route, ask for clarification, request different evidence or conduct additional checks.

Possible outcomes include Approve, More Information Required, Approve with specified feature restrictions, Reject or Escalate for further review. We record the material evidence considered, check sources, decision, reasons, reviewer, approver, date and next review date.

CarZoon may decline to describe every confidential fraud-control method. We will aim to provide a useful reason where doing so is lawful and does not compromise security, another person or an investigation.

10. Dealer status and listing access

Free listing access is an Account allowance, not a verification badge. Neither it nor the Verified Dealer badge confirms the condition, ownership, history, safety, roadworthiness or value of a vehicle.

11. What Verified Dealer means

A Verified Dealer badge means that, at the stated review date, CarZoon completed the identity and business checks selected for the Dealer under this Standard and approved the Account.

It does not mean that CarZoon:

• inspected, approved or owns the Dealer's vehicles;
• verified every statement, price, document or item of stock;
• guarantees the Dealer's conduct, solvency or service;
• provides a warranty, insurance, finance approval or compensation;
• holds deposits or vehicle purchase payments; or
• guarantees enquiries, sales, delivery or a transaction outcome.

Buyers must still check the vehicle, documents, Dealer, payment and transaction independently. See the Buyer Safety and Fraud Prevention Guide.

12. 25 free dealer listings

An eligible new Dealer may display up to 25 standard vehicle Adverts without a listing fee during its first 90 days after Account registration, subject to verification, moderation and the Dealer Terms and Conditions. The 90-day Free Period begins on successful registration; verification or later approval does not restart it.

Each standard Advert expires 30 days after publication. If the vehicle remains available, the Dealer must relist it to keep it visible. Relisting starts a new 30-day Advert display period within the existing allowance but does not extend the Dealer's 90-day Free Period.

The allowance:

• applies once per eligible Dealer business;
• does not transfer to another business or Account;
• does not include optional paid promotions; and
• does not automatically convert into a paid Plan.

13. Badge display, wording and misuse

Badges are controlled and displayed by CarZoon on supported Dealer profiles, Adverts, search results or Dealer cards. A Dealer must not upload, copy, alter, imitate or manually add a CarZoon badge, verification mark, review date or approval statement.

A visible Verified Dealer badge should link to or display a concise explanation such as:

A Featured, Highlighted or promotional marker indicates visibility or promotional treatment only and must remain visually and textually separate from verification.

14. Branches, groups and authorised users

Approval applies only to the identified legal or trading entity, Account and approved branches. A related company, franchise, branch, successor, buyer of the business or staff member does not inherit a badge automatically.

The Dealer must keep its authorised-user list current, provide access only to staff who need it and remove access promptly when a person leaves or changes role. It remains responsible for Account activity carried out by its authorised users, except to the extent caused by CarZoon's breach.

A new branch or material group change may require evidence and approval before its stock, address or claims appear under a verified profile.

15. Continuing Dealer obligations

An approved Dealer must:

• keep its legal, trading, address and contact information accurate;
• maintain authority over its Account, branches and advertised stock;
• comply with the Dealer Terms and Vehicle Advert Rules;
• keep required insurance, permissions and third-party authority current;
• make only accurate, substantiated finance, warranty and accreditation claims;
• protect Account access and report suspected compromise promptly;
• cooperate with proportionate complaints, safety and verification reviews;
• notify CarZoon promptly of a material change; and
• stop using a badge or claim immediately if CarZoon withdraws it.

Approval does not reduce the Dealer's responsibilities to consumers, regulators, insurers, finance providers, vehicle owners or other parties.

16. Re-verification and ongoing monitoring

CarZoon may review a Dealer at any time and ordinarily schedules re-verification at least every 12 months. The review may be proportionate to changes, available evidence, Account history and risk.

An earlier review may be triggered by:

• a legal name, ownership, control, address, branch or contact change;
• a new representative, domain, FCA status or regulated feature;
• expired insurance, warranty authority or accreditation;
• Account transfer, prolonged inactivity or unusual stock activity;
• a material complaint, report, regulatory warning or adverse information;
• a suspected data, security, identity or fraud incident; or
• failure to respond to a reasonable evidence request.

CarZoon may contact the Dealer and set a reasonable deadline for updated evidence. Where necessary to protect users or comply with law, we may suspend the badge, affected claims, features, Adverts or Account while the review is completed.

17. Badge suspension, withdrawal and Account action

CarZoon may suspend or permanently remove a badge, and may restrict or close an Account, for reasons including:

• a material breach of the Dealer Terms or another CarZoon policy;
• fraud, impersonation, misleading activity or badge misuse;
• serious or repeated substantiated complaints;
• failure, refusal or inability to complete required checks;
• loss or expiry of a required permission, insurance or authority;
• materially inaccurate business, contact, stock or regulatory information;
• prolonged inactivity;
• an attempted Account or badge transfer;
• business closure, insolvency or a change making the original approval unreliable; or
• termination of the Dealer relationship.

We may act immediately and without advance notice for an urgent legal, fraud, security or safety concern. Where appropriate, we may allow a stated period to correct an administrative or low-risk issue.

A suspended or removed badge has no cash value and its removal does not create a right to compensation, refund, continued pricing or continued access. Any refund question is handled under the Refund and Cancellation Policy.

18. Corrections and review requests

A Dealer should promptly correct inaccurate information and may submit relevant evidence in response to More Information Required, rejection, suspension or removal. Use the route and deadline stated in the decision notice or contact dealers@carzoon.co.uk.

A review request should identify the decision, explain the alleged error and include evidence that was unavailable, misunderstood or materially changed. A request does not require CarZoon to display the badge or keep the Account public while the matter is reviewed.

CarZoon may maintain the decision where the required standard remains unmet. A complaint about the service or handling of the matter follows the Complaints Procedure.

19. Verification data, security and privacy

CarZoon processes Dealer and representative information to assess applications, operate Accounts, prevent fraud, support users, meet legal obligations and protect the marketplace. The Privacy Policy explains the categories, purposes, lawful bases, sharing, retention and rights that apply.

Verification evidence is not displayed publicly. Public information is limited to appropriate Dealer profile information, current badge status and an explanation or date describing the badge.

Dealers should use the secure evidence route supplied by CarZoon and redact irrelevant information where instructed. They must not send passwords, PINs, one-time passcodes, Companies House personal codes or unnecessary payment-card or banking credentials.

CarZoon keeps verification information only for as long as reasonably needed for the relevant Account, review, security, complaint, fraud, legal and audit purposes, in line with its published retention schedule.

20. Reporting a Dealer, claim or badge

If you believe a Dealer is impersonating another business, misusing a badge, making an unsupported claim, advertising unauthorised stock or acting fraudulently, unlawfully or unsafely, use the available Report Dealer or Report this advert control, or email support@carzoon.co.uk.

Provide the Dealer or Advert link, a clear explanation and relevant evidence. Do not send passwords, passcodes, full payment-card details or unnecessary identity documents.

CarZoon may preserve relevant information, restrict a badge or Account and cooperate with a regulator, insurer, provider or law-enforcement body where lawful and appropriate.