Privacy Policy

1 Who We Are (Responsible Party)

DriveWest is not a registered motor dealer, financial institution, or accredited vehicle valuation provider.

2 What Personal Information We Collect

Valuation tool users

• Your name, WhatsApp / mobile number, email address
• Vehicle details you enter (make, model, year, mileage, condition, region)

Sellers listing a vehicle

• Full name, mobile / WhatsApp number, email address
• Vehicle details and photographs, asking price and description

Dealers

• Business name, contact person, email, phone
• Login credentials (password stored as one-way hash — we cannot see it)

General visitors (with consent only)

• Anonymised page view data via Google Analytics 4 — IP address never stored in full

3 Why We Collect It (Lawful Basis)

4 How We Use Your Information

• To contact you about your vehicle valuation or listing enquiry
• To provide and maintain your vehicle listing on drivewest.co.za
• To send you a copy of your valuation report by email (if requested)
• To generate invoices and maintain records for tax compliance
• To analyse how the valuation tool and website are used (consent only)
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or security threats

5 Who We Share Your Information With

We do not share your personal information with any other third parties without your explicit consent.

6 Cookies and Tracking

We manage cookies through our POPIA-compliant consent banner. Click the 🍪 icon at the bottom of any page to manage your preferences at any time.

For full cookie details see our Cookie Policy.

7 How Long We Keep Your Data

8 Your Rights Under POPIA

• Right to access (s.23): Request a copy of your personal information we hold.
• Right to correction (s.24): Request correction of inaccurate or outdated information.
• Right to deletion (s.24): Request deletion (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Right to object (s.11(3)): Object to processing on legitimate interest grounds.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw at any time without affecting past processing.
• Right to complain (s.74): Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

9 Cross-Border Transfers

Formspree (USA) transmits lead notification emails transiently — data is not stored long-term. Google Analytics (USA) is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework with IP anonymisation enabled and 14-month data retention. We consider these adequate safeguards under POPIA Section 72.

10 Children's Privacy

DriveWest's services are intended for adults (18+) who are legally permitted to sell or purchase motor vehicles in South Africa. We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under 18. If you believe a minor has submitted information to us, contact info@drivewest.co.za immediately.

11 Security Measures

• HTTPS (TLS encryption) on all pages — data in transit is encrypted
• Passwords stored using bcrypt one-way hashing
• CSRF token protection on all forms
• Rate limiting and account lockout on the dealer portal
• Five-layer image validation on file uploads
• Database and cPanel access limited to authorised personnel only

12 Complaints & the Information Regulator

If you are unhappy with how DriveWest has handled your personal information, please contact us first at info@drivewest.co.za. If you remain unsatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with South Africa's Information Regulator:

13 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes we will update the "Last updated" date and display a notice on the DriveWest homepage for 30 days. Where a change materially affects how we use your existing personal information, we will contact you directly.

14 Contact the Information Officer