Privacy Policy

How CarRateGuide collects, uses, and protects your personal information.

Last updated: July 2026 • Effective date: July 1, 2026

Summary: CarRateGuide does not sell your personal data. We collect minimal information to operate the site. No account creation or personal details are required to access our content.

Contents

  1. Information We Collect
  2. How We Use Your Information
  3. Cookies and Tracking
  4. Third-Party Services
  5. Data Sharing and Sale
  6. Your Rights
  7. Data Retention
  8. Children Privacy
  9. Changes to This Policy
  10. Contact Us

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

CarRateGuide does not require you to create an account or provide personal information to access our content. If you contact us via email, we collect your name, email address, and message content solely to respond to your inquiry.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit CarRateGuide, our servers and analytics services automatically collect technical information including:

  • IP address (anonymized where possible)
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited and time on each page
  • Referring URL
  • Date and time of your visit
  • Device type

This information is used in aggregate to improve our content. We do not use it to identify individual visitors.

2. How We Use Your Information

  • Site operation: To serve pages, diagnose issues, and maintain security.
  • Analytics: To understand visitor behavior in aggregate and improve our content.
  • Communications: To respond to your inquiries.
  • Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws and protect our rights.

We do not use your information for behavioral advertising, profiling, or automated decision-making with significant legal effects.

3. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the site and understand usage patterns.

Types We Use

  • Essential cookies: Required for basic site functionality. Cannot be disabled.
  • Analytics cookies: Aggregate usage data. Can be disabled via browser settings.
  • Advertising cookies: Set by ad networks if display advertising is active. We do not control these directly.

You can control cookies via your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.

4. Third-Party Services

  • Analytics: We use services such as Google Analytics. These collect anonymized usage data subject to their own privacy policies.
  • Advertising networks: Ad networks may use cookies for targeted advertising. Opt out via the Digital Advertising Alliance (optout.aboutads.info) or Network Advertising Initiative (optout.networkadvertising.org).
  • Affiliate platforms: Comparison platform links may be tracked via affiliate networks subject to their own privacy policies.
  • Hosting and CDN: Our hosting services may log request data for security and performance.

5. Data Sharing and Sale

CarRateGuide does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information for marketing purposes. We share data only in these circumstances:

  • Service providers: Vendors who help operate the site, under contractual data protection obligations.
  • Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or government authority.
  • Business transfers: If CarRateGuide is acquired, your data may transfer under the same privacy protections.

6. Your Rights

  • Access: Request a copy of personal data we hold about you.
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
  • Opt-out of analytics: Disable analytics cookies via your browser or the Google Analytics opt-out add-on.
  • Opt-out of ad targeting: Use the DAA or NAI opt-out tools linked in Section 4.

California residents may have additional rights under the CCPA. To exercise any rights, contact privacy@carrateguide.com.

7. Data Retention

We retain analytics data in aggregate for up to 26 months. Email correspondence is retained for up to 2 years. We do not retain personal data beyond what is necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

8. Children Privacy

CarRateGuide is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact privacy@carrateguide.com and we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we update the effective date at the top of this page. Continued use of CarRateGuide after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

For questions or requests related to this Privacy Policy: