Privacy policy

This policy explains what personal data PetrolCompare collects, why it is collected, and how it is used when you browse the site, use watchlists, submit community price reports, contact support, or interact with the public fuel-price tools.

Last updated: 8 April 2026

What data we collect

• Account details: email address, password hash, and basic authentication/session data for community and watchlist features.
• Contact submissions: the name, email address, subject, and message you send through the contact form.
• Usage data: first-party pageview and unique visitor counts used to understand which pages are used most often.
• Location data: if you allow browser geolocation, coordinates are used to load nearby stations and local views. Browser location permission is optional.
• Community submissions: station price reports, moderation notes, and community messages where relevant.

How we use data

• To provide local fuel price comparisons, station pages, trend tools, and saved alert features.
• To send transactional emails such as password resets, contact form handling, and watchlist price alert emails.
• To monitor site reliability, abuse, moderation issues, and product usage.
• To improve station coverage, trend reporting, and editorial content.

Cookies and local storage

PetrolCompare uses essential cookies and browser storage to keep sessions, security tokens, theme preferences, saved locations, and watchlist access working correctly.

• Session cookies: used for sign-in, CSRF protection, and account/session security.
• Preference storage: used for theme choice, saved location, and tool settings.
• Analytics identifiers: a first-party visitor identifier may be stored to estimate unique visitors and page usage.

Analytics, advertising, and third parties

• Google Analytics: used to understand traffic and page usage at an aggregate level.
• Google AdSense: ad-related scripts may be loaded on the site. Google may use cookies or similar technologies subject to its own policies.
• Maps: map tiles are loaded from third-party mapping providers to render station maps.
• Email delivery: password reset emails, contact emails, and alert emails may be sent through configured email infrastructure.

Data retention and security

Reasonable technical and organisational steps are used to protect account data, sessions, and submitted information. No internet service is completely risk free, and you should avoid sharing unnecessary sensitive personal information in community messages, notes, or public submissions.

• Passwords are not stored in plain text.
• Sessions and CSRF tokens are used to protect authenticated actions.
• Operational logs may be retained for abuse prevention and troubleshooting.

Your choices

• You can decline browser geolocation and use postcode search instead.
• You can stop using watchlist and community features at any time.
• You can contact the site operator to ask questions about stored contact or account data.

Contact

For privacy or data-related questions, use the contact page or email contact@petrolcompare.co.uk.