Cookie Policy
Cookie Policy
Last updated: 16 June 2026
This policy explains how cars.ie ("CARS.ie", "we", "us") uses cookies and similar technologies on our website. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle personal data more generally.
CARS.ie is operated by C.A.R.S (Ireland) Ltd, Keltar, Ballynoe, Whites Cross, Co. Cork, T23 K290. You can contact us at [email protected].
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, improve user experience, and give site owners information about how their site is used.
Cookies may be:
- Session cookies, which are deleted when you close your browser; or
- Persistent cookies, which remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them.
Similar technologies — including web beacons (pixels), local storage, and tags — work in a comparable way. Wherever we refer to "cookies" in this policy, we also mean these similar technologies.
2. How we use cookies
We use cookies to:
- ensure the website functions correctly and securely;
- remember your preferences and settings between visits;
- understand how visitors interact with the site so we can improve it;
- where you have consented, measure advertising performance and show you relevant adverts on CARS.ie and on other websites.
Other than cookies that are strictly necessary for the site to function, we set cookies only after you have given consent through our cookie banner.
3. Your choices — consent and the cookie banner
When you first visit CARS.ie, a cookie banner lets you accept or reject non-essential cookies. Rejecting non-essential cookies is as easy as accepting them: the banner offers an "Essential only" option with the same prominence as "Accept all". The banner groups cookies into four categories:
- Necessary — always on; cannot be switched off.
- Preferences — remembers your choices (also called functional cookies).
- Analytics — helps us understand how the site is used.
- Marketing — supports advertising, measurement and retargeting.
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time by clicking Cookie Settings in the footer of any page, or by clearing cars.ie cookies in your browser and revisiting the site. We will also re-present the banner at least every 6 months so you can refresh your choices, and whenever we make a material change to how we use cookies.
Disabling non-essential cookies will not prevent you using the site, but some features — such as saved searches, remembered search views, and embedded video — may not work as expected.
4. Categories of cookies we use
4.1 Necessary cookies
These cookies are required for the site to function and cannot be switched off. They are usually set in response to actions you take: signing in, placing a listing, setting privacy preferences, or completing a secure transaction. They are exempt from the consent requirement under the ePrivacy Regulations because the site cannot operate without them.
Examples: session identifiers, load-balancer routing cookies, CSRF/security tokens, your cookie-consent choices themselves, and bot-prevention tokens (reCAPTCHA).
4.2 Preferences (functional) cookies
These cookies let the site remember choices you make — your preferred search view (list vs grid), recently viewed listings, saved searches, how often you are shown a particular on-site banner, and similar personalisation. They are only set if you have given consent under the Preferences category in the banner.
4.3 Analytics cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the site — which pages are most visited, which searches are run, how users move through the site, where errors occur, and how many distinct visitors we receive. Analytics data is aggregated and is not used to identify individual users.
Analytics cookies are only set if you have given consent under the Analytics category in the banner.
4.4 Marketing cookies
Where you have given consent under the Marketing category, we and our advertising partners may use cookies to:
- measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns on CARS.ie;
- limit how often you see the same advertisement;
- show you CARS.ie advertisements on other websites (retargeting) after you have visited us;
- attribute conversions — for example, a submitted dealer enquiry — back to the advertising that brought you to the site.
As at the date at the top of this policy, no marketing cookies are active on CARS.ie. If we introduce them, they will be listed in the inventory below and set only after you consent under the Marketing category. Any such cookies may be set by third parties (for example, ad networks or social media platforms) who act as independent controllers of the data they collect; their own privacy policies would apply (see §6).
5. Cookies we use — full inventory
The tables below list the principal cookies set on CARS.ie, grouped by category. We review this inventory periodically. If you spot a cookie on the site that is not listed here, please email [email protected].
Necessary
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Maintains your session while browsing the site | Session |
| AuthU | Keeps you logged in to your account | Session |
| saved_listings | Stores your saved vehicle listings | 30 days |
| takeover_* (see note) | — moved to Preferences — | — |
| cookie_categories (localStorage) | Stores your cookie consent preferences | Persistent |
| _GRECAPTCHA (Google) | Bot-prevention / security on forms and login | 6 months |
Preferences
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| saved_searches | Remembers your saved search criteria | 30 days |
| results_view | Remembers your preferred search results layout | 30 days |
| takeover_* | Prevents the same on-site banner showing repeatedly | 24 hours |
Analytics
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| cars_tracked_* | Prevents duplicate visitor counting in our site statistics | End of day |
| _ga | Google Analytics — distinguishes unique visitors | 2 years |
| _ga_FY5T31KC3P | Google Analytics 4 — maintains session state | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics — distinguishes visitors | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics — throttles request rate | 1 minute |
Marketing
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| None currently in use. This category is reserved for future advertising integrations and will be populated, behind consent, if and when they go live. |
6. Third-party cookies and international transfers
Some cookies listed above are set by third-party services. Those providers are independent data controllers for the information they collect through those cookies, and their own privacy and cookie policies apply. Key third parties and where to read more:
- Google (Analytics, reCAPTCHA, and — if enabled in future — Ads/YouTube) — https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies
- Cloudflare (security and content delivery) — https://www.cloudflare.com/cookie-policy/
If we introduce advertising or social-media pixels (for example, Meta Platforms / Facebook Pixel or Google Ads) in future, we will add them here and set them only after you consent under the Marketing category.
Some of these providers are based outside the European Economic Area. Where that is the case, transfers of personal data collected through cookies are made under an adequacy decision (such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, where the provider is certified), Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism, as described in our Privacy Policy.
7. Managing cookies through your browser
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings, usually found under Settings or Preferences. Instructions for the major browsers:
- Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac
- Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/clear-cookies-and-site-data-firefox
- Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge
For general information about cookies and how to manage or delete them, see https://www.aboutcookies.org. You can also opt out of advertising cookies from participating networks via Your Online Choices (EU): https://www.youronlinechoices.com/ie.
Please note that disabling or deleting cookies through your browser will affect how CARS.ie — and many other websites — function.
8. Changes to this Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, or our practices. Any updates will be posted on this page with an updated revision date at the top. Where changes are material, we will draw them to your attention by re-presenting the cookie banner so that you can refresh your consent.
9. Contact us
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us at:
- Email: [email protected]
- Post: C.A.R.S (Ireland) Ltd, Keltar, Ballynoe, Whites Cross, Co. Cork, T23 K290, Ireland
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (https://www.dataprotection.ie).
