The following conclusions are based on our researcher’s observations between 27 and 28 May 2012. The results therefore provide a snapshot of what each research site was offering during that time. Sophus3 is not a law firm. None of our observations and conclusions should therefore be interpreted as in relation to compliance or non-compliance with the respective legislation.  

For more information please download the following document:
2012 UK Automotive Cookie Law Compliance Status
Or contact sophus3 on:
contact.en@sophus3.com

Most of the readers of this article will be aware that the so called “cookie law” is being enforced in the UK as of 26th of May 2012. In response to this, auto brands have been busily working on compliance with this new regulation in time to meet the deadline. So far auto brands in the UK differ widely in the implementation of measures designed to meet the legislative requirements. As the ICO has stated that they accept “work in progress” as long as compliance is achieved within a reasonable timescale, some brands may well not have implemented the final solution they envisage. Here are some key findings:

• While 89 % of the websites provide information about cookies, 11% of auto brand sites currently do not provide information about cookies in a prominent enough way for the sophus3 researcher to find it in a reasonable time frame despite looking out for it.
• None use a strict opt-in policies for any of their cookies and many use a wording that assumes an implied consent by the user.
• 74 % have a link to a cookie page on their Homepage while 5 have an alert type element (text box, banner): Vauxhall, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Renault
• 5 have built their own cookie opt-out solution: Vauxhall, Toyota, Honda, Volvo, Renault. Vauxhall provides the opt-out on the homepage, all others on the cookie info page. Many others refer to the browser settings for managing cookies