Original work. Traceable evidence.

Editorial standards

Effective 25 September 2026

What a RoadMatch review is

A published RoadMatch review is an original, AI-assisted and editorially checked buyer's assessment. It separates primary facts from RoadMatch judgement, identifies the exact UK generation in scope and never claims to be a first-hand road test unless a RoadMatch author actually drove the vehicle.

The publication gate

  1. 01Catalogue identity recorded
  2. 02UK scope and generation verified
  3. 03Primary facts checked
  4. 04Independent research compared
  5. 05Rights and licences cleared
  6. 06Original RoadMatch review completed
  7. 07Editorial QA approved
  8. 08Recommendation eligibility enabled

Source and reuse register

These rules apply to every review dossier. A source can be useful evidence without granting RoadMatch republication rights.

Official UK vehicle data

DfT and DVLA vehicle licensing data

Open licence
Permitted
Validate UK make, generic-model, fuel and first-registration evidence under the Open Government Licence.
Not permitted
Do not imply government endorsement or conceal known administrative-data limitations.
Attribution
Contains Department for Transport and DVLA public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check the governing source or policy ↗
Official safety data

DVSA vehicle recall information

Open licence
Permitted
Report scoped recall facts with the government source, retrieval date and model-generation caveat.
Not permitted
Do not imply that a model-level search proves an individual vehicle has received remedial work.
Attribution
Contains DVSA public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check the governing source or policy ↗
Primary product facts

Manufacturer UK specifications and price lists

Facts only
Permitted
Verify generation-specific specifications, dimensions, equipment, warranties and contemporary list prices.
Not permitted
Do not copy marketing prose, tables, brochures, logos or press photography unless an explicit licence covers RoadMatch's use.
Attribution
Name the manufacturer, document title, applicable model year, URL and checking date.
Check the governing source or policy ↗
Independent editorial assessment

Autocar, Auto Express, Honest John, Carwow and RAC

Research reference
Permitted
Consult multiple named assessments, record their scope internally and link readers to the original pages.
Not permitted
No scraping, copied passages, close paraphrases, publisher photography, logos or reproduced scores without written permission.
Attribution
List publisher, article title, author where available, URL, scope note and checking date.
Check the governing source or policy ↗
Independent safety assessment

Euro NCAP

Permission required
Permitted
Link to the exact test and identify the tested year and equipment scope while permission is pending.
Not permitted
Do not reproduce Euro NCAP text, graphics, photographs, videos or ratings commercially without permission.
Attribution
Link to the exact Euro NCAP result and state the test year and applicability caveat.
Check the governing source or policy ↗
Commercial structured data

Insurance-group, valuation and running-cost datasets

Permission required
Permitted
Publish only records supplied under a contract, authorised API or other licence permitting RoadMatch's use.
Not permitted
Do not create a competing database by copying values from consumer websites or marketplace result pages.
Attribution
Follow the provider's contractual attribution and freshness requirements.
Check the governing source or policy ↗
Vehicle photography

Wikimedia Commons and other open-media repositories

Asset-specific licence
Permitted
Reuse an individual image only after checking its creator, source page, exact licence and modification obligations.
Not permitted
Do not assume that every search result, registration plate or manufacturer image is reusable.
Attribution
Show the creator, source page, exact licence and licence URL alongside RoadMatch's image record.
Check the governing source or policy ↗

Corrections and uncertainty

Specifications can vary by model year, trim and option pack. RoadMatch records the checking date, discloses material uncertainty and keeps unfinished catalogue entries out of recommendations. Readers can report a factual or licensing concern through the contact page.