Terms of service

What OpenHood is

OpenHood is a community for enthusiast cars (the Register, where members make pages for their cars and post about them) and a listings marketplace for enthusiast cars. In the marketplace we are not a party to any sale, we connect buyers and sellers and charge sellers a flat fee to list. The contract for the car itself is between the buyer and seller directly. OpenHood is not acting as agent for either the buyer or the seller, and never holds, receives, or handles funds for the sale of a car at any point. Payment for the car itself is arranged directly between buyer and seller.

Who can use OpenHood

You must be 18 or over to use OpenHood: to create an account, list a car, or contact a seller. We may close an account we find belongs to someone under 18.

Listing a car

You must be the legal owner or have authority to sell the car. The information you provide must be accurate. We check your V5C and MOT before approving a listing, and we can reject or remove a listing that does not meet our standards, or that we reasonably believe to be inaccurate, fraudulent, or misleading.

Fees

The listing fee is shown on the Fees page. Nothing is charged when you submit a car: you pay only once we have approved the listing, and if we do not approve it you pay nothing. A paid listing stays live for 30 days, and you can renew it for another 30 days at the same fee during its last 7 days. There is no commission on the sale. If you are charged twice for the same listing by mistake, we refund the extra payment. Early access sellers, invited before the marketplace opens, list free.

The Register: what you post

Post about your own cars, or a car you have driven or been in, with photos you took or have the right to share. Don't post other people's cars spotted out and about, people who haven't agreed to be in a photo, or anything that shows where a car is kept.

No objectionable content and no abuse: nothing sexual, violent, hateful, harassing, threatening or illegal, no spam and no scams. We remove content that breaks these rules and may suspend or close the account that posted it. You can report anything, and block anyone, from its menu.

You keep the rights to what you post. You give OpenHood permission to store it, cover number plates in it, and show it on OpenHood (on the website, in the app and in links people share) to the people your settings allow, for as long as it is on OpenHood.

Number plates are covered automatically, but the check can miss one. If you spot a plate that should be covered, tell us and we will fix it.

A car can have only one page. If you sell your car through OpenHood, its page and history can pass to the new keeper; your name isn't passed on.

Comments and offers

Comments follow the same rules as posts. You can delete your own, and you can delete any comment on your own posts.

An offer on someone's car tells its owner what you would pay. It is not binding on either of you: the owner does not have to reply or accept, and you can withdraw it. Any sale is agreed directly between you, not through OpenHood.

Meets

Meets are suggested and hosted by members, not run by OpenHood. A host chooses a public place that welcomes cars, never anyone's home, and is responsible for the meet being lawful and respecting the venue and its neighbours.

No street racing, no speeding to or from a meet, and no meets where a local order bans car gatherings. Going is your own choice and at your own risk. We can remove a meet or a suggestion, and report anything dangerous to the police.

A meet's chat follows the community rules. Its host can remove messages on their meet.

No warranty on the car

OpenHood curates and checks listings but does not inspect the mechanical condition of any car and gives no warranty on it. Buyers should arrange their own inspection before purchase.

Enquiries

Messages sent through the "Enquire" form are passed to the seller, who may contact you directly using the details you provide.

Account

You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and for activity on your account.

Keeping OpenHood safe

Not allowed on OpenHood: scams and fraud, including fake listings and fake buyers; harassment, threats or abuse; anything illegal; sharing someone's location or personal details without their permission; and accounts run by or for a proscribed (banned) organisation.

To report something, use Report in the menu of the post, comment, car page, listing, conversation or profile, or email hello@openhood.uk. The person you report isn't told who reported them. If you're signed in we email you to say we've got your report, unless you untick that when you send it.

We check reports every day and aim to act on them within 24 hours. We may remove content or a listing, and we may suspend or close an account. If anyone is in danger, call 999. If you have lost money, call your bank and contact Report Fraud.

If we remove your listing or anything else you posted, or suspend or close your account, and you think we got it wrong, email hello@openhood.uk to appeal. A person looks at the facts again, and we put things back if we made a mistake. You can complain about anything else we do the same way.

Photos added to a listing, and profile photos, are checked automatically by an AI service. A person reviews every listing before it goes live. If the automatic check gets a photo wrong, you can ask for a person to look at it.

Changes

We may update these terms from time to time; continued use of the site means you accept the current version.

Contact

hello@openhood.uk.