Terms of Service

1. Who we are

KarelCar is operated by KarelCar (“we”, “us”). You can reach us at support@karelcar.com.

2. What the service is

KarelCar is a free research resource for used-car buyers. We publish vehicle information such as reported problems, recalls, safety ratings, reliability scores and estimated market values, and we provide a VIN decoder. The service is provided for general information only. It is not a vehicle history report, an inspection, an appraisal, or legal, financial or mechanical advice.

3. Accuracy of information

Our data comes from public sources such as the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and from commercial data providers. Owner complaints are unverified reports. Reliability scores are our own calculation, explained on our About page. Market values are estimates. Information may be incomplete, out of date or wrong for a particular vehicle. Before you buy a vehicle, always have it inspected by a qualified mechanic, check its history and confirm recall status with the manufacturer or at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

4. Acceptable use

You may use the site for your own personal, non-commercial research. You agree not to:

• scrape, crawl or bulk-download content, or make automated or high-volume requests to the VIN decoder or other tools (we apply rate limits, currently up to 20 VIN lookups per hour per visitor);
• try to get around rate limits, security measures or access controls;
• use the site to break any law, or to infringe anyone’s rights, including privacy rights;
• use VIN lookups to try to identify or locate a vehicle’s owner;
• interfere with the site’s operation, or upload malicious code.

We may block or limit access for anyone who breaks these rules.

5. Intellectual property

The site’s design, text, scores, compilations and software are owned by us or our licensors. U.S. government data (such as NHTSA records) remains in the public domain. You may share links to our pages and quote short extracts with attribution and a link back. You may not republish substantial parts of the site without our written permission.

6. Third-party links and affiliate partners

The site links to third-party websites, including dealers and listing services. Some of these are affiliate links that may earn us a commission (see our Affiliate Disclosure). We do not control third-party sites and are not responsible for their content, products, prices or practices. Any purchase you make from a third party is between you and that third party.

7. Disclaimer of warranties

The service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not guarantee that the site will be uninterrupted or error-free.

8. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for any loss arising from your reliance on information on the site, including decisions to buy, sell or value a vehicle. Our total liability for any claim relating to the service is limited to US $100. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of these may not apply to you.

9. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify us against claims arising from your misuse of the service or your breach of these terms.

10. Changes

We may update these terms from time to time. The “Last updated” date shows when they last changed. If you keep using the site after a change, you accept the updated terms. We may also change or discontinue any part of the service.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Mandatory consumer protection laws where you live still apply.

12. Contact

Questions about these terms? Email support@karelcar.com or use our contact form.