Cookie Policy

This Cookie Policy explains how VRT Calculator Ireland (“we,” “us,” “our”) uses cookies, pixels, and similar tracking technologies on our website www.vrtcalculator.top (the “Site”). It is designed to comply with the EU ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU 2016/679), and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018. It also reflects the requirements of Google AdSense for serving interest-based advertising.

By continuing to browse the Site, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy. You have the right to withdraw or change your consent at any time by adjusting your cookie preferences or browser settings.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files (typically a few kilobytes) that a website stores on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) via your web browser when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device, remember your preferences, and collect anonymised usage data across different browsing sessions. Cookies may be “first-party” (set by the website you are visiting) or “third-party” (set by a domain other than the one you are visiting, such as Google or YouTube).

Cookies serve a variety of essential and non-essential functions. Some are strictly necessary for the Site to function correctly (for example, to process your VRT calculations and remember your inputs during a session). Others help us analyse how visitors use the Site, measure advertising effectiveness, and deliver personalised content. You can control which cookies are placed on your device through the cookie consent banner on your first visit or through your browser settings at any time.

In addition to cookies, we may use similar technologies such as local storage, session storage, web beacons (also known as tracking pixels), and fingerprinting techniques. These technologies serve similar purposes and are subject to the same consent requirements under EU law where applicable.

2. Legal Basis for Processing

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018, we process cookie data based on the following legal grounds:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR): For analytics, advertising, and preference cookies, we rely on your freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent obtained via our cookie consent banner. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): For strictly necessary/essential cookies, we rely on our legitimate interest in providing a functional, secure website. These cookies cannot be disabled through the cookie banner and do not require your consent under EU law.
• Contractual Necessity (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): Where cookies are necessary to perform the VRT calculation service you request, processing is based on the performance of a contract to which you are a party.

Where we process personal data through cookies (such as IP addresses, device identifiers, or browsing behaviour), we act as a data controller. Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at help@vrtcalculator.top for any data protection-related inquiries.

3. Categories of Cookies We Use

3.1 Strictly Necessary (Essential) Cookies

These cookies are essential for the Site to function properly. They enable core functionality such as form submissions, session management, and security measures. Without these cookies, certain services on the Site (including the VRT calculator) cannot be provided. These cookies do not require your consent under EU law and are set automatically when you access the Site. They are typically first-party cookies and are deleted when your browsing session ends (session cookies) or persist for a limited period.

Essential cookies on this Site include those that enable the VRT calculator form to process your inputs across multiple steps, maintain your session state, and ensure secure data transmission. These cookies do not collect personal information about your browsing habits outside this Site and are never used for advertising purposes.

3.2 Analytics and Performance Cookies

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Site by collecting and reporting anonymous information. We use Google Analytics (GA4) to measure page views, time on site, scroll depth, click patterns, and geographic trends at an aggregate level. This data allows us to improve the calculator user experience, identify technical issues, and prioritise content development.

Google Analytics uses first-party cookies and JavaScript to collect this information. The data collected includes your IP address (anonymised before storage), browser type, device type, pages visited, date/time of visit, and referring URL. Google processes this data on our behalf under a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) compliant with GDPR Article 28. The information is retained for 14 months before being automatically deleted.

3.3 Advertising and Marketing Cookies

We use Google AdSense to display contextual and interest-based advertisements on the Site. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this Site and other websites across the Google Display Network. These cookies enable Google and its partners to serve ads that are more relevant to your interests (known as “interest-based advertising”).

AdSense cookies collect information about your browsing activity across different websites, including pages viewed, ads clicked, and device identifiers. This data is processed by Google under its own privacy policy, which you can review at policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of personalised advertising at any time by visiting Google's Ads Settings at adssettings.google.com.

3.4 Functional and Preference Cookies

Functional cookies remember choices you make on the Site (such as your preferred currency, vehicle type, or language) to provide a more personalised experience. They also enable specific features such as remembering your recently calculated VRT estimates within a session. These cookies are set based on your consent and are typically first-party cookies that persist for a limited duration.

3.5 Third-Party Cookies

We may embed content from third-party services on the Site, including YouTube videos (for tutorial guides), social media sharing buttons, and Google Fonts. These third-party services may set their own cookies on your device when you interact with their embedded content, which is governed by their respective privacy and cookie policies. We do not control these cookies and recommend reviewing the relevant third-party policies for full details.

4. Detailed Cookie Table

The following table lists the specific cookies that may be set on your device when you use the Site:

Note: The specific cookies set may vary depending on your browser, device, and consent choices. This table is updated periodically and was last reviewed on 30 June 2026.

5. Consent Management

When you first visit the Site, a cookie consent banner is displayed that requests your permission to set non-essential cookies (analytics, advertising, and functional categories). The banner provides clear information about each cookie category and allows you to:

• Accept all cookies (full consent).
• Reject all non-essential cookies (essential cookies only).
• Customise your preferences by category before accepting.
• Withdraw consent at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the website footer.

Consent is recorded and stored in a first-party cookie named cookie_consent, which persists for 12 months. After this period, or if you clear your browser cookies, the consent banner will reappear on your next visit to obtain renewed consent. We maintain a record of your consent (including timestamp and consent level) for compliance purposes as required under GDPR Article 7.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), we use the Google Consent Mode (v2) integration to dynamically adjust how Google Analytics and Google AdSense behave based on your consent choices. If you reject advertising cookies, Google tags will not set advertising cookies or serve personalised ads. If you reject analytics cookies, Google Analytics will not track your session.

6. How to Manage and Delete Cookies

You have full control over cookies stored on your device. In addition to the cookie consent banner on our Site, you can manage cookie preferences directly through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View all cookies stored on your device.
• Block all or specific cookies from being set.
• Delete individual or all cookies at any time.
• Set your browser to notify you when a cookie is being set.
• Enable private/incognito browsing mode, which automatically deletes cookies when you close the browser.

Below are links to the cookie management guides for the most common browsers:

• Google Chrome Cookie Settings
• Mozilla Firefox Cookie Settings
• Safari Cookie Settings
• Microsoft Edge Cookie Settings

To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on. To opt out of personalised advertising from Google, visit Google Ads Settings or the YourAdChoices opt-out page.

Please note that disabling certain categories of cookies may affect the functionality of the Site. For example, blocking essential cookies may prevent the VRT calculator from saving your inputs correctly, while blocking analytics cookies means we will not be able to measure and improve site performance based on your usage.

7. Data Retention

Cookie data is retained for the periods specified in the cookie table above (Section 4). Once a cookie expires, it is automatically deleted by your browser and is not recreated unless you revisit the Site and trigger a new cookie-setting event. Analytics data retained by Google Analytics is automatically purged after 14 months from the last visit. AdSense advertising data is retained by Google in accordance with Google's privacy policy. Consent records (stored in the cookie_consent cookie) are retained for 12 months from the date of consent, after which renewed consent is requested.

We do not retain raw cookie logs server-side. All cookie-level data is processed client-side within your browser. Aggregated analytics reports are retained indefinitely in anonymised form but cannot be linked back to individual users or devices.

8. International Data Transfers

Some third-party service providers we use (including Google LLC) process data on servers located outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where such transfers occur, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place under Chapter V of the GDPR. For transfers to the United States, Google relies on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) as certified under the European Commission's adequacy decision of 10 July 2023. You can review Google's DPF certification at dataprivacyframework.gov.

9. Google AdSense & Advertising Cookies

In compliance with Google's EU User Consent Policy and the GDPR, we have implemented the following measures regarding advertising cookies:

• We obtain explicit consent before loading Google AdSense tags that set advertising cookies on your device.
• We use Google Consent Mode (v2) to signal your consent status to Google tags dynamically.
• If you reject advertising cookies, only non-personalised ads (contextual ads) will be served, and no advertising cookies will be set.
• We provide clear information about advertising data collection in this Cookie Policy and the cookie consent banner.
• We respect the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) standards for consent management.

Google AdSense uses the following data points for personalised advertising: cookie IDs, device IDs, IP addresses, browsing activity across websites and apps, location data, and inferred interests based on browsing behaviour. You have the right to object to the use of your data for personalised advertising at any time through the methods described in Section 6 above.

10. Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights regarding the processing of personal data collected through cookies:

• Right of Access (Article 15): You have the right to obtain confirmation of whether we process personal data concerning you and to access that data.
• Right to Rectification (Article 16): You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Erasure (Article 17): You have the right to request deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing.
• Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18): You have the right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability (Article 20): You have the right to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Article 21): You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling for direct marketing.
• Right to Withdraw Consent (Article 7): You have the right to withdraw your consent to cookie processing at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint (Article 77): You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) at dataprotection.ie if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at help@vrtcalculator.top. We will respond to your request within 30 days as required under GDPR.

11. Policy Updates

We reserve the right to update this Cookie Policy at any time to reflect changes in legal requirements, Google AdSense policies, or our cookie usage. The date of the most recent revision appears at the top of this policy. Where material changes are made, we may display a notice on the Site or request renewed consent if required by law. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your data.

Continued use of the Site after any changes to this Cookie Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree with any change, you should adjust your cookie preferences or discontinue use of the Site.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, our data processing practices, or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us:

• Email: help@vrtcalculator.top
• Data Protection Officer: Privacy Team, VRT Calculator Ireland
• Regulatory Authority: Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland — www.dataprotection.ie

We aim to acknowledge all data protection inquiries within 5 business days and to resolve them within 30 days. If your request is complex or we require additional time, we will notify you within the initial 30-day period and provide a timeline for resolution.