Accessibility Statement for Cars.ie

This accessibility statement applies to the Cars.ie website, including www.cars.ie and support.cars.ie.

The new www.cars.ie website has been rebuilt from the ground up with accessibility in mind for everyone, including people with disabilities and people using assistive technologies. Rather than adding accessibility to an existing site, we have designed it in from the start, in accordance with applicable legislation, including the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882).

Our Accessibility Commitment

Accessibility is built into how we design, develop and deliver Cars.ie. Every part of the new site, from search and ad pages to contacting a dealer, has been designed and built with the aim of meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, which we consider the standard for inclusive digital design.

Relaunching Cars.ie gave us the opportunity to make accessibility a foundation of the site rather than an afterthought. We believe accessible products are not only a legal requirement, but a core part of delivering trusted, high-quality digital experiences for everyone.

Our approach is centred around the four WCAG principles:

• Perceivable: Content, text and media can be consumed by all users, including those using screen readers or requiring text alternatives.
• Operable: The site is designed to support a variety of input methods and assistive technologies, including keyboard navigation.
• Understandable: We prioritise clear language and consistent layouts to help all users easily interpret and interact with the site.
• Robust: The site is built to be compatible with current and future assistive tools, ensuring long-term accessibility.

How We Built Accessibility In

As part of the relaunch, we:

1. Designed with accessible colour contrast, text sizes and touch targets from the first designs.
2. Used semantic, well-structured page markup so the site works with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
3. Designed key journeys, including searching for a car, filtering results, viewing an ad and contacting a dealer, to work by keyboard and screen reader.
4. Designed mobile-first, so the site works well at all screen sizes and supports zoom and text resizing.
5. Set up ongoing testing against WCAG 2.1 AA, using automated tools and manual testing with assistive technologies, so issues are found and fixed.

In-house Accessibility Champions and Expertise

Accessibility is championed internally by a network of dedicated Accessibility Champions across our web development and design and UI/UX teams.

Each champion has undertaken structured accessibility training via Deque University, bringing specialised knowledge to their domain. They serve as advocates for accessibility in all design and development decisions.

Accessibility for All Future Changes

Every new feature and change to Cars.ie is designed and developed to WCAG 2.1 AA as standard. This includes:

1. New features (e.g. account sign-in, saved searches and alerts, finance applications)
2. Changes to core interactions (e.g. search, enquiry forms or other service flows)
3. Visual or structural redesigns, including new navigation patterns or menu layouts
4. Platform or backend changes that alter the user experience
5. New channels, such as mobile apps

All such changes undergo accessibility testing, review and, where necessary, remediation before release.

Content We Don't Control

While the www.cars.ie website itself is designed for accessibility, some content and tools on the site come from third parties and may not always fully meet WCAG 2.1 AA. These may include:

1. Content provided by dealers, such as vehicle photos and free-text ad descriptions
2. Third-party tools embedded in or linked from the site, such as our cookie consent banner, help centre, dealer reviews and WhatsApp

We present dealer content in an accessible way wherever we can, for example by providing descriptive text for vehicle images based on the vehicle's make, model, body type, fuel type, year and colour, and we work with our third-party providers to improve the accessibility of their tools.

Monitoring, Auditing and Compliance Record-Keeping

We are committed to keeping Cars.ie accessible through:

1. Continuous monitoring
   1. Automated accessibility scanning integrated into our development pipelines.
   2. Manual testing using assistive technologies on key journeys.

2. Annual accessibility audits
   1. Conducted by trained internal staff and/or external accessibility tools and experts.

3. Compliance documentation
   1. We maintain detailed records of accessibility efforts, known issues, testing results and resolutions.

Feedback and Complaints Process

We welcome and encourage feedback on the accessibility of Cars.ie. If you experience any accessibility barriers, need information in an alternative format, or wish to make a complaint, please contact us at:

Email: support@cars.ie

Help centre: support.cars.ie

We aim to acknowledge your message within 5 working days and provide a resolution or progress update within 20 working days. If your issue is not satisfactorily addressed, you may escalate the complaint to the relevant national enforcement body in Ireland.

Looking Ahead

Accessibility is a key pillar of trust and inclusion at Cars.ie. We will continue to:

1. Build every new feature with accessibility in mind for all users.
2. Train and upskill our teams to uphold high accessibility standards.
3. Proactively monitor compliance and respond to evolving best practices.
4. Listen to feedback from users and act on it.
5. Review and update this statement at least once a year.

We are proud to have built a more inclusive way to find your next car, and thank you for supporting our journey.

This statement was prepared on 28 October 2026 and last reviewed on 28 October 2026.