The NFDA and Trusted Dealers has joined forces to encourage dealers to prepare for “draconian” new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which could see dealers facing fines of up to £20 million.  

Trusted Dealers is signposting its members to the NFDA’s GDPR Toolkit in an attempt to help them avoid any breaches of the new data protection legislation – set to be applied in May 2018 –  which will see a major overhaul in the requirements placed on dealers to gain explicit permissions and consents for future contact and marketing.

The Toolkit aims to set out the key steps that dealers need to take to comply with the new requirements and ensures they are in the best possible position to protect and utilise their current data.

Included in the kit is a ‘Roadmap to Compliance’ document which sets out the practical steps dealers need to take in order to be ready for the May 2018 deadline.

The roadmap prioritises key actions based on areas of risk for dealers and takes into account industry factors, including data flows between dealers and manufacturers, the capability of existing dealer management systems, dealing with legacy marketing consents, and acquisitions and disposals.

Neil Addley, managing director of Trusted Dealers, said: “We are committed to helping our members look after their customers and the changes to the data protection regulations could represent a big headache for dealers if they are not properly prepared.  

“Being part of the NFDA means that we are able to signpost members to useful resources such as the Toolkit to ensure they are able to act now to ensure compliance by 2018. 

“The good news is that the advice to members is coming direct from their own trade body.”

Sue Robinson, director of the NFDA, said: “This issue was highlighted by the NFDA’s Marketing Working Group and as there are serious repercussions for not complying with the new regulations we determined to create the Toolkit initiative to ensure our members are prepared ahead of the changes.

“We are also calling for collaboration between manufacturers, dealers and DMS (dealer management system) providers to ensure a common approach is applied to interpretation of the legislation.”    

Breaches of the new GDPR legislation could see companies facing large fines for failing to comply with the measures.

For the most severe infractions, regulators can levy a fine amounting to 4% of a company’s turnover from the previous year.

In addition, the new legislation will require changes to written contracts with third parties, greater accountability for data protection planning and new rights for consumers to delete data or prevent targeted marketing.