Complete transparency on how Hagalu collects, uses and protects your data — in compliance with South Africa's POPIA and applicable international privacy law.
Last updated: May 2026
Hagalu is an independent automotive research and car buying guidance platform serving South Africa and African markets. When this policy refers to "Hagalu," "we," "us" or "our," it means the Hagalu platform and its operators. When it refers to "you" or "user," it means any person accessing hagalu.com or any Hagalu-operated subdomain.
For privacy enquiries, contact us at: privacy@hagalu.com
Hagalu operates primarily in South Africa and processes data in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA, Act No. 4 of 2013), which came into full effect on 1 July 2021. POPIA establishes eight conditions for lawful processing of personal information:
Where Hagalu serves users in the European Union or United Kingdom, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR also apply. Our practices are designed to satisfy both POPIA and GDPR requirements concurrently.
Hagalu collects aggregated, anonymised data about how users interact with the platform. This includes:
This data is used to understand which content is most useful to South African and African car buyers, to improve site navigation and to ensure technical compatibility across devices. No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics by default.
Hagalu provides EMI estimation tools and finance guidance frameworks. When you use these tools, the following applies:
When you use comparison tools or save vehicle research sessions, we may use browser local storage (not cookies) to retain your vehicle selections between pages. This data:
If you contact Hagalu via an enquiry form or email, we collect your name and email address to respond to your enquiry. This data is:
Hagalu uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Retention | Third Party? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential / Session | Maintain site functionality, CSRF protection, page state | Session only | No |
| Analytics | Aggregated traffic analysis (Google Analytics or equivalent) | Up to 26 months | Yes — Google |
| Advertising | Display relevant adverts; frequency capping | Up to 13 months | Yes — advertising partners |
| Preference | Store user interface preferences (theme, region selection) | 12 months | No |
You can control cookie behaviour through your browser settings. Disabling analytics or advertising cookies does not affect your ability to access vehicle data, specifications or finance guides on Hagalu.
South African users: POPIA does not mandate a specific cookie consent banner format, but we operate on a notice-and-opt-out basis for non-essential cookies, consistent with POPIA's transparency requirements.
Hagalu integrates with third-party services for analytics and advertising. These services operate under their own privacy policies:
We do not sell personal information to any third party under any circumstances. We do not share personally identifiable information with vehicle manufacturers, dealerships, finance institutions or insurance companies without your explicit consent.
Hagalu's finance and insurance content may reference South African financial service providers including WesBank, MFC, Absa Vehicle Finance, Standard Bank, Bidvest Bank, Santam, OUTsurance, King Price, Hollard and others. These references are editorial and educational only.
When we reference or link to these providers:
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding personal information Hagalu holds about you:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@hagalu.com with your request. We will respond within the timeframes prescribed by POPIA.
Hagalu implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These include:
In the event of a material data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA within the prescribed timeframe.
Hagalu does not knowingly collect personal information from persons under the age of 18. Vehicle finance and purchasing decisions are adult matters, and our content is directed at adult car buyers. If you believe a minor has submitted personal information to Hagalu, please contact us at privacy@hagalu.com for prompt deletion.
This privacy policy is reviewed at least annually and updated when our data practices change, when new services are introduced or when applicable law changes. Material changes will be noted on this page with an updated date stamp. Continued use of Hagalu after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
For questions about this policy or your privacy rights: privacy@hagalu.com