How AutoAlpha writes its guides
AutoAlpha publishes long-form guides about buying, owning and selling used cars in the UK. This page explains exactly how every guide is researched, written, fact-checked and kept up to date — and what to do if you spot a mistake.
Who writes the guides
Every guide on AutoAlpha is written by Salah Baaziz, the founder. There is no anonymous content farm behind the site — one person researches, writes, edits and signs off on every article. Author bylines appear on every guide.
How we source data
AutoAlpha runs its own scraper against the UK's largest used-car marketplace. Every "median price", "regional split" and "depreciation curve" figure you read in a guide is derived from that data unless we say otherwise. We also use:
- DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service — MOT status, tax status, vehicle make / colour / engine size.
- DVSA MOT history API — every MOT test, advisory and mileage reading.
- SMMT registration data — used as a proxy for the relative demand of each make and model.
- UK government sources — gov.uk for road tax rates, ULEZ, scrappage rules.
External figures that are not from these sources are cited inline with a link to the original.
The writing process
- Identify the search query the guide is answering. The H1 of the article reflects that query.
- Pull the latest AutoAlpha data on the relevant make / model / segment.
- Draft the guide, putting the direct answer in the first paragraph (no burying the lede).
- Add data screenshots, charts or tables sourced from AutoAlpha's own tool.
- Add a Frequently Asked Questions block answering the top 5–8 People Also Ask queries.
- Cross-check every figure against the underlying dataset before publishing.
Updates and freshness
Every guide carries a visible "Last updated" date in the article header. We update at minimum:
- Quarterly for buying guides where the market moves (best-used-cars-under-X, market analysis, depreciation).
- Annually for evergreen content (how-to-negotiate, how-to-check-a-car).
- Within 30 days for any article that contains a regulatory figure if that figure changes (e.g. road tax, ULEZ).
"Updated" doesn't mean we just bumped the date — it means a human re-read the article, refreshed the data, and rewrote anything that's stale.
Affiliate links and sponsorship
AutoAlpha does not currently run affiliate links or sponsored content in its guides. The site is funded by paid subscriptions to AutoAlpha itself (when our payment system is on) and by Stripe payments for top-up credits. If we ever introduce affiliate links, every link will be clearly marked.
AI and machine-generated content
AI tools (specifically, large language models) are used to draft sections of some guides, but every guide is reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by a human (Salah) before publishing. No guide on AutoAlpha is auto-generated from a template with no human editorial input. We follow Google's helpful-content guidance: AI is a writing aid, not a publisher.
Corrections policy
Spot a mistake? Email hello (at) autoalpha (dot) co (dot) uk with the URL of the page and the issue. We aim to correct factual errors within 48 hours. Significant corrections are noted at the bottom of the affected article with the date of the change.
Contact and credentials
AutoAlpha is operated from the United Kingdom. For questions about our methodology, source data or this editorial policy, get in touch via the contact form on the About page or by email.