Here at Consumer Reports, we think it’s important to protect your personal information to guard against fraud and identity theft. But if you’re shopping for a new car, dealers don’t make that easy. Before you can take a test drive, many dealers we’ve encountered will ask for your drivers’ license and may make a photocopy of it.

On the surface of it, this makes sense: Before they hand you the keys to a new $20,000 or $30,000 car, they want to make sure you’re licensed to drive it.

But your driver’s license contains all the personal information a salesman needs to run your credit report: your name, address, and birth date. 

Some former dealership employees have told us that salespeople routinely use this information to do a credit check when you give them your license. Two of the major credit bureaus, Trans Union and Equifax confirmed that it is possible to get a credit report without a consumer’s social-security number, though they say they need your permission.

While it seems reasonable for a dealership to verify you have a drivers license before letting you drive a car, we recommend you tell the dealership specifically that you are not authorizing a credit check when you’re only shopping around to see what car you might want to buy. Only authorize a credit check by filling out a loan application after you’ve made up your mind.

For more advice on new car-buying, check out our car buying advice resource center and read the full report “Car dealers can use your drivers license to access your credit report” on our Money blog.

—Eric Evarts