Talk to me about Motability Scheme?

[Ze1tGeist]

so, i’ve finally been awarded higher rate Mobility for my PIP, which makes me eligible for the Motability scheme.

they’re all closed for Covid. when the garages open again they will clear the backlog, and i can then apply.

i’m already astonished that it includes insurance, tyres, breakdown cover, servicing and that i get free car tax.

does anyone have a car through Motability? before coronavirus happened, i mean. what car did you get, and was there an Advance payment on it? does your car use up all your Mobility allowance or are there decent smaller ones?

i will need an automatic as my left ankle is knackered. i also need something ‘high enough to get in and out of without too much of a drop!

what sort of lead time was there between choosing a car and collecting it?

i’m just so excited - this could be a real lifeline for me. any info gratefully received.

We were in the process of getting one for my son before lock down he was awarded high rate mobility under SMI ( DLA) a few months ago ,you reslly.need to shop.around ,some garages offer deals ,and it Depends on what you want regarding wether there,s an advanced payment or not, I think a more basic model would have no advance payment or small advance payment but it really depends on what you want and need ,there are a surprising amount of garages that offer mobility cars .

We have a vw sharan with a wheelchair hoist. It rocks! No stressing apart from the deposit every 3 years. I can use it for work even though it's my husbands dla. It's for his benefit I work and he can't drive.
The scheme feels luxurious but having utterly trashed my brand new car whilst dating him, and hauling the wheelchair in and out I'm firmly in "team motability"

Have you looked on the Motability website? You can filter the search in loads of ways depending on what you need/want.

I have a BMW. Which I though would be ££££ advanced payment so didn't even look at them as an option until last year. Was only £299 advanced payment.

There's also a grant scheme that can help with money towards the advanced payment. I think it’s fairly new. We got a £400 grant which was a huge help.

We're on our third. Our first was a qashqai. I think the advance payment was £600 and it used all of DS' mobility component of DLA. We're now on our second WAV as DS uses a wheelchair.

The process is very straightforward and yes, all we pay for out of pocket is fuel. The advanced payment on WAVs can be a couple of thousand but it is possible to get grants through Motability if you need a specific vehicle to meet your needs.

Have a look on the Motability site. They've got all sorts on there and you can even search by how much you're willing to pay. A lot of the smaller cars have no advance payment and don't use your whole mobility component.

Have been on the Scheme for a few years. There are masses of vehicles available, and different specifications too, with options such as wheelchair hoists available.

I'm currently driving a Renault Kadjar SUV, it's roomy, boot large enough for wheelchair and a fab (top) spec for £1,000 advance payment. Automatic too, and electronic handbrake.

Look at, and test drive, lots of cars. I've always insisted on an extended test-drive of a couple hours. It helps make a better choice in my experience.

No personal experience but my husband works in the industry, and I know from hearing him talk that there are absolutely masses of options available on the Motability scheme, so do ask lots of questions and don't be afraid to say exactly what you need as there are often changes that can be made to tailor a car to the customer's specific needs. Also, the company my husband works for does home demonstrations for customers who find it difficult to get to the showroom. I don't know if this available for everyone but just thought I'd mention it in case it is something that might help you - it can't hurt to ask anyway.
Good luck finding your ideal car.

thank you everyone for responding.

the motability website doesn’t have any vehicle searches at the moment due to covid and dealerships being closed.

once it’s all back up and running i will definitely pursue this - it seems like a brilliant scheme and will be a real lifeline for me. i have an old banger that broke down before xmas and am housebound. at the moment this isn’t a problem as i’m shielding, but i need a car once i’m allowed out again.
my arthritis has progressed to the point that i can’t use public transport as i can’t even walk to a bus stop!

thanks again, i’m excited to see what i can get!

Hi @Ze1tGeist

Motability seem to be staggering the re-opening of the scheme following COVID. This link fleshes out the details news.motability.co.uk/scheme-news/updates-from-the-motability-scheme-regarding-covid-19-coronavirus/

I have a Mini Cooper, it was £700 deposit and uses all of my allowance.
I absolutely love it.

My dd is on her 5th Motability car, as you change every 3 years. I am just her chauffeur
It really has been amazing to have a reliable, comfortable car that she can get in and out of easily, as her hospital appointments are frequent and scattered far and wide. Our cars have all been manual transmission, and the most we've paid upfront was £95 on her latest car. Our last one only cost £45 upfront because I chose to upgrade to a satnav... that was for a Ford Grand C-max!

Do take a look at the Motability Discussions Facebook page as there are lots of knowledgeable people on there who may be able to help.

Mine was due to be changed this month, but obviously wasn't because of Covid.
I just wanted the latest version of the car I have now but in a different colour.
There are many available to me with no deposit, the only thing I need is an auto because of frequent issues with my back/ribs, but I wanted something nicer.

this is all really good news, thank you. my main requirement is an automatic. i love driving but my arthritis has progressed and i have an old injury on my right ankle (tore ligamentst and never got it treated - long, dull story) so a manual clutch is out of the question now.

i’ll be saving up while waiting for the scheme to get back up and running, thanks all for the info.

I have just been awarded pip motability enhanced rate and would like to get a car however reading up about it i think my application will be declined as i was disqualified within the last 5 years, has anyone ever had this problem and been able to change the decision?

I have been driving since i was 17 i had a clean license for 10 years then after a traumatic event i was suffering mental health problems and i could not concentrate on the road and accumulated 3 speeding tickets in 6 months, i then had a complete breakdown and my license was revoked for 12 months 3 months into this i had to go court about the speeding offences where i had my license disqualified for 6 months which ran along side me being revoked

At the time i did not have it in me to fight this but looking now i feel i have been done 2 times for the same offense i had my license took of me because i was not fit to drive but i also had a fine and disqualified for speeding which would had not happened if i was fit to drive and now im still paying the price as my insurance is over 2k and now iv found i cant get motability i have just been awarded the enhanced rate and also only just got my license back its like im taking a step forward and 2 back

I really need a car i cant get around otherwise, what advice can anyone give me?

www.motability.co.uk/contact/faqs/my-proposed-driver-has-been-disqualified-in-the-past-can-they-be-put-on-the-policy

My son gets enhanced rate Mobility and we've got a Nissan Juke, there was no up front payment but it uses all his allowance.

It's been great tbh as it means I can get him to places .

We are working travel training with him so likelihood is he won't get enhanced next time but that's a positive thing tbh.

We have a Ford galaxy, need to replace it in June as you get them for 3 years. We live East London and get free congestion charge and Dartford crossing. Literally the only thing we pay for is fuel. Ours has hand controls for when husband drives it.

Hi, I got a motability car two years ago. Best decision I have ever made. I have a Renault captur. I paid 300 for the deposit, but when I hand the car back, providing it's in good condition I get 500 back. Insurance, mot, tax all included. Windscreen, breakdown, tyres all covered. I got a nail in one of the tyres a few months ago, I just phoned kwikfit and it was sorted, didn't even have to sign anything. Plus, because of this bastard lockdown the insurance company sent me a 60£ refund because of reduced traffic. It does however use up all of the mobility component, I found that even the small cars (fiesta etc) were only about 10 cheaper, so I got a bigger one.

I’ve got a BMW X1. Had to pay about 1300 for my model. Very happy with it.

My 12yr old daughter has adhd.she is on medication for it.she gets the higher rate dla and severe element.can I get a mobility car? I'm a single mum on jsa sick for depression. Long term.i dnt have pip.