To get a motability car ( and also what’s allowed ?! )

[Justnavigating]

Hi

My 18 year old is in receipt of enhanced mobility PIP. We can get a motability car with it.

I never considered it before as I already have a car. My husband did too , until recently . Now he needs my car ( he earns more and works longer hours , not possible with public transport ) . I take my child everywhere - social groups , days out , meeting friends etc . This has been impacted slightly but not massively with me not having the car all the time .

However , my husband has a new job . 6 days per week and longer hours. This means that the things I take my child to that they rely on are not going to be possible . Nor will the days out ( related to a specific hobby that means a lot to them ) . She also hates being in the house and when I had the car was always with me everywhere - shopping , drives out etc . Now that we can’t do that it is really having an affect and will be worse with the new job . Adding up what I spend on taxis for work, alongside the taxis now for social groups and any days out , I feel that getting a car through motability might be a good option.

However - I will be using it for work too . Is this allowed ? Obviously my work benefits my child and I only work when they are at college ( I do work less in the holidays and I guess would be happy to still get a taxi there if I wasn’t allowed to use the car as it’s not when she is in college ) but realistically me working and using it would be benefitting her due to income and it’s not like she would be getting the bus to places because I have the car and she can’t use it - she can’t drive !!

Am I allowed to use it for work ? It’s not a job that I need my car for ( as in I’m not using the car for a business like deliveries etc ) it’s just going to and from work .

What about if I have a day off for example - am I allowed to use it to take my other children to school ( I don’t do school runs as I work but just if I did happen to have a day off / I may be moving jobs to one where I work from home sometimes so if I was able to do school runs could I ? ) or if I was off and I wanted to get the shopping done or go to see someone could I if my child wasn’t with me ? ) - this really is hypothetical as at the moment I work every day my child is in college .

aside from work there is no other time I would really use it Without her - she’s with me all the time and if , for eg , me and my husband went away or went out for a date night we would have the other car so use that .

I just don’t want to get it and then be worrying and assessing every time I get in it as to whether this particular journey benefits them. Do they expect it to be used as the main car, so in that sense not every single journey is for the disabled child but on the whole it is ?

I know of someone in the same situation who uses it as their general car - but they don’t work so day to day they use it when their 19 year old disabled child is at work but they take them to work and collect them .

Wait times depend on make, model and colour (e.g. grey cars are usually standard so can be quicker to source than red, plus you pay extra for non-standard colour)

Oh I won’t be paying any extra for a colour or anything really I won’t add extras on x

Wait and see, I love my particular car, and choosing a new colour, and extras to order.
You'll have the car for three years, so get what you want.

I preordered ours in Feb but official order went in at start of March and it is coming in June. If you want one in a hurry drive around the garages and ask who can get the quickest and what colours/models are already sitting ready.

We ordered before Christmas and were quoted 3 months. It's a Toyota and we didn't have to pay extra for any of the colours so we chose a bright red so we could spot it in a car park (also motivated by someone having recently reversed into the black car that we had at the time - my reasoning being that they couldn't claim to have not noticed us in such a vivid colour!)

Anyhow, we had it by the first week in January! We had to wait until March for a second key (microchip shortage) and the locking wheel nuts, though.

Also look at where the nearest garage is. I had a Mitsubishi and it was a real pain every year getting to the garage as it was miles away. The customer service was pretty crap too. I had a Ford for the first car and they picked it up, serviced it and dropped it back in pristine condition looking like it had had a full valet! Most recent car was a BMW which I purchased off them last year when my son moved to residential. . Garage is local so getting it there for services etc is easy.

Check with motability - this sounds wrong. If you live at the same address as your husband it would be deemed that the business is supporting you as the disabled person, so he would be able to use it for business if the insurance covers business use. Worth checking.

I think it’s pretty standard to be fair. 10 points under descriptor E and at least 8 points in the moving around category will qualify you. There are also various ways you can qualify for a blue badge without PIP, but here the eligibility does vary from council to council.

It doesn’t need to be in the insurance document. This has been covered again and again. If the disabled person is living with the named driver at the same address, the named driver is allowed to use the car for travel to and from work, and in some cases business use. It’s deemed that the fact that the driver works is directly benefiting the disabled person - it’s paying the bills and keeping a roof over their head. The only extra permission required from motability is to use the car for business use - there’s an application form available for this.

If your named driver lives thirty miles away you will have had permission from motability for them to use the car. The standard distance for a named drivers’ residence is within five miles of the disabled persons’ home. They use five miles to stop misuse of the car - anything else has to be authorised and there will be a tracker on the car.

I've already checked. They won't allow anyone but me to be covered for business use

Did they say why ? It could be something to do with the nature of the business. I only ask because I’ve dealt with claimants whose partners have been able to use the car for business purposes because the rule is that they are directly supporting the disabled person.

The mobility component won’t be affected as much as the daily living component, and the most disabled will likely carry on receiving the cash payments. If motability were to close it would have a significant impact on the UK car industry. I think the outcome of the consultation will be a tightening of eligibility conditions - especially with mental health conditions as the number of claims have risen sharply since the pandemic. I don’t like Sunak’s’ assertion that those claiming PIP are not genuine - and he and his ministers don’t seem to realise that PIP isn’t an out of work benefit, as they keep aligning it with the number of people out of work. It’s typical government rhetoric to bash the sick and disabled - especially when they’re this desperate so close to the GE, because they’re hoping for right wing votes. Hopefully they’ll be booted out in October and then we’ll see what Labour have to offer.

Can I ask how your DD qualified for the higher rate mobility component ? If she got at least 8 points from the moving around category or 10 points for descriptor E for mental health conditions, or any combination then she should automatically qualify for a blue badge.

Op, every time you use the car to go to work, stop at the shop/garage in the way home and buy your daughter a bag of crisps/magazine/do the food shop etc. then it 100% IS for the daughters before. Forget the ridiculous jobsworths on here. It can be used as a family car and you can apply for a grant to help your daughter with driving lessons too.

Not if you have a profoundly disabled child or adult living in your household it doesn’t. And envy and resentment is evident on this thread. As with most MN threads on disability benefits, most people only see the money.

As with most MN threads on disability benefits, most people only see the money

So true.

Not if you have a profoundly disabled child or adult living in your household it doesn’t.

Do you mean it doesnt make sense for people to have one car? I meant it makes sense for people who only want to use one car to do so. They should be allowed to use the motability car for all purposes, work etc if that’s what they want and not feel pressured to buy and use another car. They can of course also use two cars if they prefer. I was supporting the OP.

I don't have a tracker.
As I mentioned, the staff at Motability are incredibly helpful and are prepared to help in unusual situations.

OP has already posted her DD receives enhanced mobility (i.e. 12 points) under the planning and following a journey activity (which isn’t just for mental health conditions). This does not automatically qualify for a blue badge in England.

Thanks. I missed that detail.

My DH is on higher rate PIP & we’ve used the scheme for our last 4 cars. All have been used as the family car and I am the main user of our current vehicle as DH is no longer fit to drive.

I use the car for work, shopping etc which all benefit my dh as I earn the money to
keep us and bring home the food etc he requires! I also take him to all appointments etc. No one is monitoring your useage!

We have found it an excellent scheme, always get a cheque for good condition at the end of each lease & during Covid got £50 cheques twice as insurance claims were low as much fewer ppl were on the roads! Everything is covered except petrol & insurance excess if you need to claim on that. Go for it OP it’s hassle free & better than paying for taxis etc.

Yep. Sorry, I should have clarified I was making the distinction about mental health because OP said her DD doesn’t have a physical disability. These mobility descriptor covers other conditions that are not appropriate to the moving around category, or are a combination.

I have had to report an accident to
Motability car insurance . My Dh, the leaseholder, wasn’t in the car at the time. Claim was paid with no questions asked about the journey. HTH

Can I just add to all the other information that if you decide to get an electric vehicle through motability, installation of a charging point at your home (if suitable) is covered.