To think this is a fair change to the Motability scheme...

[BusyBumbling]

BBC News - 'Premium' cars like BMW and Mercedes cut from Motability scheme
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9znkxq47xo

It's still supporting disabled people with the cost of owning a car whilst also supporting the British car industry. I think public opinion has been listened to on both sides and this seems very sensible.
It may also reduce some of the costs of the grants paid from the scheme which were helping fund the upfront cost for premium cars for poorer claimants.

"Do you disagree with this? If so, why?"

I have no experience of epilepsy but I am sure the poster knows her daughter's needs better than you do. She also cares more about her daughter than you do.

The thing that I find bizarre about all these discussions about whether someone does or doesn't need a car is that the vast majority of households in the UK already have a car. Unless we are literally taking about a car free household needing a car because someone has become disabled then how is the car an additional cost of a disability? Almost all of us need cars to function outside of the major cities.

Obviously the adaptions and very specific models aside, lots of Motability users simply get very average standard cars and don't adapt them in anyway.

So, how would you get an unconscious adult off a bus, at their stop? How would you deal with them wetting themselves, down both legs into their shoes and the bus seat? Where would you change them?

She can on occasion suffer faecal incontinence too, and in her semi conscious state, put her hands down her trousers and then smears through her hair. When that happens at home, I take her off for a bath and hair wash, while DH clears up the carpet, and whatever furnishings have been soiled. It’s happened in the car, and it took us two packets of baby wipes to clean her and the disabled toilet, we took her to at the next service station.

She can also take her clothes off, because she gets very hot during seizures. She once was naked from the waist down, on the high street in February. Another time, she was running around the house, naked from the waist down, when the paramedics came.

DD is aggressive before, during and after seizures. She could easily knock you over or punch you in the stomach.She can’t do that, when she’s wearing a seat belt, in the back of the car.

"then how is the car an additional cost of a disability? Almost all of us need cars to function outside of the major cities."

Ds needs a bigger car to accommodate his needs. He needs a car that can be driven by multiple carers.
Most people his age are getting a cheap car that they can drive on their own.
He can never use public transport or a taxi.

I actually didn't report that post but thank you to the poster(s) who did. Thanks to the mods for acting on it.

His friends will also be paying extortionate insurance costs though of £2k a year on top of paying for the car so it wouldn't be cheap for them either.

Most people can't rely solely on public transport or taxis so have to have a car.

"His friends will also be paying extortionate insurance costs though of £2k a year on top of paying for the car so it wouldn't be cheap for them either."

He doesn't have friends. He is too severely disabled. That is why he can't leave the house without at least 3 carers with him. He also has to pay £3k top up every 3 years to get a car that meets his needs and that won't decrease as he gets older.

Still far easier to fake ‘anxiety’ than any of the conditions you mentioned!

Ah apologies I didn't realise the severity of his disability. I think most people would agree that he is a non controversial user of Motability.

He is also very much in the minority of users and I was refering to the majority

"I think most people would agree that he is a non controversial user of Motability."

I have seen comments saying why should someone with mental health conditions ( which all his disabilities come under) have a motability car.

This may be the case but surely you appreciate that he is an extreme case? Lots of people with mental health conditions won't need carers to leave the house.

I notice on MN a tendency for people who are on the extremes to come onto threads like this and defend other people that technically fall under the same umbrella but are obviously very very different.

If there is already a car permanently available for the disabled person’s needs, I doubt they’d take advantage of a second vehicle. They’d just keep the PIP money for other expenses. Only half of those entitled to a motability vehicle have one. Some people prefer to keep the money because they don’t need another car.

This is the key bit of information in the BBC article:

Higher-end vehicles account for about 50,000 of the vehicles leased by the scheme, with customers paying the additional cost for a premium vehicle using their own money.

Basically all this does is say to disabled people "you don't deserve nice things".

Utterly repugnant.

I imagine most people would do it the other way round and use Motability to fund the household car because of all the other perks that come with it. It is a very cosy effective way of leasing a car and paying for insurance etc

What are you talking about? Disabled people have the same rights to buy nice things as everybody else using their own money. They can still buy whatever car they want outside of the Motability scheme.

The point being, that motability is supposed to cover adaptations required so that disabled people have the same choice as everyone else.

By taking higher end cars out of the scheme - which, as I said, is paid for by the driver and not the government - all you are doing is reducing choice for those who need to use the motability scheme.

I have no doubt I'm missing something here but if someone took a loan out to privately fund, say a BMW,........could they not just use their mobility payment to go towards the loan?

Most wouldn’t get credit as they’d be out of work. Banks only give loans to those in work, or have enough capital not to need the loan in the first place.

No that’s not what motability is for. It’s to enable disabled people to access vehicles and wheelchairs, etc through a government approved charity that ensures they are protected with excellent maintenance, recovery and insurance. You seem to have made up your own version of the scheme.

No, that's not what Motability is supposed to do. You can be eligible for Motability and require no adaptions whatsoever. This is a very common scenario.

High end cars on Motability are effectively part funded by the government and part funded by the Motability user. They are much cheaper for the user than they would be if the user was funding the lease of the car privately

Of course they could but this would be far less lucrative for the user than going through Motability

But would have enough funds to make a large advance payment.................

As someone who has a mobility car for my child, I agree with the changes. I am very grateful for the car we have been given and the adaptions made to it. When I first applied, someone had called me and actually apologised for asking if would be willing to take a car which had been used but already adapted. Ofcourse, I accepted because my car had broken and even before that, getting the mobility aids and medical equipment in was terrible. He asked if I wanted to know make, model or colour etc before I accepted and again, I explained that I was just happy that we would have a safe car to travel in, without cutting my 5 seater car down to a 2 seater to fit everything in.

I do know of people who refused anything but a brand new car that they had picked so I do understand the gripe. But there will be many more like me, who are just grateful that they have a working car.

Why does anyone need lane departure and lane keep assist?
And emergency braking, for that matter?

When someone makes a PIP claim it can take 6-12 months to process, so the claimant gets a sum backdated to the claim date. I’d imagine that is what a lot of users will use for the advance payment.