Luxury cars removed from the motability scheme

[AutumnLeavesandKnittedJumpers]

https://news.sky.com/story/luxury-cars-removed-from-motability-scheme-ahead-of-budget-13475029

too little too late. As a full time worker I can’t afford to run a car, let alone a luxury car. Motability should be a standard car - available in automatic and manual, an option for wheelchair users, and that’s it.

Why? If the cost to the taxpayer is the same?

Its like NHS glasses. You get a free pair, not a voucher to subsidise a designer model,. Anyway, I looked on the scheme and you can get a top range Volvo XC40 (list price £45k approx) for advance payment of £1500 and your mobility allowance. So we're not talking about Lada's :) We have an XC40 and I think it will be the best and most expensive care we ever own and we think of it as an aspirational brand. So we are not asking people to drive rust buckets and the country does need to save money. This doesn't seem unreasonable. The other reform I would suggest is that any journey without the intended recipient is a taxable benefit.

Yes, correct. His parents have a car, and they drive him to places. He's lucky his parents don't fob him off and force him to get a taxi. The man is 42 years old.

As a PA for people with disabilities I have no issue with a disabled person having any kind of mobility car, luxury or otherwise, many need one but I do have an issue with family members using these cars for their own use.

The last family I worked for had an adult daughter with disabilities, she lived independently from them. They kept the mobility car at their house, fair enough as they would regularly visit her and take her out but the rest of the time they saw the car as their own and this was the reason they keep it at their home. It even had two child seats in the back because they ferry their grandchildren about and the dad was a carpenter and often used it for work.

And another example, my parent's neighbour's wife has a mobility car but the husband (who has no disabilities) uses it to go fishing and golfing in. I often see him loading it up and off he goes, alone, without his wife who's car it is actually registered under.

I often do wonder how many other family members use mobility cars for their own needs?

Are you not understanding the plethora of responses from people actually affected by the scheme on here? Mis information is such a hige problem at the moment I am hoping there might be at least one person on this thread who has their eyes opened that THE COST TO THE TAXPAYER IS NOT AFFECTED BY WHICH VEHICLE THE DISABLED PERSON CHOOSES, or even if they don't use Motability at all (which incidentally I know many disabled people who don't, because they don't think its good value for THEIR money)

You do get a voucher for NHS glasses and can put it towards a designer pair if you pay the difference.

it’s ludicrous that luxury cars can be bought at a large cost to the taxpayer.

The cost to the taxpayer is exactly the same whether it’s a Ka or a Maserati.

@PlatinumEdition
If you know people using a Motability car to work from directly - not travel to employment which is entirely permitted- report them to Motability.
Where do you propose they keep the car? In a car park?

People will.have those blue 3 wheelers brought back next.

Gotta love the monthly jealousy of the disabled thread.

“Its like NHS glasses. You get a free pair, not a voucher to subsidise a designer model”

Unless it varies by trust, you very much do get vouchers that you can use against any prescription glasses.

@blossomtoes - why can’t Motability buy whatever fleet it wants? It isn’t subsidised by the government and if an independent charity wants to offer its own BMWs in exchange for £77 a week plus £8,000 or whatever down payment that’s its business.
If it only bought WAVs it wouldn’t save the taxpayer a penny.

@Blossomtoes Thank you- I don't understand why people aren't getting this... @Hameth I literally top up my childs NHS glasses voucher every year... please people educate yourselves!

But you can get designer frames with your NHS voucher if you have the means to pay the extra. DD2 almost always had designer frames when she was entitled to free glasses from the NHS.

Paying extra for a luxury car from Motability is exactly the same as that.

You're right, it is like NHS glasses. You get a voucher for a set amount and you can top it up and buy whatever pair of glasses you want! Even designer ones!!! 😮

How is removing luxury cars from the scheme going to save the country money?

Still able to lease a large SUV with 7 seats under the proposals.

The great news is disabled people do still have a choice. And if they want a luxury car then they can still opt for cash instead of a motability car and go to a BMW dealer and lease a BMW.

Or they can choose from a non luxury car on the motability scheme.

I am able bodied, and grateful for that, but also can’t afford a BMW, but still have a very nice non luxury car (a 2019 Fiesta with most of the mod cons). I’m not sure the government should fund anyone with a car nicer than that when it is more than adequate for getting from A to B (and indeed I know many people with cars that aren’t as nice as my Fiesta, so it’s not a rock bottom option).

You usually have to pay more up front for the bigger cars, but that's not a luxury, it's usually to fit in a scooter or powerchair. I get that Mercedes and BMW don't need to be on the list at all, but often what I would consider a luxury car outside of BMW and Mercedes, are purely for functional reasons. It's not just fitting in the scooter, power-chair or wheelchair either, users often need to have it adapted with a lift to get it in and out too and that also takes space. Some users may also need space for a ramp. You also pay for the adaptation too, although I think it is a little cheaper than you would pay if you went to them direct. I know for our family the adaptation still costed them hundreds of pounds and that's every time, on top of if thousands they had to pay up front that you don't get back. To be honest, the people who don't pay anything are those who don't need the boot space and adaptations because they can go for a smaller car and pay nothing. The less mobile you are, the more you end up paying. Unfortunately, the government's solution may end up hurting the people who need it most if it's not just the Mercedes, BMW type cars that are removed, which I expect it isn't.

@CryMyEyesViolet
Can you point to how the government is funding Motability- just one source.

Great. Now, where is the BMW dealer who sells adapted cars with hand controls and sliding doors, please?

My bad, I've looked. A normal pair of single glasses up to -6 is a £42 discount. That is if you qualify but unlike motability you have no access to more funding to pay for the offset , I doubt many people would find it useful but good luck to them if they can. However, the Volvo XC40 being on the scheme is the main point I am making about it not being just rubbish cars - they are still all mainstream brands,

You actually can buy more expensive glasses if you want to contribute to it 🤔

The funding from the government is the same regardless of what car.... have you not learnt that from this thread?

I've corrected myself - the main point is about the Volvo XC40 being on the scheme