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.

For those saying adapted cars only - I don't need an adapted car. If I ever get to drive again (we selected our motability car when it looked like I'd be driving again within six months; that was nearly 3 years ago and no progress yet!) I need a car with autonomous emergency braking (the newer and more advanced the system, the better), lane departure warning (and ideally, lane keep assist), and the best safety features possible. Those features aren't adaptations; they're features - generally of the newest cars, which I couldn't afford in a million years without motability.

Yep.

Which is what happened with us. We used the majority of our big backdated payment for the advanced payment and then also bought a dryer.

Just look at all the metrics in the economy. We spend £20 billion a month just servicing our debt. We spend significantly more than we raise and the wealthy people leaving are going to hammer the tax takings.

If I had extra money to pay for a luxury car I would instead go for the skoda and invest in gold. Probably wiser

Even better; the lottery numbers for next week? Then I can buy basic identical beige cars for everyone on motability and we'll see how well that works out.

As I said fiddling while Rome burns. Or sticking your head in the sand. Im sure there will be more such useful sayings.

No-one should be driving if they can’t brake in as emergency or stay the right lane.
Basic driving skills.

If I am allowed to drive again, it'll be because I'm 12 months seizure free and the DVLA will have found me fit to drive.

That doesn't mean I'll never have a seizure again. Those features could save the lives of me, my family and anyone else on the road if I have a breakthrough seizure after the 12 months.

Not sure I agree with this.

It's probably been mentioned, but as well as the monthly contribution, the taxpayer picks up the bill for all the VAT and servicing, both of which will be higher on a luxury car.

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

Just for the hard of understanding too.

You do realise those who use wheelchairs get the basic ones from the nhs too?

Any “upgrades” and by that I mean a better model or colour added or a different (yet easier to use) floor plate all come with a cost.

My 21yo DS who uses a wheelchair and gets PIP and has a mobility car has paid out near-on £1000 for his car AP, necessary adaptations to the car and for better and easier functions on his wheelchair.

Most of that paid at 19yo and just 2 months out of education.

Yeah - he’s really getting loads of freebies. Luckily for him I was in a position to help him.

Well @Snowonground let’s hope you don’t become disabled then because chances are you wouldn’t qualify on legacy terms either..
But let’s see when benefits are stopped to disabled people, shall we?

Well @Snowonground let’s hope you don’t become disabled then because chances are you wouldn’t qualify on legacy terms either..
But let’s see when benefits are stopped to disabled people, shall we?

See that’s what a lot of people do. Any hint of opposition to a blank cheque and we must just hate disabled people and not want them to have nice things.

I have said repeatedly that I am a big fan of the scheme. However, I believe that the VAT exemption should be capped so that a person who decides to pay extra for a car above and beyond what their disability necessitates, do so at market rate inclusive of VAT. I don’t think that is unreasonable or is consistent with hating disabled people.

The taxpayer doesn’t pick up the bill for servicing, maintenance or insurance - motability provide it as part of the leasing package paid for from the mobility allowance.

Don't go there. MN is utterly vile when it comes to epilepsy and driving.

With a VAT exemption. Ie a 20% discount on market rates.

Yes I do hope that I dont become disabled!

You sound angry with me for predicting the future (btw watch the bond markets tomorrow now RR has increased the minimum wage). Im not in government. I wasnt even one of the few people who voted for this shitshow. I'd love us to live in a country where disabled people got lovely cars that had al the modifications they need. But we dont. Or not for much longer.

Agree with this. IME genuinely disabled people value their mobility above everything and wouldn’t put a ‘status symbol’ vehicle before this, so wouldn’t have a problem with this type of restriction.

If they have that sort of money, why are they needing help?

PIP/DLA isn't means tested.

Well PIP isn’t means tested. Maybe that’s a debate for another thread.

You can use it as a work vehicle if you are working to support the disabled person.

Totally agree

disabled people should drive plain cars

even if they can afford an advance payment to secure the car they prefer

they shouldn't be able to afford an advance payment! How dare they have money when I don't

disabled people should eat plain burgers in restaurants.

how dare they have cheese and salad on it! They are disabled! They only need to eat to remain alive.

life is not for their enjoyment!

To chill out the frothing numpties on threads like this. Make it look like they're doing something. Pitting groups of people against each other stops you looking at the real culprits. Sadly, probably after years of Tory cuts to education, there's all too many people thick enough to fall for it.

No, in all fairness I was looking at car models not WAVs.

There are three Mercedes vans in the WAV section. You can pay anywhere from £39K+ or £93k up front for one of those.

If you can manage with a smaller vehicle than the Merc van base, the cheapest WAV is a Citroen Berlingo, at £4k+.

(does that make anybody saying "They shouldn't be able to get a Mercedes" feel vindicated?)