We Need Your Help! What's Your Experience With Motability?🚗

I am now effectively housebound. Part of the reason for that is because I could not access the Motability scheme when I really needed it around 6 years ago.

I believe the eligibility should be open to manual applications, not just those who score enough points on the PIP Mobility section. (I can walk more than 20 metres on a stationary pavement, that does not mean I can use public transport).

I cannot access healthcare or even food since losing the ability to drive. I have lost my independence and am now completely reliant on one relative who I do not live near and who will not be able to manage these tasks forever.

I do (did?) need a very specific type of vehicle. It needs to be very smooth riding, not too rough and not too bouncy. Minimal vibrations felt through the seats. Minimal road noise from outside. Also needs to be high enough to get in and out without crushing my abdomen. I also found certain features very useful such as cruise control. And in addition to that, I need to be able to rely on a vehicle 100% without breakdowns, which is unfortunately the main problem I had with older used vehicles that met the other criteria above.

I am in a 'lucky' position to have some spare income from the daily living side of PIP, which I would have gladly used to pay for the Motability scheme, if that had option been available to me. My conditions mean I could never score enough points for Enhanced Mobility.

We have had a large WAV through Motability for about two years now. There is no way we would have been able to afford it ourselves. Prior to this we had a car but was having to use a folding ramp to put my powerchair in the boot.
I've seen mention of getting rid of the more expensive vehicles. When we applied for a grant to cover the AP, the only vehicle they could offer that was suitable, is the one we have. If this was removed, I don't know what we would do. Unless they bring in cheaper, but suitable vehicles, they need to make sure that there is at least one vehicle to suit every situation.
Being on benefits, we cannot have savings (Not that we have any spare to save) so would have no money to buy our own vehicle that would be suitable.
We have found Motability to be very helpful over the years, and I hope they continue to be able to help people in the future.

I like @OverlyAnxious 's suggestion

To expand/elaborate, maybe also the option of paying less, and for that you don't get a car (you provide this yourself, enabling people to have any car they want and can afford) but access to a universal level of insurance/tax/breakdown/servicing and the other perks/safety net that come with Motability

Often the insurance (and to a lesser extent, all the other ongoing costs) is what excludes many disabled people from driving

Motability has been an unbelievably useful asset for me; but perhaps the only thing I'm not totally impressed with is the choice of cars. As @OverlyAnxious mentioned people often need very specific cars, and they often aren't generic "disability-friendly" cars, so it's understandable they wouldn't think to offer them, but would be nice for customers to be permitted to provide it themselves, but then still have access to all the other benefits of the Scheme

Chris 75_ That's illegal. If you're sure that your insurance has increased purely because you've declared a disability, and not because you've got a more expensive vehicle, then challenge it.

My insurance didn't increase when I declared my disability - however my most recent policy is more expensive because I now have a specialist WAV insurance, which includes a WAV courtesy car should mine be off the road in the event of an accident. Plus, because my WAV costs about 10 more than the unadapted equivalent, it's actually insured for that increased cost, not standard book price which was all that the generic insurers were offering.

Car insurance is based on risk, it's all discriminatory. Everything about us can be given a risk factor which all adds up to the premium we pay.

The sad reality is, people with disabilities are statistically more likely to have accidents than the general public. That is backed up by the national insurance database of past claims, which is what insurers use to determine future risk.

Having said that, I do believe the results are slightly skewed…and that would be because of Motability. People on Motability have no option but to report accidents to their insurer. Whereas private car owners can either ignore cosmetic damage, or pay for repairs themselves, without telling insurance at all.

my poor disabled husband after a huge struggle, just got his ongoing PIP award. After seeing all the online hatred against this vital motability scheme , he has begged me not to go down the route of ordering a motability car for his needs . He is worried that our family will be put at ongoing risk whist out and about, so we have decided to give u on the idea and continue to use private transport. For context , our last 2motbstransport bill were £500 + for each month. Thanks for all that you do , Scope & our lovely campaigners.

Insurance is likely to be more expensive for people who aren't employed as they have more time to spend driving.

I had two Motability cars, I got the first in 1991 and the second in '94.

I was a teenaged student who'd recently crashed a motorbike in '91 so the ease/affordability of insurance was useful. Both times however, at the end of the agreements, the companies from whom I had leased them were able and entitled to charge me lots of money turning them back into virtually new cars so they could sell them.

The second time I purchased the car after the lease expired and that worked out well for me.

The fact we don't build a no claims bonus while leasing, the very considerable cost, the lack of flexibility (<12,000 miles... etc.) and that they at least were allowed to make me pay for a full cosmetic refresh of the car at the end of the agreement is why I haven't done it again and won't in the future.

🏎️

without my mobility car I would be house bound. I can only walk a very short distance and some days not even as far the car.

I struggle every 3 years to find the money for the deposit just to get a suitable car. It’s money you never see again but it’s that or give up my freedom to at least have a semi normal life.

If the government go ahead with their plans and it raises the up front money for a car, I won’t have a choice. I’ll be housebound and reliant on taxis for medical appointments. I don’t do a great deal of miles, my last car was returned after 3 and a half years with 17,000 on the clock but the loss of a reliable car will be a major setback for me.