Discussion
David87 said:
Seems to be a bit of a backlash on social media against Motability recently. I’ve seen posts claiming that they are the buyers of 1 in 5 (!) new cars in the UK and that they’re being given to autistic people etc. (accompanied by an idiotic TikTok video of some idiot prancing about with their new Skoda key).
Haven’t looked into whether these claims are true, but there seems to be a lot of not very happy folk out there.
Then they're idiots.Haven’t looked into whether these claims are true, but there seems to be a lot of not very happy folk out there.
Yes, it's about 20% of new cars are sold through Motability, it's one of the reasons why they get such great deals.
They're not 'given' to anyone. People eligible for higher rate mobility component PIP can sign it over for the lease.
David87 said:
Seems to be a bit of a backlash on social media against Motability recently. I’ve seen posts claiming that they are the buyers of 1 in 5 (!) new cars in the UK and that they’re being given to autistic people etc. (accompanied by an idiotic TikTok video of some idiot prancing about with their new Skoda key).
Haven’t looked into whether these claims are true, but there seems to be a lot of not very happy folk out there.
Imagine what would happen to the industry if 20% of the market dried up in a short space of time? Haven’t looked into whether these claims are true, but there seems to be a lot of not very happy folk out there.
Patio said:
Imagine what would happen to the industry if 20% of the market dried up in a short space of time?
Imagine if everyone could access a car on Motability terms? VAT get waived, but even adding that back on people would be able to get a £40K+ EV with a free charger, full insurance, maintenance, 20K miles per year, for £360/mth. And no end-of-lease returns hassle - if the car isn't destroyed, you get a bonus rebate!
That'd do wonders for EV take up.
Found the TikTok link if anyone would like to enjoy it. 
Like I said, this might be bulls
t, but there’s a lot of people getting wound up by it. 
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdePBsGe/
Like I said, this might be bulls
t, but there’s a lot of people getting wound up by it. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdePBsGe/
Edited by David87 on Sunday 9th March 00:08
I've wondered for years about how so many people seem to afford brand new cars and clearly don't earn the salary required to afford one.
It turns out that 1 in 5 new cars sold in the UK is on the Motability scheme!!!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/13/st...
How has this been allowed to happen is the question. Motability is now one of the country’s largest issuers of corporate debt FFS!!
It turns out that 1 in 5 new cars sold in the UK is on the Motability scheme!!!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/13/st...
How has this been allowed to happen is the question. Motability is now one of the country’s largest issuers of corporate debt FFS!!
Free car
Dacia Duster
Photo of a 1970s Invacar
I know someone who knows someone who uses their wheelchair bound relative’s car for delivering takeaway
Should be grateful for a bus pass.
Right, now all the usual messages that appear on these threads are out the way, the question you should really be asking is why so many people now seem to qualify for the mobility part of PIP that allows them to sacrifice their benefits for a lease from Motability. The cars themselves are supplied on a commercial basis, there’s no subsidy (AIUI) other than the recipient handing over their benefits plus whatever the excess payment is for the car they want. Motability obviously have colossal buying power with the vehicle manufacturers, so get the cars for a fraction of list.
Dacia Duster
Photo of a 1970s Invacar
I know someone who knows someone who uses their wheelchair bound relative’s car for delivering takeaway
Should be grateful for a bus pass.
Right, now all the usual messages that appear on these threads are out the way, the question you should really be asking is why so many people now seem to qualify for the mobility part of PIP that allows them to sacrifice their benefits for a lease from Motability. The cars themselves are supplied on a commercial basis, there’s no subsidy (AIUI) other than the recipient handing over their benefits plus whatever the excess payment is for the car they want. Motability obviously have colossal buying power with the vehicle manufacturers, so get the cars for a fraction of list.
Legacywr said:
How exactly does the scheme work?
Short version.You apply for the mobility component of PIP (formerly DLA), once approved and providing you get the high rate (£71 a week from memory) you can then exchange this for a car from Motability. You will likely have to add a "advanced payment" for anything that might suit your needs for the next 3 years. You then repeat this process while reapplying for PIP every 5 years.
Here is a copy and paste from another thread where I wrote out what it looks like in reality from someone who is married to a disabled person:
It's a pretty degrading experience (applying got PIP), it forces you right out all of the things you miss out on in life, it forces you revisit all of the trauma you have experienced as a direct result of your disability, it forces you to relive all of that trauma, PTSD, procedures and in some cases downright humiliation that you have experienced. On top of that you have to redo it every 5 years despite the fact that you have a lifetime condition, you refer back to your last application and realise just how much further you have slid away from your independence, coupled with an interview with someone who has no experience with your (and in some cases any) disability who decides on your behalf what you are and are not capable of and then read a report where they have out and out lied about what you have said so you have to appeal and extend the humiliation and judgement further to some faceless box ticker who couldn't care less about the process or your needs. Then and only then when the benefit is granted can you make an application to exchange it for a Motability car.
The choice is not a free for all, you don't get to waltz into a dealership and hand pick what you get, there is a list you can chose from, you then top it up with an upfront payment to get a car that might just about cover your needs for the next 3 years. Also worth keeping in mind that most dealers aren't interested in Motability cars or sales, they usually have a "Special Sales Advisor" for Motability who mostly just wants you out of the way so they can go and work on a PCP deal for a member of the general public because they get to earn more commission on that sale. That's if you can actually get an appointment with them and they actually stick to it, in the last merry go round we had of choosing and ordering Mrs geeks car we had appointments at 4 different dealerships, at 2 of them we left after we had been waiting for more than 30 minutes with no sign of where the person we had the appointment was and with no apology for making us wait, the treatment of sales people giving you a look of disgust when they ask if they can help and you say you are there for a Motability car, or the other degrading experience where we arrive and are greeted on time only to have the Sales advisor talk to me like Mrs geeks wasn't even there when it was quite explicitly going to be her car.
ETA - thread I copied this from: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Motability site: https://www.motability.co.uk/how-it-works/
Edited by geeks on Thursday 13th March 17:57
hairykrishna said:
Remember when the Telegraph used to be a decent newspaper? Rather than outrage clickbait.
What’s wrong with the article?It’s based on fact and the article represents what’s gone wrong with PIP, and why so many people now qualify (arguably wrongly) for the higher rate of the mobility component of PIP and therefore qualify for a Motability car.
don'tbesilly said:
It’s based on fact and the article represents what’s gone wrong with PIP, and why so many people now qualify (arguably wrongly) for the higher rate of the mobility component of PIP and therefore qualify for a Motability car.
This.Luckily, I suspect the current government might actually try to get a grip on it all.
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