Motability updated their new car and WAV Advanced Payment prices for the 1st quarter of 2020 on the 1st of January. There were a number of new models added, including some cars that were quickly withdrawn after stock ran low soon after they were released. Towards the back end of March the uncertainty created by the Coronavirus mean that car dealers closed their showrooms, and as a result Motability Specialists were unable to order any new vehicles for customers, complete handovers or process end of lease car returns.
New cars added to the Motability Scheme in January 2020 included the Audi A4, the Audi A1 Citycarver, the new MG HS SUV and the SsangYong Korando. During quarter 1 the new Peugeot 2008, the all-new Ford Kuga and the Hyundai Kona Hybrid were all added.
Cars that were dropped from the Motability Scheme in January included the Alfa Romeo Giulia, the Ford C-Max, the Mazda CX-3, the Mercedes Benz C Class, the Skoda CITYGO, the Vauxhall Mokka and Kia Optima. The BMW 2 Series 225xe PHEV Active Tourer Sport plug-in hybrid was also taken off the scheme.
The biggest change for Audi in quarter 1 was the addition of the A4 Saloon, with the Black Edition priced from £2999. The Audi A1 Citycarver also joined the scheme. It’s a more rugged, off-road inspired version of the popular A1 5 door hatchback with a slightly higher ride height.
BMW increased the price of some X1 and X2 models by £250, but they also dropped the price of the standard i3 by £250. Diesel versions of the all-new BMW 1 Series were added for the first time. The BMW 2 Series 218i SE Active Tourer stayed at £99 Advance Payment in quarter 1, with the 7-seat version £499 Advance Payment.
The Advance Payment prices for the popular C5 Aircross SUV went up a little in quarter 1, with the well-spec’d Citroen C5 Aircross 1.2 PureTech Flair £245 Advance Payment (was £95). The diesel version of the same car was £195. The Citroen Grand C4 Spacetourer started from £845 Advance Payment
The DS3 Crossback could still be ordered with £0 Advance Payment, with the 1.5 BlueHDi Elegance diesel joining the 1.2 PureTech Performance Line petrol at this price point. The DS3 Crossback E-TENSE electric was still available, priced from £1999. Prices for the DS7 Crossback range didn't change much, with the DS7 Crossback Elegance priced from £1999 AP with the option of a petrol or diesel engine.
The all-new Ford Puma – added part of the way through quarter 4 2019 – was still available, with a lower priced ST-Line trim added at £395 Advance Payment. The impressive Ford Focus Active X 1.5 Ecoblue automatic – the SUV inspired version of the Ford Focus – was £495 Advance Payment.
There was a huge drop in the price of the Hyundai IONIQ Electric, down from £1749 to £749 Motability Advance Payment. Four versions of the Hyundai IONIQ Hybrid could be ordered for less than £450 Advance Payment, with the Premium and SE Connect trims both available with £0 Advance Payment. Prices for the popular N-Line versions of the Hyundai Tucson increased a little, with the standard petrol version up from £999 to £1249.
The Jeep Renegade Night Eagle special edition looked good value in quarter 1, with the Advance Payment dropping from £295 to £95. There was also an automatic version available for £745. The larger and more refined Jeep Compass also had a Night Eagle special edition trim available, the price of which fell from £999 Advance Payment to £695 for the popular Night Eagle MultiAir 140 2WD.
The entry-level Kia Sportage SUV was still priced at £0 Advance Payment, with the better spec’d Sportage ‘2’ £199. The Kia Niro self-charging hybrid (the number 1 trending car on MotaClarity in quarter 4 2019) was still available from £0 Advance Payment, while the Niro PHEV plug-in hybrid increased from £300 to £999 Advance Payment. Some Kia XCeed trims dropped in price. The Kia XCeed 3, which was £399 Advance Payment the previous quarter dropped to £0 Advance Payment while the top-spec First Edition, which was £1399, fell to £699.
The new MG HS was been added to the scheme, and we thought the Excite trim with the automatic gearbox at £199 was fantastic value for money. The new HS is a large-ish crossover with satellite navigation, reversing camera, keyless entry, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance standard features on the Excite trim. The MG-ZS EV Electric was added to the Motability Scheme during quarter.
Mazda dropped the Mazda CX-3 from the scheme this quarter, but the Mazda CX-5 SUV was back on, albeit with a starting price of £1999. The pricing and availability for the all-new Mazda CX-30 was exactly the same. Prices went up for most versions of the Mazda 3. The Mazda MX-5 convertible was still not available through the scheme, following its removal back in October 2019.
The starting price for the Mercedes Benz A Class increased again. It started at £999 for the well spec’d A180 AMG Line 5 door. The A Class Saloon range also started at £999 for the A200 Sport. The Mercedes Benz GLA Urban Edition was well priced at £649 Advance Payment, or £749 for the automatic version.
The Mini 3 door, 5 door and Countryman were all available from £0 Advance Payment this quarter. The Mini Countryman Cooper Classic automatic stood out at £249 Advance Payment, the same as the previous quarter. The Mini Countryman PHEV plug-in hybrid was still £1749 for the SE Classic ALL4 trim.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV dropped to £1699 (was £3749) and was one of the best buys of the quarter.
After 3 months of great deals, the Motability prices for the Nissan X-Trail increased by quite a bit. The range started at £1499 for the 5 seat N-Connecta automatic, but pricing improved during the quarter as Nissan added more models. The refreshed Nissan Qashqai was still one of the best value SUV’s around, and the all-new Nissan Juke, was still available to order from £0 Advance Payment (or £499 if you wanted an automatic).
The all-new Peugeot 208 and the electric e-208 range were unchanged following their introduction during the previous quarter. Prices looked very similar for the Peugeot 3008 SUV range, while some 7 Seat 5008 models increased by £100.
The all-new Renault Clio was another new car that was recently added to the Motability Scheme and prices didn't change much. 10 out of the 13 models were available to order with £0 Advance Payment. Pricing for the Renault Koleos SUV range were unchanged, and it’s the same for the 7-seat Renault Grand Scenic, which could be ordered for just £595 Advance Payment.
Most SEAT Tarraco models went up in price, with the exception of the standard SE trim which stayed at £499 Advance Payment. The Tarraco Xcellence trim – which adds bigger alloy wheels, Alcantara sports seats, satellite navigation and park assist – increased by £800. The top of the range SEAT Leon Sports Tourer FR 150 Black Edition automatic was great value at £249 Advance Payment, while the SEAT Ateca 1.0 TSi SE Technology was £249, or £699 for the 1.5 TSi automatic version.
The pick of the Skoda Motability range was probably the KAROQ SUV, with the Skoda KAROQ SE 1.5 TSI DSG automatic just £395 Advance Payment. The smaller Skoda KAMIQ pricing and trims were unchanged. The pricing for the Skoda KODIAQ was pretty high when compared to the SEAT Tarraco (which gets 7 seats as standard). The KODIAQ started at £1245 this quarter, or £1545 if you wanted a 7 seat version.
There was no Toyota RAV4 this quarter, but the incredibly popular Toyota C-HR Hybrid returned, with the ICON trim (which comes with an automatic gearbox as standard) available to order with £495 Advance Payment. The 7 seat Toyota Prius+ Hybrid automatic was still available, but the price went up a little. The ICON trim was £195 Advance Payment, but at £295 the EXCEL trim was better value as it gets more features as standard (including heated seats and Intelligent Park Assist).
Vauxhall dropped the price of quite a few models this quarter, including the facelifted Astra, the Crossland X and the Insignia Grand Sport, with the models like the Insignia SRi VX-Line Nav 1.5T automatic reduced to £1499 (from £3599 Advance Payment the previous quarter). The Grandland X was also reduced in price. One standout model for us was the Grandland X 1.2 Elite Nav automatic at £599 (down from £1049). The all-new Vauxhall Corsa and 100% electric Corsa-e (introduced last quarter) were both still available to order, priced from £0 Advanced Payment.
Prices for the popular 7-seat Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace increased, with the entry model starting at £1799 in quarter 1 (it was £1149). The 7-seat Volkswagen Touran was one alternative, with lower prices and new trim levels added this quarter. There was still a decent range of Golf models to choose from, with the 1.5 TSi EVO GT Edition automatic at £799 Advance Payment perhaps the best available.
Volvo dropped the Advance Payment of some of their XC40 models including the R-Design manual, which was reduced by £200 to £799. It was £1299 for the automatic version.
A selection of the printable Motability price guides from quarter 1 2020 that list the Motability Scheme Advance Payment offers.
