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Who Qualifies For The Motability Car Scheme?
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are benefits that provide help towards some of the additional costs that people with a disability or a long-term health condition face. One of the key components of both the DLA and PIP is linked to a person's mobility, recognising the fact that it often costs more for people with a disability to get around when using public or private transport.
People who receive the higher or enhanced Mobility Allowance (currently worth £61.20) can spend this money on whatever they need to help them get around, and one of the most popular places that they turn to is Motability. Through the scheme it's possible to exchange all or a part of the Mobility Allowance to lease a safe and affordable brand new vehicle from an accredited Motability dealership.
Recipients of the War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement (WPMS) and the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) also qualify for the Motability Scheme.
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What Are The Key Benefits Of The Motability Car Scheme?
Choosing to lease a brand new car isn't the right way for everyone to spend their Mobility Allowance money, but today over 600,000 people in UK are enjoying the use of a vehicle with the industry-leading, ‘worry-free’ Motability package. This package is included with every vehicle, and it includes comprehensive car insurance, annual servicing and maintenance, full RAC breakdown assistance, replacement tyre cover, replacement windscreen cover and a huge 20,000 a year mileage allowance.
More About The Key Benefits Of The Motability Scheme
As fantastic as all that is, there are many more benefits that even people who are already on the scheme don’t know about.
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Add A New Lightweight Wheelchair For Just £100
Motability Scheme customers can now lease a brand new, lightweight manual wheelchair when ordering their new car. At just £100, these new wheelchairs are great value for money, are easy to manoeuvre and, because they fold down, will comfortably fit into the boot of most Motability cars.
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The Motability Good Condition Bonus
The Good Condition Bonus was introduced by Motability to reward customers who take great care of their vehicle. It was originally worth £250, but over time it has been increased. It’s now worth £600 for a vehicle leased for 3 years and £900 for a vehicle leased for 5 years (mainly Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles). The dealership checks the vehicle over when it is returned to them, and if the vehicle qualifies a cheque is sent out in the post within 28 days (most people report getting their cheque in 2-3 days).
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You Can Now Insure 3 Drivers
The Motability worry-free package now includes insurance for up to three drivers. In 2019 Motability changed the guidelines to let customers add a third driver at no additional cost. You can also change the named drivers permitted to drive the car during the lease by getting in touch with the insurer, RSA Motability. Only drivers on the Certificate of Motor Insurance are insured to drive the vehicle and the car must always be used by, or for the benefit of, the person with a disability.
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Get A Motability Car Even If You Don't Drive
You don’t have to have a driving licence to get a vehicle through the Motability Scheme. There are many Motability customers who don’t drive, and some who originally leased their vehicle to learn in. As long as the vehicle is being used for the benefit of the Motability customer, it can be driven by a family member, a friend or even a carer.
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Charitable Grants From Motability
Motability offer charitable grants to people with a disability who would otherwise be unable to afford the vehicle (or adaptation) they need to get around and retain their independence. You can even get a grant to help towards the cost of driving lessons.
- Last year Motability helped just under 5000 people with a charitable grant to help with the cost of a new car or a simple adaptation.
- More than 3,200 charitable grants were approved for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs) and complex adaptations.
- Over £1 million was awarded by Motability in driving lesson grants last year.
If you think you could benefit from a charitable grant, you’ll need to get in touch with the Motability Customer Service team to discuss it further.
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Many Helpful Adaptations Are Free
If you need an adaptation to help you to drive or to get into a vehicle it's easier than ever to choose what you need - often at no additional cost. There are more than 100 approved adaptation firms in the UK, and the Motability specialist at your local Motability accredited dealership will be able help you choose the adaptations you need.
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Part Exchange Your Current Vehicle
If you’re thinking about joining the Motability Scheme but you already own a vehicle, you could choose to part exchange it at a local dealership. The money you get back could be used to order a better and more expensive Motability car, and if there’s any left over (or if you choose a vehicle with no Advance Payment), the money would be yours to spend as you wish.
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Choose A Hybrid Or 100% Electric Motability Vehicle
As hybrid and electric cars continue to grow in popularity, more and more of these models are joining the Motability Scheme. This means Motability customers now have more environmentally friendly options to choose from and, as an added bonus, these vehicles also tend to be much cheaper to run. The installation of a charging point at your home is often included too.
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More than half a million people are already a part of the Motability Scheme, but many more people in the UK with a disability are eligible to join.
To find out more about the scheme we'd advise you to visit a Motability Specialist at a car dealership near you. They’re the experts in understanding exactly what you need from your car and can help you to find the vehicle that's perfect for your way of life.
Before going anywhere though take a look at the full range of cars available through the Motability Scheme and draw up a shortlist of vehicles you like.
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PIP / DLA / AFIP
War Pension