@jojo22 If your motivation for leaving Motability would be to get a car that will never be available on the scheme (as is the case with me) then that’s one thing, but I wouldn’t let the issue about your wife driving the car be your primary motivation for leaving. As I have posted several times in response to similar comments (including this week), your wife is already allowed to use the Motability car for purposes that aren’t always for your direct benefit.
When we retired, and my wife could no longer drive safely, we needed to go down to one car. My preference was to hand back the Motability car and keep my private car, but whilst my private car was far nicer than the Motability car (it was a BMW 5 Series), it was a saloon and not as practical with the wheelchair. My wife also wanted a higher car and felt that we should stick with Motability. I decided that I’d call Motability and lay it on thick that most of the journeys would be without my wife and not for her direct benefit, so that I could say to my wife that we had to buy another (better) private car 😂 They said that it was fine. The wording was in place to avoid abuse (such as a adult child or grandchild keeping the car at their own house and using it as their own car, only visiting the Motability customer once a month). They completely understood that in the scenario where a couple living together only needs one car, the disabled persons partner will use the car for personal reasons.
I’ve had the same conversation with HMRC about our impending private VAT free purchase and they confirmed the same thing, even putting it in writing for me. Thankfully my wife is now of the same view as me that the Motability scheme is no longer for us, so her mobility element of her PIP will be going towards the private car instead.
