The blame does not necessarily rest wholly with Motability, the manufacturers will pass on any Brexit costs (import tariffs/customs costs) and other factors like company car drivers now scrabbling for electric cars to avoid tax means they can sell Souls as fast as they can get them out of the docks all day long, so the discount given to Motability is removed – the price goes up and consequently the AP.
It has been meteoric though, 5 years in the scheme for me. My first car ‘s AP was £1400, the same spec car is now £3749, it seems an incredible increase and I would not contemplate getting one at that level of AP.
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.