Hi Comfortablynumb. I’m absolutely delighted to hear that Motability have agreed to allow you to change your vehicle. As I said when offering my original advice, having to cope with a disability is challenging enough, without being saddled with an unsuitable car for three years. I recall that when we had to change our car early we were given a pro rata refund of the AP but not the GCB (as far as I can recall), so they must have improved that aspect. Another good example of how this forum can be invaluable when we all share our experiences.
I agree that it’s going to be a real challenge to select a new car at present. We can order from the end of March but I can see us extending the lease, unless we opt for a newer version of our current car. There is no way that I would order a new car without a decent test drive (and that’s a few hours, not 20 minutes). I need to check access for my wife and her wheelchair and I always reset the fuel computer when I pick up the car so that I can see what the fuel economy is like with my style of driving. I also like to test the cars on the motorway, twisty roads and in traffic, all of which takes time. Luckily we have a massive garage, so I can fit any two cars in it with ease, but if I had a normal sized garage I would want to drive it home to check that as well! It is so true what they say about buying new cars – choose in haste and repent at leisure! The other reason that we might delay is because there is nothing available on the scheme at present that particularly excites us. We have a short list of half a dozen but none are perfect!