I ordered a Mercedes B Class last December before the current lockdown and the question of a deposit never came up apart from reminding me what I had to pay up front when I eventually take delivery (which is supposed to be early April but I expect that will slip). I have been on the scheme since the early days of Motability and have never been asked for money up front although I don’t add any extras so perhaps that is a factor. There doesn’t seem to be any logic as to why some have to pay and others don’t.