wibbuk – With respect, the issue is not that there are too many SUV’s. The issue is that there isn’t enough choice of ALL vehicle types on the Motability scheme these days. I would argue that there aren’t enough SUV’s available through Motability! Most are small SUV’s usually with lower end engines and 2WD. You have rightly highlighted the lack of choice of larger family cars. Other people complain that there is insufficient choice of 3 door cars and electric vehicles, to name just two other types. All of these criticisms are correct and valid. This is what happens when the choice is eroded from over 4,000 vehicles to just 1,600 – a reduction in choice of 60%.
What none of us should wish for is that the choice of cars that suit others, but not ourselves, should be reduced. Adding more cars of one type does not mean that another type has to be reduced. There could easily be three or four times the number of cars on the scheme, just as there are with other big leasing companies. Whether we like it or not, consumer demand is causing the decline of the traditional family car and the surge in demand of SUV’s. By the way, my wife is a full time wheelchair user and prefers an SUV! A government sponsored report into Motability last year highlighted that there is insufficient choice of larger vehicles given the number of customers with wheelchairs etc. Motability don’t seem to have adopted any of the recommendations yet, so let’s hope that they eventually get round to it and choice for all of us is improved.