there is no way i would be able to privately lease a top spec a200 and do 60k miles in it, for the deduction they have taken. with the comparative money i would get about 9k a year in milage privately. so what if you have to pay for the best car you can get, if you dont like it – just go with the lowest spec car you can get….but most people want something nicer – therefore the option is there to pay for it, i didnt need a a200 – i liked it!
It is indeed true that for those who do 20k miles a year and want a car at the top end of the scheme, Motability is unbeatable. It has always been the case that the best value is always to be had from the most expensive cars on the scheme, as the same £10k benefits are sacrificed whether you have an entry level budget car or a top spec premium one. This cost is always far greater than the AP, yet many people overlook it
As was evidenced by a recent thread on average mileage, the reality is very different though when it comes to mileage. Most Motability customers seem to do far less miles a year than the standard PCP deals and quite a few do a mere fraction of that. Those doing very low mileages and happy with lower value cars would most likely get a better deal by leaving the scheme (as two-thirds of those in receipt of qualifying benefits do, because they don’t join the scheme). The problem, however, is that many of these people have a fear of doing so (fear of the unknown etc) or have too poor a credit rating to entertain going private, so if they are determined to drive a brand new car every 3 years they are trapped in the scheme.
The thing that I find amusing is that those who won’t hear a bad word said about Motability usually cite the 20k miles a year and ability to have a new car every 3 years, yet the same people often do well under 10k miles a year themselves and often extend their lease to 5 years at an additional cost of over £6k for driving a 4/5 year old car!