You can order from 3 months prior to your lease end Mike. So if your current lease ends 16th March then you can order at any time from 16th December. However, you are under no pressure to order immediately so, yes, you can wait until Q1. If your current car is on a 3 year lease and you haven’t ordered by 16th March, it is really important that you ask for a 2 year lease extension and nothing shorter. This is because Motability will only allow one extension, BUT they will allow you to order at ANY time within the extension period – even the week after you extend. So there is nothing whatsoever to be gained by doing a shorter extension, as it narrows your window of choice for no benefit.
Also, if there’s a car on the list that you like in December and the AP is good, it might be sensible to order it then. When Q1 comes, if the AP has gone up you are protected from the increase. If the AP has gone down, the dealer can lower the AP for you (and if they won’t just cancel and re-order). If something better comes on the scheme in Q1 you can cancel your December order and re-order the better car.
