48% of people who qualify for the Scheme are unaware of its existence.
I’ve heard a similar statistic but struggle to believe it. When my wife first became eligible for the higher rate mobility element, the letter confirming it included a leaflet saying that she was also eligible to join the Motability scheme. This came as a complete surprise to us as it was not on our radar at all when filling in the forms.
There will no doubt be countless reasons why only around one third of those eligible actually join the scheme, but I maintain that the biggest single reason is most likely that when the average car our roads is 9 years old, sacrificing a minimum of £18k over 3 years to have a new one would seem a luxury that most would not, or could not, entertain.