Ah right. So it’s really two separate orders. One between the customer and motability ( the one you see on your motability account) and one between the dealer and the manufacturer. So an issue can arise if the dealer orders a car on their system that doesn’t match the one the customer orders?
No, there’s only one order. It’s placed between the dealer and the manufacturer. The Motability system is just an admin thing, not the order. The dealer inputs the Motability code number of the car you want on to the Motability system and Motability authorise them to place the order (this often happens immediately). The dealer then updates the system with things like anticipated delivery date, although this is a best guess and rarely correct. So whilst the Motability system looks like it’s confirming an order, it isn’t. It simply confirms that Motability have authorised you to have that car and the info is entirely dependent on what the dealer inputs.
This is where it gets complicated, because the dealer may not actually be able to order the car straight away, even though they will imply that they have. This is because dealers get periodic build slot allocations for each model of car and when used up (as they often are) they have a waiting list of orders to be placed. They very rarely tell you this, so often people think the car has been ordered (because it looks like it has on the Motability system) when, in reality, the dealer is sitting on your order awaiting build slot allocations. This wait can be anything from a few weeks to several months before you even get in the queue!
This is why I advise people to always ask, before placing an order, whether the dealer has available build slot allocations and, if not (and you don’t want to try a different dealer who might have an immediate build slot) to keep chasing them until they confirm that they’ve placed the order. Never be fooled into thinking that because the Motability system says that the car has been ordered that it actually has!