There are generally not ‘bad’ brands when it comes to Motability, but bad individual dealerships. In fact, it’s less about bad individual dealerships, but bad individual sales persons.
There are ways that Motability customers can help themselves though. Whether you are a Motability customer, company car driver or private retail buyer, you will never be taken as seriously over the phone as you will be in person. Always visit a dealership in person for the best attention.
Secondly, there is no need to volunteer the information up front that you are a Motability customer, nor do you have to deal with the designated Motability sales person from the moment you walk in. I learnt this trick during the many years (pre Motability) that I was a company car driver. Salespersons would ask the minute that I walked in if I was a private or lease customer. If I said the latter they immediately lost interest, so I used to say “well I’m entitled to a company car or a cash alternative, so might consider buying privately”. That always threw them and, to be on the safe side, they treated me like a private buyer, so were helpful and offered decent test drives etc.
I now do exactly the same as a Motabilty customer. If they ask, I say that we are able to order a Motability car but are also considering leaving the scheme and buying privately. In reality, that’s true, but doesn’t have to be. It works though. Our last two Motability cars were from BMW and Hyundai. Both dealerships were brilliant. Multiple 24 hour test drives and superb service from the first visit to collection. Basically, you have to know how to play the game, but phoning dealerships is rarely going to get this level of service.
In fairness to BMW and Hyundai, in both cases they knew from the start that we were looking at a Motability car and we still got an exceptionally high level of service, but I had bought private cars from both dealerships previously, which might have made a difference.
