@solent60 Motability have been doing what you fear for over a year already! The reason that APs have risen across the board is due to Motability’s exposure to EV residual values. They have been spreading this risk across all cars APs so as to still encourage EV take up. A dealer principal I know was told this at a meeting with Motability in summer 2024.
Yeah GG, I keep a regular, keen eye on the scheme & how AP’s always seem to be creeping up & up on small ICE and hybrid cars. One can’t help but think that the current ‘reasonable’ AP for a small hybrid car like my Clio is only going to grow bigger & bigger as EV’s are returned at the end of their lease & Motability pass the shortfall onto people like me via ever expanding advance payments.
As a footnote ; car prices are forever going up and I realise this. Manufacturers are as much a victim of ever increasing costs for parts, raw materials, rising wages, etc as every other manufacturing industry. Look at how much your weekly food bill is nowadays for example! But what I don’t want to see is Motability, because of their drive to see all of us in an EV or big SUV that just isn’t needed by everyone on the scheme, make us pay by way of ludicrous advance payments for what is a ‘smaller, cheaper car’. After all, the whole point of the scheme is to enable us to get around in whatever vehicle suits our needs.
I don’t want to leave the scheme after 28-years. Currently, it serves a terrific purpose. But if I have to – I will.