Given your history, I would strongly advise against ordering a car just because it has short lead times. Good things are often worth waiting for, and there are sometimes reasons why some cars can be obtained very quickly! I would concentrate your efforts on making sure that you order a car that is 100% right for you. As long as you have ordered, I’m sure that Motability won’t leave you in the lurch and without transport, especially as the reason for the change is due to a faulty car.
I fully agree, but MO have said that the absolute deadline for the hire car is the 21st of February 2026. Otherwise it gets returned and my allowance gets paid back to me and I have to fund a hire car out of my own pocket which wouldn’t happen anyway because they don’t insure anyone under 21. It’s the same policy if your car gets written off, it’s on the Motability website.