@Kezo, yes, that’s on my list of whinging too. Here’s the letter that got me the appointment:
I would be grateful if we could meet in your Camborne Surgery to discuss the impact of the Chancellor’ decision on Motability and its anticipated changes.
I am currently due to change my current Motability car in February next year. That means I have no option but to deal with whatever is implemented as a direct result of the imposition of extra costs. To find a vehicle that meets my needs I have no option without an Advance Payment. Purely for space and drive train, I will have to find money each lease. This is an unfortunate situation that I’m normally happy to pay as I then get a reliable car that doesn’t come with the concern of unexpected immediate expense of a breakdown.
However, it appears that Motability will significantly change the lease terms in order to reduce the impact of the IPT and VAT imposition. So far, Motability have said nothing about what will happen but there are clear indications of their intention. It looks like there will be a reduction in mileage allowance to half the current 20,000 miles per year with a huge 25p per mile penalty for excess miles. It also looks like the dreaded DriveSmart system will be forced upon all customers despite it having forced drivers off the scheme due to dubious results. There’s been numerous examples of the system returning negative marks where the insured wasn’t driving or where the grading and the journey don’t match up. There’s also a matter of customers being penalised for actually using the car as the scheme was intended. To enable independence we are often required to make numerous short trips just to do what able bodied people would do from a single trip. For example, a shopping trip to Truro would be parking around the museum to shop at then of the city centre, parking centrally for the shops in the pedestrianised area decide the library and then parking at or near Lemon Quay for that end of town. So a simple case of me looking for a new pair of shoes is a trip to Truro, a short trip from west to middle, another short trip from middle to Lemon Quay then a trip home. That’s 4 registered trips without going anywhere else. Add in popping to Tesco or the doctors and I’m at my daily limit. Seeing as I also drive my mum to her appointments, 6 journeys will be broken at least once most weeks. With 2 trips to take Sara to work (there and back) 2 to collect her plus a return trip to a medical appointment, it’s ridiculously easy to get a negative score for the number of journeys. Too many negatives and they simply kick you off the scheme and you’re then hit with a case of having insurance withdrawn, which impacts your ability to insure any other vehicle you might get.
In all, the restrictions put on the scheme to reduce the increase in expense caused by the Chancellor’s decision to impose 2 taxes on disabled people’s cars will make the scheme a real risk for many people. I know of many, including myself, who feel forced into looking at alternatives, which are ridiculously limited when I can’t work, just to try and maintain the independence having a reliable car provides.
Please advise when it would be possible to discuss this impact in person.
I’ll also point out that commercial insurance options include an option for a black box or to have the car insured at a higher premium for not having one. An option that, like so many things hasn’t been offered to us.
I’ll definitely be making lots of points on the lack of choice and suitability of the imposed changes as well as stating that the whole policy wasn’t to provide a more affordable mobility system for the end customer but to appease the Right Wing Media and the rhetoric that was spouted by the likes of Tice, Farage and Badenoch. That should piss him off enough. 😀
@shaan200 yes I already have a table of cars that are suitable for me that demonstrates just how unaffordable BEVs are on the scheme and the comparison between the 2 KIAs will definitely make a point of that. I’ll pick out the price of the MGHS too, as that’s comparable with the MGS6 which has joined for a cheap £6499 as opposed to the HS Hybrid+ at £1,299
If I have time I will try and get to the hoist thing but as I don’t need one (yet) it’ll be an odd point for me to be making.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.
Mark