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Just had a look at the term and conditions, contract after the 1st October 2025.
2.1 You will be provided with a copy of these terms and if applicable either the Drive Smart Telematics & App terms and conditions or Drive Smart Black Box terms and conditions.
3.3.3 Drivers under the age 30.
(a) New to the scheme.
(b) Drivers with multiple own damage incidents. (that’s seems reasonable)
(c) Drivers who use their roadside recovery services in excessive, (if you get a duff car either push it home or preferably to the dealership)
(d) Or Drivers who have had multiple (8 or more) tyre replacements are required to Telematic Device installed. (looks like you will have to avoid the potholes and buy your own tyres)
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
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I might be reading into it too much, but this maybe suggests the wedge won’t be forced on to everyone over 30 that isn’t new to the scheme but will be for people who make a lot of claims.
I imagine those who request dispensation on the mileage limit will be subject to the app as well
If that was the case then I imagine that could bring up all kind of tricky scenarios.
If someone says they need a higher mileage limit because of hospital appointments, school drops offs etc and Motability agree but stipulate they require Drivesmart to make sure they will be doing the essential journeys they claim, will Motability then say that they can only use the car for essential journeys, or will they insist they are only allowed to use the car for a set number of holidays/social occasions?
Will they say something along the lines of: You say you need to have a higher mileage limit for hospital, school runs etc, but then we see that you are also using the car for 2 holidays a year and for so and so number of social occasions, if you cut back on these then you won’t need to have such a high mileage limit.
It could throw up all sorts of Orwellian type control connotations.
Or am I just overthinking things too much?
What about if you want to be added onto someone else’s insurance and you need to see when you made a claim, if you have made one? Seems a bit restrictive to only allow one request for claims history, to me.
All part of worry free motoring…
I might be reading into it too much, but this maybe suggests the wedge won’t be forced on to everyone over 30 that isn’t new to the scheme but will be for people who make a lot of claims.
I imagine those who request dispensation on the mileage limit will be subject to the app as well
If that was the case then I imagine that could bring up all kind of tricky scenarios. If someone says they need a higher mileage limit because of hospital appointments, school drops offs etc and Motability agree but stipulate they require Drivesmart to make sure they will be doing the essential journeys they claim, will Motability then say that they can only use the car for essential journeys, or will they insist they are only allowed to use the car for a set number of holidays/social occasions? Will they say something along the lines of: You say you need to have a higher mileage limit for hospital, school runs etc, but then we see that you are also using the car for 2 holidays a year and for so and so number of social occasions, if you cut back on these then you won’t need to have such a high mileage limit. It could throw up all sorts of Orwellian type control connotations. Or am I just overthinking things too much?
At this point they are capable of anything. They haven’t been exactly transparent i.e adding the wedge to new customers (over 30) cars for only their first lease.
I’m 99% sure that wasn’t in their first announcement on the page.
Someone posted this on facebook. Seems a valid point to me:
Systems like “DriveSmart” are being treated as objective measures of driving quality, when in reality they are nothing of the sort.
At a technical level, these systems don’t “understand” driving. They process raw sensor data, GPS, acceleration, braking forces, and convert it into simplified events such as “harsh braking” or “aggressive cornering” using fixed thresholds. Those events are then aggregated into a score.
The problem is not the use of data itself, but what is missing from it.
These systems are fundamentally context-blind. They cannot distinguish between:
Emergency braking to avoid a pedestrian
Sudden deceleration caused by traffic flow
Swerving to avoid potholes or hazards
Or genuinely unsafe drivingTo the algorithm, these can look identical.
On top of that, scoring is typically based on pre-set thresholds and statistical correlations, not a real-time understanding of road conditions or intent. That means the system is not measuring “safe driving” in any meaningful human sense, it is measuring how closely your behaviour matches a simplified risk model built on averages.
And this is where the issue becomes structural rather than incidental.
When a proxy measure becomes the target, it stops being a reliable measure of reality (Goodhart’s Law). Drivers are then incentivised to adapt their behaviour to the scoring system rather than the road, sometimes discouraging necessary safety responses like firm braking or decisive action in complex traffic situations.
There is also a wider transparency issue. In most implementations, the exact scoring weights, thresholds, and error margins are not disclosed. That makes it impossible for users to meaningfully challenge or interpret their scores.
None of this necessarily means the technology has no value. Telematics can identify broad statistical patterns across large populations. But that is very different from claiming it can fairly or accurately assess individual driving behaviour in context, especially where penalties or consequences are attached.
At the very least, these systems should be understood for what they are:
statistical risk proxies, not objective measures of driving competence.And if they are used in ways that affect users’ access, costs, or compliance obligations, then transparency, auditability, and appropriate safeguards aren’t optional, they’re essential.
If a system can’t distinguish between dangerous driving and necessary safety reactions, it’s not measuring safety—it’s measuring compliance with its own assumptions.
Agreed thousands of people before us fought for our rights as citizens but they have tried to rename us consumers and then try and take our citizenship we must fight the digital compliance at all costs for the sake of the next generations otherwise we will be handing them terrible future
What about if you want to be added onto someone else’s insurance and you need to see when you made a claim, if you have made one? Seems a bit restrictive to only allow one request for claims history, to me.
All part of worry free motoring…
Having read this it got me thinking
I would best look at my online insurance portal and check how that works
And what did I see? My wife ( permitted driver) listed as having a provisional license lol
I stood there 3yrs ago while the dealer checked her license and rubber stamped it
About the 5th car she has been as a permitted driver having passed her test 20+ yrs ago
Tried ringing DLM but couldn’t get through to a human so not sure what to do if anything
Due to reorder in just over a month so will update the dealer then
Wife is out at the moment and when she comes home I might tell her Ive always wondered if she passed her test lol
On the other hand I might not lol
I might be reading into it too much, but this maybe suggests the wedge won’t be forced on to everyone over 30 that isn’t new to the scheme but will be for people who make a lot of claims.
I imagine those who request dispensation on the mileage limit will be subject to the app as well
If that was the case then I imagine that could bring up all kind of tricky scenarios. If someone says they need a higher mileage limit because of hospital appointments, school drops offs etc and Motability agree but stipulate they require Drivesmart to make sure they will be doing the essential journeys they claim, will Motability then say that they can only use the car for essential journeys, or will they insist they are only allowed to use the car for a set number of holidays/social occasions? Will they say something along the lines of: You say you need to have a higher mileage limit for hospital, school runs etc, but then we see that you are also using the car for 2 holidays a year and for so and so number of social occasions, if you cut back on these then you won’t need to have such a high mileage limit. It could throw up all sorts of Orwellian type control connotations. Or am I just overthinking things too much?
Did you forget? Disabled people aren’t allowed nice things, included but not limited to, holidays and “luxury” cars!
Wife is out at the moment and when she comes home I might tell her Ive always wondered if she passed her test lol On the other hand I might not lol
Cruising for a bruising there mate😂
I might be reading into it too much, but this maybe suggests the wedge won’t be forced on to everyone over 30 that isn’t new to the scheme but will be for people who make a lot of claims.
I imagine those who request dispensation on the mileage limit will be subject to the app as well
If that was the case then I imagine that could bring up all kind of tricky scenarios. If someone says they need a higher mileage limit because of hospital appointments, school drops offs etc and Motability agree but stipulate they require Drivesmart to make sure they will be doing the essential journeys they claim, will Motability then say that they can only use the car for essential journeys, or will they insist they are only allowed to use the car for a set number of holidays/social occasions? Will they say something along the lines of: You say you need to have a higher mileage limit for hospital, school runs etc, but then we see that you are also using the car for 2 holidays a year and for so and so number of social occasions, if you cut back on these then you won’t need to have such a high mileage limit. It could throw up all sorts of Orwellian type control connotations. Or am I just overthinking things too much?
Did you forget? Disabled people aren’t allowed nice things, included but not limited to, holidays and “luxury” cars!
There might be some limited justification in Motability trying to promote this stance, if we all were actually getting totally free cars, but as we all know, we are not and are having to pay thousands for our cars and consequently should not be limited in what we do, where we go and what we choose to go in, as if we were free loaders, instead of simply being unfortunate enough to be disabled individuals and/or disabled family’s.
if Motability have proof of individual abuse, then address it on an individual bases, but don’t just assume we all are and act on us all being unapprovingly guilty of abusing the system and penalizing all of us, as the Nazi’s would have done..
@Joe If you just want the info on claims history, DLM will give you that info over the phone. It’s only providing the driving history in writing (email or letter) that, for reasons known only to them, that they restrict to one request only (per year or per lease – can’t recall which).
Luckily I was looking into a new car end of last year as ours was up in Feb 2026.
I happened to see the Drive smart box and it was just a couple of lines back then. About if you drive good we will give you vouchers.
Luckily i’m a very distrusting person so I read the t/cs at that point there was NOTHING about anyone needing it for anything other than someone being under 30 on the insurance.
So they keep adding bits as it goes along. I read every word and there was nothing there. Glad I looked into it thought as it was the final nail that made me 100% decide to not go back on the scheme. Every day that goes by I thank the lord I made that decision.
Is this a shift on Motability and Drive Smart? I cant seem to remember this part at the end, where it states new members only have drive smart for the 1st lease and its not required after that? —————– Who gets Drive Smart? Drive Smart is only included in your lease if: You are leasing your first car or Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAVWheelchair Accessible Vehicle) on the Motability Scheme You or any of your drivers on the lease are under 30 years old If you’re an existing customer and all the drivers on your lease are over 30, you will not get Drive Smart, unless you’ve had multiple insurance claims. Even when you order your next vehicle. If you have Drive Smart because you are new to the Motability Scheme, this will only apply to your first full lease. ————- Maybe DLM have told motability about the surge in NCB requests?
Thanks for that and I also suspect this has been recently added The bit THAT STICKS OUT where it says Even when you order your new vehicle It has been added in front of a previous full stop rather than on its own line imo Looked rushed
https://www.motability.co.uk/get-support/during-your-lease/cars-wavs/drive-smartWell I hope that means that they are not going to eventually roll it out to all drivers then.
When you read the terms and conditions, there is ZERO “worry free motoring”.
You have to inform them if tou are not going to use the car for an extended period. Monitoring phone calls when driving, to assess if you are distracted.
Yes, that is a no brainer.
But they will change terms and conditions to get cheaper insurance, and they can only save money if a good percentage of their customers have the system fitted.
Applying only to drivers under 30 and new customers is not going to cut it.
The last Iread re Drivesmart and mentioned on here, was after the intitial roll out in April, Mota were going to pause, take stock, before considering whether to roll Drivesmart out to a wider audience.
On modern cars, which Motability cars are, making or receiving a phone call whilst driving is perfectly safe and legal, as long as you are using hands free. By using voice control and / or steering wheel buttons, you can make and receive calls without taking your hands off the wheel. Are they saying that with DriveSmart this would still mark you down?
On modern cars, which Motability cars are, making or receiving a phone call whilst driving is perfectly safe and legal, as long as you are using hands free. By using voice control and / or steering wheel buttons, you can make and receive calls without taking your hands off the wheel. Are they saying that with DriveSmart this would still mark you down?
Yes and some users are saying they get marked down if they receive a call or text, even if they don’t answer it.
It feels its been set up to catch people out.
What happens if the mobile network goes down while you are driving are you supposed to be aware of that all the time you are driving
what do you do if your phone malfunctions or the cell tower you are pinged onto becomes faulty are you required to stop if so what happens on a motor way
let’s all ring Motability today and ask them questions about it ask if Motability employees are subjected to the same if not why not ask the as many questions as we can and report back here and if you are kept waiting then smile as we are letting them know how displeased we are and don’t be fobbed off with answer ask why where who what to everything it’s a form of civil unrest get your friends and family to do it as you are thinking of joining the scheme but no thanks it all sounds a bit 1984 and 2026 this is an invasion of privacy and must be stopped fight back with your voice and become a an inquisitive member of the public who would just like some more clarity they might get the message mess with one of us mess with all
Stafford just up the road from us is a EE blackspot, Tregynon Wales zero phone signal. So yes what about these blackspot, some of Wales areas are very poor coverage.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
Rural Northumberland is great for signal!, Google Maps and in-car sat nav once said I was in the Labrador Sea just off Newfoundland, I wonder how many red marks that would give me?
Car constantly gets the speed signs either wrong or doesn’t see them. Even in the central Durham area on driving on a 30mph roads it’ll pick up 20mph signs from side streets, put the brakes on and complain I’m speeding. I also get autonomous braking in a few local places when there’s nothing there, happens every time I drive there.
Please excuse spelling/typos. Apart from being a clot it turns out I had one on my cerebellum that's now causing various problems!
Next year it will be “ we just want you to wear this protective head wear that contains a gps tracker, microphone and video camera that records 24/7 because we need to see how you conduct your self and see who you interact with”
it’s all for your safety as a disabled person you need protection from yourself
Of course I mean you are on your seventh replacement tyre and low and behold you are on a road with a 50mph speed limit and you see a pot hole you check your rear mirrors and there is no car behind you could hit the brakes but that will get you another red mark just like all of those other red marks you got because you were unable to see the pot hole at the crest of hill – it was sunken laying wait just for you/
best off swerving onto the other oncoming lane and take your chances you are going to get removed from the scheme anyway might as well he right off and walk away
Because of the limitations to Drivesmart, anyone unfortunate to have to have one should consider having a dash cam installed.
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