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I have a Motability car and really enjoy it. My wife asked, as she was preparing dinner with a large knife, what would happen to the car should I pre-decease her?
As I am getting older, I find I am doing fewer long journeys, but the mileage is still around 10,000 – 12,000 miles a year. I am getting to the stage of thinking about buying a car to avoid any difficulty with transport.
Anyone else gone through this thought process.
And yes, the way to a mans heart is through his stomach, with a long sharp knife!
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
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I raised this topic a number of years ago, on the Forum, suggesting there could be an insurance policy paid for by those interested in keeping the Motability car after the passing of the Motability customer/partner and I got pelters from the members on the Forum, still can’t understand why đ¤
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.I’ve thought about it, then came to the conclusion life was too short to worry about such things. Bit different to me mind, I was thinking more if my younger wife left me, now that I am a grumpy old git…lol.
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.
I would be in this position if my wife died before me. I think that Motability give you a bit of a grace period of a month or two, which would be long enough for me to buy a used car. Personally, I wouldnât expect them to do anything else. The scheme is for disabled people and the car has been VAT exempted as a result. As Iâm thankfully not disabled myself I would fully expect to have to fund my own car.
Not that I would personally want to buy an ex Motability car, but I think in these situations they should offer the car to the bereaved partner at the current trade price (not the inflated prices that they used to ask at lease end). Thatâs all theyâd get for it at auction, so it wouldnât result in the scheme funding non-disabled customers. Maybe they do this anyway? Thankfully Iâve not had to ask!
We have set aside some funds just incase I pop my clogs first so the wife can buy a car a pay the bills. Unfortunately she will have no one to nag which could be a big issue for her.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Longevity is not on my menu and like Oscar max, funds are allocated outside of probate. I have also suggested what might suit and what to avoid. I asked Motability and they suggested at least two weeks grace, but essential to notify them before registering with the government bereavement â notify allâ service. They will collect the car immediately, cancel benefits, pensions, freeze bank accounts etc. potentially leaving financial difficulties.
If someone passes
“Once youâve told us and to help support you, any of your drivers can keep using the vehicle for up to two weeks. After that, youâll need to hand it back to a dealer.
You do not need to remove any adaptations and can give it back sooner if this is easier. If there are no other drivers added, we can add a driver so you can return the vehicle.”
From memory PIP is paid four weeks in arreas & DLA one week in advance. Not sure about the rest.
Two weeks isnât much is it, especially as thatâs the time when the bereaved partner is at their lowest and occupied with arranging a funeral etc. Â That seems rather insensitive to me.
I would have thought that 1-2 months was more appropriate, even if it meant that the bereaved person had to pay a rental fee for that period. I guess that they canât be bothered with the admin?
Passing is very onerous for the surviving partner. I have helped a distraught widow with the reams of paperwork, especially the demands from hmrc for full disclosure of all finances and possessions. I was wrong about the Tell us Once service re bank accounts. That, along with insurances, utilities is down to the survivor. Brutal is a good description and itâs worth looking at the list on web page below.
In addition, if you have a defined contribution pension, or a SIPP, that is currently outside of probate and potential inheritance tax, Rachel the grave robberâs proposed rule changes, due in two years, will mean access to your remaining pension fund will be denied to the survivor until this  complex addition to probate has been resolved. In my case, my wife would lose my pip, the car, state pension, access to my pension adding to the stresses of bereavement. Brutal and preparation for such an event is essential, imho. Not just the farmers being shafted.
Me and my wife have previously discussed this exact situation… I told her if it happens I’ll be dead so sounds like you problem, maybe you shouldn’t have spent so much on the kitchen đđđ
Seriously though we’ve tried to keep some money saved so the survivor would have enough to keep going until it can all be sorted out, plus she’s got family and friends nearby who could give her a lift or she could borrow their car if needed. She does still have her own car at the moment but we don’t really need two cars so it’ll probably go before I snuff it đ¤ â°ď¸ âšď¸
In addition, if you have a defined contribution pension, or a SIPP, that is currently outside of probate and potential inheritance tax, Rachel the grave robberâs proposed rule changes, due in two years, will mean access to your remaining pension fund will be denied to the survivor until this complex addition to probate has been resolved. In my case, my wife would lose my pip, the car, state pension, access to my pension adding to the stresses of bereavement. Brutal and preparation for such an event is essential, imho. Not just the farmers being shafted.
Iâd like to think that Iâm pretty clued up on financial matters, especially pensions (having been a trustee of a major pension scheme as one of my many past roles) but even I had missed some of the details of these proposed changes. My financial advisor visited last week and told me that I have a potential future problem that I was unaware of (or, rather, my estate would).
As you say, remaining funds in defined contribution pensions will, in 2 years time, be included in inheritance tax calculations whereas, at present, they are excluded. Itâs worth stating that this only matters if your total estate at death exceeds ÂŁ1m (if you are married and a home owner), but with house prices in the south being as they are this will now catch millions of people. Thankfully, I also have a defined benefit pension which my wife will be able to live comfortably on (sheâd get two-thirds of it) and these are still excluded, but my kids (who would get the remaining defined contribution fund) would have to pay both inheritance tax and income tax on this when we both pop our clogs, which is deeply unfair.
My financial advisor said not to panic yet as itâs 2 years away and the pensions industry is lobbying government to say that this is unjust and will deter future generations from saving for retirement but, if all else fails, he reckons there will be some âwork aroundsâ by then, as there are with many of these issues. For example, we have set up a âlife interest trustâ to avoid our house being used to fund potential future care costs. I would be the first to admit though that itâs not right that only those who can afford specialist financial advice can work around these issues. Those who canât, who often have the greater need, sleepwalk in to these financial traps, and that just doesnât sit comfortably with me.
Luckily, we have a bus stop over the road!
I have been through it once with my first wife and I have to confess, it is now such a blur, I can not remember what happened to her Motability WAV. Back then I did have various transport options as @Rhodgie will know.
I think we need to set aside some funds for my future widow to purchase a car. OR we may leave the scheme and buy one before my demise.
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
Hi Glos guy,
We set up a discretionary trust @20 years ago. Within a year Gordon the Great had changed the rules to invalidate it and the solicitor who had advised us had no qualms in charging us again to re write wills. It was Gordonâs A day rules that Reaves is now changing. Donât you just love such duplicity?
The potential inheritance tax is bad enough, but probate, already taking months will now also involve the pension provider. They will have to submit figures and HMRC determine the liability. What could possibly go wrong! Tax has to be paid within six months of death and probate not granted until received. A dogs diner looms and like the farmers, immense stress for all.you are right. Potential pension tax take for my daughters. 76%. I predict that the increased suicide rate expected prior to April 2027 will not be limited to farmers.
we certainly do not need a second vehicle, but buying one nearing the end of lease and then leaving the scheme is a sensible option.
If youâve not owned your own car for more than a couple of years your biggest headache will be insurance and loss/lack of âNo Claims Bonusâ
Electric Vehicles are insanely expensive to insure because of their capital cost and high depreciation.
Furthermore changes in VED, particularly the âLuxury Taxâ is compounding the problem with selling new cars so we might find ourselves in a partial vacuum. Dealers going under and severe lack of trained mechanics. Itâs not that modern cars are worse for reliability or faults but the forums all agree that the service provided by the dealers is severely lacking.
With Motability cars you do get better assurances than owning a private car however their rules about handing back have to be taken into account.
If youâve not owned your own car for more than a couple of years your biggest headache will be insurance and loss/lack of âNo Claims Bonusâ Electric Vehicles are insanely expensive to insure because of their capital cost and high depreciation. Furthermore changes in VED, particularly the âLuxury Taxâ is compounding the problem with selling new cars so we might find ourselves in a partial vacuum. Dealers going under and severe lack of trained mechanics. Itâs not that modern cars are worse for reliability or faults but the forums all agree that the service provided by the dealers is severely lacking. With Motability cars you do get better assurances than owning a private car however their rules about handing back have to be taken into account.
The insurance issue (moving from a lease car to a private car) is no longer an issue, thankfully. Many insurers (possibly the majority now) will accept a no claims history from Motability if you are going down the private route. Even if they only accept up to 3 years (as some limit it to) this still takes off the vast majority of the premium compared to a quote with no NCD whatsoever.
I agree with your other comments though. If real world ranges of EVs improve substantially by the time we next change we may decide to go down the EV route but, if we do, it would be through Motability. I wouldnât touch one with a bargepole privately for the reasons that you mention (and several others). Clearly the overwhelming majority of private buyers feel the same, hence why they arenât touching them and the EV market is being held up by lease customers, mostly due to the lower benefit in kind tax rates. However, when that changesâŚ..
Gloss your absolutely correct. Itâs been that long I forgot. Iâve been a Motability customer mostly on than off for past 25 years but Iâve always owned my private Land Rover whether classic or modern. I went through the phase of losing all my NCB shortly after going over to Motability in 1999 and having a serious fatal crash in their car in 2002. Many factors come into effect but with Motability being a commercial provider, at the time almost all the private insurance companies refused to accept the mere couple of years with Motability when I didnât insure my own vehicle. Their cut-off is usually two years but one allowed three to get me back onto the rails. Three years isnât thirty seven (1965-2002) though and even worse is when comments are made even today, that stick in your throat.
Although I was blameless in that fatal accident and the other driver totally responsible i decided to go private because we felt safer in a big car such as Land Rover. The insurance companies that offered me a policy still treated me as the villain and Iâve not recovered since 2002. Premiums are tenfold from what they were and now Iâm fearful that Iâll ever get private cover at any price.
One very common reason given was âbecause Iâve  never had an accident caused by me and any convictions I must be at greater risk and well overdueâ; end quote. âYou live in a highly ethnic community and Land Rovers are at the highest riskâ. I have a 14 year old Discovery 4.So yes I agree most underwriters will accept some driving history but not the full entitlement. Unfortunately they control the market.
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