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Good afternoon fellow forum contributors. I am in the final stages of buying a new car privately which, sadly, will result in us leaving Motability after having had 5 cars through the scheme.
In order to dot all the ‘i’s and cross all the ‘t’s, I have been double double checking everything to make 100% sure that, even though my wife is the higher rate mobility PIP recipient, I can buy and register the car in my name and still get the VAT off the purchase price (HMRC have re-confirmed that we can) and that we will be exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED or road tax) in all its forms (first year ‘showroom tax, normal yearly tax and ‘over £40k’ premium) – and DVLA have confirmed this also.
DVLA (and the supplying dealer) said something about needing to show my wife’s ’certificate of entitlement’ in order that the car can be registered new as a disability VED exempt vehicle. I’ve just dug out her PIP award letter from 2017, which states that she has the enhanced rate for both Daily Living and Mobility for “an ongoing period”, which is basically an indefinite award, so there’s no issue there, but we don’t have anything called a ‘Certificate of Entitlement’. I’ve just tried to phone the DWP PIP helpline but they closed at 5pm and annoyingly I won’t now be able to call them during working hours until next Monday.
A quick Google AI search about this suggests that the final page of the PIP award letter will usually suffice. We have this, but it’s called a ‘Statement of Entitlement’, not a ‘Certificate of Entitlement’. Is this one and the same thing, or is anyone here in possession of a document specifically called a ‘Certificate of Entitlement’? Thanks in anticipation.
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The M6 Toll road online excemption application requires a scan or photo of my PIP award letter. I send them both the award and the yearly benefit increase.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
Same thing
But some scratch their heads at the word ongoing and the 2017 award date
Any problems get them to contact mobility and do their own homework
………………………………………………………………………………
Footnote for others that may not be aware
indefinite award does not mean your award is indefinite
The same for ongoing awards
All benefits are open to further review
In any event
These awards, which include a 10-year “light touch” review, are often granted to those with very high-level needs or those of State Pension age.
Thanks all. I thought as much, but always best to check.
@jojo22 It’s a private car purchase – nothing to do with Motability. There’s no question of my wife ever losing her entitlement as she is a full time wheelchair user and not even able to stand unaided, let alone walk. I suspect that there will be a light touch review at around 10 years, but that would just be an admin irritant rather than a cause of concern. I believe that one of the aims of the Timms review is that people such as my wife, whose condition will never improve but only worsen, shouldn’t need to even do that, but we shall see.Ah me bad forgot
It’s a private car purchase
Ive got motorbility on the brain lately
Crossed wires I suspect
I made no mention of your wifes claim
I simply inc an add on for all
Sectioned off clearly and stated simply
Footnote for others that may not be aware:
Just to add as you made mention
I like you do hope that fairness prevails
Not sure I would pin any hope on the toothless Timms review
Its well reported that he does not get a final say in anything
Although I do agree with you about your wife claim and not being concerned
Best wishes to you both
Thanks @jojo22 Much appreciated.
I know not to hold out any hope from this government, but sadly the Conservatives and Reform UK seem to also have the disabled in their sights. This is one of the reasons why I’m biting the bullet and buying a private car now, even with 18 months to go on our Motability lease (I’ll do an early termination). I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the VAT & VED exemptions for private buyers get restricted in the future (price cap etc), which is why I’m going to fill my boots now whilst I can. Not that I am doing so, but you can even get full VAT relief on a Rolls Royce at present 😂
BTW I enjoyed reading your post about your new car search. You have a good way with words. My new car search was quite enlightening as well. Although I dodged the pretty young female receptionists at each dealership (curious that 🤔) with a cursory “I’m just looking around thanks” I was amazed that, given the price range of the cars that I was looking at, nobody approached me at the Porsche, Range Rover, Audi or Mercedes dealerships. Perhaps they thought that I didn’t look the part 😂 Their loss!
this is something i am a bit concerned about when i go to order the new car. usually every april i get a breakdown from veterans agency detailing the various components of my war pension including the portion they send to motability. but last year all they sent was a letter detailing the total amount to be paid into my bank as a total sum no mention of wpms or breaking the war pension down as also and disability pension just the total into the bank they did say in the letter the change was due to time constraints and that they were busy. so the only thing i have detailing wpms is 2023’s letter detailing 2023 amounts.
@bigdave any ideas?GlosGuy
Just to add
I will leave the scheme as soon as I am financially able
I know I will be at some point in the near future
My reasons being so that my wife can use the vehicle when and for whatever purpose she wants ( Dont worry she will have to adhere to my yet to be decided GCB (good condition bonus rules) lol
Also want to get another BMW on the drive (neighbours maybe missing the last one 🙂 )
Thankyou appreciated
Kind words indeed
Yep to many unknowns in the pipeline imo and just as they did with PIP for a decade
The mobilty/pip and so on goalposts will still be constantly moved
Your posts have taught me much
Dont get to snobby now that your leaving motorbility lol
Please hang around here and continue to be a valued and important member
@jojo22 If your motivation for leaving Motability would be to get a car that will never be available on the scheme (as is the case with me) then that’s one thing, but I wouldn’t let the issue about your wife driving the car be your primary motivation for leaving. As I have posted several times in response to similar comments (including this week), your wife is already allowed to use the Motability car for purposes that aren’t always for your direct benefit.
When we retired, and my wife could no longer drive safely, we needed to go down to one car. My preference was to hand back the Motability car and keep my private car, but whilst my private car was far nicer than the Motability car (it was a BMW 5 Series), it was a saloon and not as practical with the wheelchair. My wife also wanted a higher car and felt that we should stick with Motability. I decided that I’d call Motability and lay it on thick that most of the journeys would be without my wife and not for her direct benefit, so that I could say to my wife that we had to buy another (better) private car 😂 They said that it was fine. The wording was in place to avoid abuse (such as a adult child or grandchild keeping the car at their own house and using it as their own car, only visiting the Motability customer once a month). They completely understood that in the scenario where a couple living together only needs one car, the disabled persons partner will use the car for personal reasons.
I’ve had the same conversation with HMRC about our impending private VAT free purchase and they confirmed the same thing, even putting it in writing for me. Thankfully my wife is now of the same view as me that the Motability scheme is no longer for us, so her mobility element of her PIP will be going towards the private car instead.
Wise words and thats good to know
This is why I hope you will continue to post
Getting a BMW was tongue in cheek 🙂 as our needs are small but tbh
I will follow in your footsteps for a few reasons
One of those being I think this spineless scheme let us down without a fight and the banks simply rolled over
Look at it now not a word to anyone about details of changes that are almost here
Shambles imo
Rant over lol
this is something i am a bit concerned about when i go to order the new car. usually every april i get a breakdown from veterans agency detailing the various components of my war pension including the portion they send to motability. but last year all they sent was a letter detailing the total amount to be paid into my bank as a total sum no mention of wpms or breaking the war pension down as also and disability pension just the total into the bank they did say in the letter the change was due to time constraints and that they were busy. so the only thing i have detailing wpms is 2023’s letter detailing 2023 amounts. @bigdave any ideas?
Yes, the 2025/6 War Pension uprating letters were a complete lash up. Many complaints were made to Veterans UK about there being no breakdown to show awards of WPMS and/or Unsupp, ALSO or Constant Attendance Allowance etc etc.
The VAPC’ I sit on, as well as others have been told that this year’s (2026/7) letters due to be sent in April 26 will revert back to the original format, showing a full breakdown.
In the meantime, if you need a breakdown letter for such as Motability or road toll concessions etc etc, you can ring Veterans UK on 0808 1914218 and they will post out a breakdown of your current award for 2025/6.
However as you are already a Motability customer, your details should already be on the Motability system showing you have been awarded WPMS and should work fine at the dealership without having a current award breakdown letter when ordering a new scheme vehicle.
@Glos Guy
Yes, there’s such a thing as a Certificate of Entitlement. DWP don’t seem to know about it, surprise surprise, and sent me a copy of my award. I had an argument with them where they basically said I didn’t know what I was talking about but apologised a few days later and admitted they were wrong. I’m attaching an edited copy of mine.
Good luck 🙂. Peter.
Well Well
Thats a great find and new one on me and many others I suspect
And I suspect I now know why that has always been the case
I like many others have never been asked to produce the said certificate whilst on the scheme and when simply ordering a car.
I now understand because of this topic that there are other circumstances where it is indeed needed
On the scheme for a decade many vehicles later and the latest award letter has in my case always sufficed
Really useful to know and understand the importance of such a letter if and when anyone needs such a letter
Thank you Peter
Cheers @jojo22
If I remember correctly, I received this certificate along with my first PIP award in 2013. I used it to tax my existing private car without cost. When I joined the Motability scheme in 2014 I part-ex’d my private car and then had automatic free tax as part of my Motability package. I inherited an old car in 2021 and needed this certificate then to apply my tax exemption to this inherited car. My Motability car then was an EV so there was no car tax liability so I just notified Motability I wanted to be personally liable for the EV at zero tax freeing up my exemption for use on the other vehicle. As far as I’m aware, the Certificate of Entitlement’s only purpose is to evidence entitlement to car tax exemption on a single vehicle.
Anyone who is on the scheme with a single vehicle would never have had any use for this certificate. I don’t know if things have changed since 2021 and other proofs are now acceptable. Then the Post Office would not apply the exemption without its production.
Many thanks Peter. I’m glad that I asked. I shall call the DWP on Monday as we were never supplied with that certificate. They aren’t needed for Motability but we are buying privately so require one. Thankfully I won’t need it for quite a few months due to lead times, but better to request it now. Thanks again.
@Glos Guy
Glad to help 😀. I hope the DWP don’t give you the same run around that they gave me 🫰. At least you can send them a copy of mine above if they plead ignorance 😁.
Cheers 🍻 Peter.
Thinking about it, isn’t the certificate of entitlement the one for claiming VED aand the post office would stamp?
@kezo Yes, exactly that 👍.
UPDATE
I called the DWP PIP helpline this morning. They will not issue a ‘Certificate of Entitlement’ for VED exemption as we already have exemption on the Motability car, and you can only have it on one car. I explained that we would not end the Motability contract until the same day that we take delivery of the new (private) car, so how are we supposed to get the certificate in time? They couldn’t help on that one. I then tried to call DVLA to ask them, but it said that the minimum wait time was 45 minutes, so I hung up. Broken Britain exemplified!
I guess I have two options. Option 1. Call Motability a month or two before I take delivery and say that I will pay the VED (£50 a month) on the Motability car and hope that they do their admin, let DWP know, I can then get through to DWP to request a certificate, they agree (having hopefully been notified by Motability) and send us the certificate in time. Or, option 2, I pay the VED on the new car and then attempt to claim it back. That’s a big risk as the first year VED (showroom tax) on the car I’m buying is £5,490 so I don’t fancy handing that amount over in addition to the cost of the car and if, for some reason, I end up having to pay for even one month that’s over £450. Neither option is ideal.
I’ll speak to the dealer later, but any thoughts?
@GlossGuy if they will be proactively helping people, how do you think they’ll be able to justify the amount of useless “working” from home imbeciles?
It’s easier and more Treasury friendly to force you to pay those £5,500.
Sent from a mobile device.
Apologies for briefness and spelling mistakes.Motability Skoda Enyaq SportLine 85x April 2024 (unhappy customer - Ombudsman pending)
Motability Mazda CX-60 PHEV July 2023 (unhappy customer - early termination on mechanical grounds)
Motability VW Touran Family Pack May 2019 (happy customer)@Glos Guy
Sounds like a typical jobsworth response ☹️.
Personally I would follow Option 1. “Call Motability a month or two before I take delivery and say that I will pay the VED (£50 a month) on the Motability car and hope that they do their admin, let DWP know, I can then get through to DWP to request a certificate, they agree (having hopefully been notified by Motability) and send us the certificate in time. ”
Maybe do this four months in advance to ensure everything is sorted 🤷. Everything is hard work, isn’t it?
@jojo22 Did you post the above in the wrong thread? Motability haven’t done anything wrong! It’s Civil Service bureaucracy that I’m stuck with!
As it happens, I have called Motability this morning and the lady that I spoke to couldn’t have been more helpful. If their choice of cars was as good as their customer service we wouldn’t be leaving! Anyhow, she suggested my option 1 as @Peter(Original) suggested.
Apparently I have to pay a full year VED (£620) from when I ask them to remove the VED exemption from the Motability car, and as soon as I end the contract (on the day that I pick up the new private car) they will refund me (pro rata) all remaining full months. I’d far rather be on the hook for £50 a month for a few months than paying £5,490 on the new car and stressing over claiming it back! Also, as Motability deal with it, rather than the DVLA, I would be far more confident that it will be done properly and efficiently. The potential issue is that I’m still relying on the DWP processing the notice from Motability and agreeing to send through the Certificate of Entitlement, hence why I’ll probably make the change a couple of months before I get the new car.
I shall be relived when we have excited Motability and are back in control of these things again!
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