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I will be changing my Motability car early next year and it is very likely that I will choose a Ford Kuga. However, one thing confuses me. Throughout the range, the retail price of the FHEV (full hybrid) is around £270 more expensive than the PHEV (plug in hybrid.)
However, the Motability pricing has the PHEV available at around £2,000 more expensive than the FHEV for the upfront payment, the difference getting larger up the model scale. This seems like a mistake to me, but nobody will give me an honest answer to this anomaly, so I don’t know if my assumption is correct or if I am missing something.
I would prefer to get the PHEV, as I do a lot of short journeys, but I could not be comfortable knowing I am paying so much more for something that actually costs less. On the grounds that there is an official push to be more electric, the PHEV would be a more natural choice, but the Motability pricing seems to discourage doing this.
I have made enquiries to various departments of Ford and Motability, but Ford says Motability is responsible for pricing and vice versa. The Motability expert at my local garage acknowledges the anomaly but is unable to explain it, though he says he has been told that the pricing is ‘correct’. However, how can somebody say it is correct, yet deny having anything to do with the pricing?
Please can somebody explain the anomaly please if they have more information than I can access.
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It’s something of a mystery indeed but often happens as I remember back 3 or 5 years ago when the VW Touran was on the scheme and the SEL was the top of the range model but had an equal or lower AP than the 2 models that were priced lower in the retail market. Although that is a reverse of your statement as the more expensive model has the cheaper AP its still an oddity with no reasoning.
It could be a number of reasons like a new model the manufacturer wants to be seen out on the road, as a sort of advertisement or could be end of production with a new model coming out or simply Motability did a good or bad job in negotiating but this last theory is normally met, if its a good negotiating, with the manufacturer withdrawing the model from MB for a few months only to return with a greater AP later.
My current car is a VW Tiguan R-Line that had a greater AP than the Elegance and although the retail price difference is only a couple of hundred £’s the lesser Elegance was the go for model as it had thousands of £’s of extras on it over the more expensive R-Line and one of the reasons, I think, the Elegance was withdrawn for MB back then because VW knew with a new Tiguan about to be release that they could shift the old Elegance with all it’s extras easier than the nice looking but less extra’s old R-Line.
I would of loved a Tiguan PHEV (who wouldn’t want a car doing a possible 190 MPG) but alas these we’re way too expensive for us and with private Joe’s falling over themselves to get a hand on the PHEV version puts the AP 2, 3 or 4 times higher so there’s no saving over the short time we have these cars.
Just my thoughts that could be way of canter. ?
A lot of the pricing is also down to residual values, so I’d hazard a guess in your case that they think the PHEV will depreciate more than the HEV
Previous Motability Cars
2006 - 2009 Skoda Superb VR6 2.0tdi
2009 - 2012 Citroen C5 2.0tdi VTR Nav
2012 - 2015 Nissan Qashqai 1.5dci tekna
2015 - 2018 Ford Kuga 2.0tdi Titanium X
2018 - 2021 BMW 220d X drive 2 Series Active Luxury
2021 - 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric Premium SE
2023 - Hyundai Kona Electric Ultimate
Hi, my understanding is that advance payments are based on the resale value of the vehicle at the end of a three year lease period.
A lot of the pricing is also down to residual values, so I’d hazard a guess in your case that they think the PHEV will depreciate more than the HEV
Yes I think that’s a big big problem for Motability with the advances in battery technology advancing by the day.
If its a full BEV Motability have the problem selling that car in 3 to 5 years time with its, let’s say, 250 mile range when the new model is likely to be cheaper or at best the same price but with an extended range.
With the Plug-in’s there’s the problem that new models have to be able, don’t quote me on this but, must be able to travel 50 mile in electric only mode while the older models its only about 30 mile so the older models are going to be less desirable over the new models.
Interesting thoughts. It would be so much simpler if both Ford and Motability were more open, rather than constantly trying to bullshit me. I don’t suppose either are alone with this though.
Data suggests that the Kuga should hold onto around 50-57 per cent of its value over three years and 36,000 miles, with the best combination for residuals being a plug-in hybrid model in ST-Line X specification.
Nor do I understandand the reason for over inflated AP’s for PHEV’s, consdering a PHEV will hold onto the best residuals, which doesn’t surprise me given they are guaranteed to be sold upto at least 2035!
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