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The Polo GTI was deleted from the scheme not sure why as Mini Cooper S still on scheme apparently disabled are not allowed any choice only basics so go into a Motability car showroom cars will have signs on NOT ALLOWED ON MOTABILITY when you ask they say no due to Gov interference to which you say that is not a luxury high class car.
@on_the_spectrum Lowering of mileage limits (exact figure tbc) and removal of overseas breakdown cover aren’t just rumours. Motability have already announced that these will be part of the changes introduced next year. In all honesty, I doubt that these things will affect the vast majority of customers. Most Motability users tend to do quite low mileages, and I strongly suspect that there will be an option to have an increased mileage allowance if you pay more – exactly as happens with commercial leases. In a way, that’s fair, as those doing very low mileages are effectively subsidising those who do very high mileages at present although, in reality, we know that whilst this policy change will increase costs for some, it is highly unlikely that very low mileage users will benefit from a reduction! As for overseas breakdown cover, those who can afford to go abroad on holiday will probably just accept the upgrade cost for the breakdown cover, which I suspect will be modest, or buy cover on the open market, as everyone else does. I doubt that this will be a game changer for anyone – more an inconvenience. The additions of VAT and Insurance Premium Tax to APs are going to affect everyone but, if there is any discrimination, it’s in favour of Motability customers, and against disabled people who source their cars privately. Motability customers who lease WAVs, or are full time wheelchair users who need substantial and permanent adaptations, will be exempt from these additional charges. That’s exactly the same if these customers leave the scheme and buy such vehicles privately. However, the government has agreed to leave Motability with their block VAT exemption on the base lease of ALL cars. This is not the case for the majority of qualifying benefit recipients who don’t use Motability, so they may be the folk who feel discriminated against! Personally, I don’t have an issue with Motability stepping up efforts to remove people who abuse the scheme.
I was reporting to the new sinister investigations team which I agree it someone abuses the scheme fair enough what if you yourself are reported buy a nasty person that you are not entitled or abusing the scheme when there is no evidence then you will be watched or what and this is now like DWP if you are on PIP which I think is like DLA was hard to get I did then you have the mobility part then you are entitled to the car. If as said people use them in a different manner which may happen although not sure if his was massive then fair cop, there are families that have a child with let’s say milder mental problems then all they have entitlement to the scheme a neighbour who is jealous or anyone can report you and then you may be followed cars outside you house watching you with this DWP Type new investigations team which is strange it is setup now with the other attacks by the media it is no coincidence is it and apparently on today’s Sunday morning bbc programme the tories are telling lies about the massive motability customers there are quite low 200.000 apparently which is not that high.
Not sure if you guys have heard this here is a snippet Motability will also remove overseas breakdown cover from the scheme and lower the mileage limit on its leases, and it said it was creating a new “special investigations unit”, even though the rate of “misuse” had remained stable, following a “growth in customer numbers”. So Motability customers will be taxed even with having adaptations added to your car on the AP and insurance tax at 20% I think this is a breach of equality act as if you can have and afford the giant APS on WAV cars you will not pay a penny VAT now this makes a two tier system which is quite unjust and not only that this is going to happen as well although the going abroad will not affect me it still seems that if you did want to take your car over the sea you should be able to anyway here is what Motability are going to be doing: Motability will also remove overseas breakdown cover from the scheme and lower the mileage limit on its leases, and it said it was creating a new “special investigations unit”, even though the rate of “misuse” had remained stable, following a “growth in customer numbers”. Now this special secret Gov investigations team sounds a bit like the DWP and I always thought if you have nothing to hide then it is ok but it is a wee bit frightening that not only innocent people if reported by a nasty person which we all know exist this Motability investigations team could be outside you house following you and make some paranoid now they know and trusted motability may become like unwell due to not knowing they are being checked I think this is really sinister an attack on disabled people and we all know that there has been and will be those that either do not know or do know that certain rules apply to the scheme and there will be some abuse but like the DWP they get it wrong sometimes and it is just not what Motability I thought should be doing unless they have evidence of wrongdoing 100%.
One of my neighbours although not a motability car told me that four of his tyres had nails put in them and it was not hear where we live but somewhere he had parked I suppose that would be classed as vandalism would this be a bad report on your record.
Has anyone seen any sense that Motability at over £4000 a year and some APS going up that you could buy a reliable used car like my friend who is disabled, and got an old vauxhall Diesel 1.9 engine for £600 4 years ago and it is a turbo engine. He uses this car more than I have used mine and only has MOT passes the odd small cheap tune up and it’s done over 90,000 miles still going strong. And with some APS over £3000 you have a car that’s yours and paying cash for it you have enough to put aside for any maintenance. He told me he has had 9 cars on Motability and never again would he go on the scheme again.
I notified DL when I had tinted windows same as when RSA was insurer although not sure on body rapping ore changing colour as this is bigger change and you will not be allowed any engine mods such as remapping.
I myself am a full time wheelchair spinal injury and you can get seats that can help you get in and out but who is going to judge you when you come to order and if you have to not even pay VAT what about your disabled friends or anyone that you do not pay vat and they are not disabled enough it is all wrong not thought out and totally discriminatory.
Having not close read any of the documents. I would say that if I had to pay beyond the current pip contribution plus additional costs for insurance, that alone would see me leave. If, on top of that the 20k mileage allowance is dropped below 15k then I will hand the car back the day I pick up a replacement car from outside the scheme. I may just have well lost, or at least damaged many decades of no claims (my wife definitely will), and sold a reasonably good reliable car when I entered into Motability in 2023. My thoughts go out to the young lady with a 3 year old blind/deaf child on survives on ongoing medical support that requires regular visits to have feeding pegs changed and physio. She will lose out due to people with low IQs who peddle the free car mantra. Well done Labour, I hope your MPs never get reoccurring cancer or have a child like above WHILE attempting to work.
I think you maybe wrong it says nly WAV ill be tax exempt so you would have to fight motability for this due to amputations are severely disabled and require hand controls of any type to allow them to be able to drive now if you are now judging who is worthy or not it is a breach and discrimination a lawyer told me but you may have to pay to fight the great Motability and Gov who are responsible.
The WAV no vat is a breach of equality Act even Disability discrimination but who has the law fees to fight this, as said many moons ago Some of us may need a Wav but due to Motability taking away them if you do not work 16 hours or do charitable work you can forget getting any grant for one. I did say once you have a two tier system and start judging disabled into which disability is entitled what then this happens.So in other words one law for one and nothing for the other which is a slippery slope and you should not have to argue your case. You can be severely disabled and have the most complex Adaptations but due to it not being WAV you we will have to pay this unjust tax.
Yes, adding a 20% VAT to Motability Advance Payments will likely make the scheme unaffordable for many vulnerable disabled people, as it will significantly increase upfront costs for vehicles. This change, effective from July 2026, is expected to add around £3,000 to the cost of the cheapest three-year leases, making them financially out of reach for those with lower incomes, such as the median household income of £18,500 for scheme users.
You are confusing two issues. The article posted earlier from Motability that mentioned this huge hike was in response to a suggestion that the government would remove the VAT exemption on the whole lease cost. This didn’t happen. They are ‘just’ charging VAT on the AP, so a car with say a £1k AP will see a rise in AP of £200, plus the insurance premium tax that is also going to be applied to Motability leases.
Many thanks Glos that maybe not too bad then.
I looked to see if you have major adaptations will you be able to claim back the 20% VAT and apparently you cannot so its a no win.
Yes, adding a 20% VAT to Motability Advance Payments will likely make the scheme unaffordable for many vulnerable disabled people, as it will significantly increase upfront costs for vehicles. This change, effective from July 2026, is expected to add around £3,000 to the cost of the cheapest three-year leases, making them financially out of reach for those with lower incomes, such as the median household income of £18,500 for scheme users.
It seems strange that whether you are rich or poor you can get or did get DLA or PIP now and you could get the high end cars if you could afford the higher AP so it seems to me madness that say a Mercedes with a renault engine a Alfa which was only one car with fiat engine and so on is not allowed only due to its badge its insane.
From the horse’s mouth:
The Motability Scheme addresses the market failure in the provision of suitable transportation for disabled people – from limited access to cars to the cost of adaptive vehicles and access to insurance.
There is a transport accessibility gap today. The difference between journeys undertaken by people with mobility difficulties and those without has been stuck at around 38% for a decade.
Public and commercial transport options for disabled people are still inadequate, reflected in the concentration of Motability customers in suburban or rural areas (81%).
VAT
UK VAT law (VAT Act 1994) includes provisions specifically designed to support disabled people by zero-rating vehicle leases and end-of-lease disposals where they are linked to mobility benefits.
100% of the money saved from the VAT zero-rating goes to disabled people who lease vehicles on the Scheme – it is a targeted support for disabled people that we administer on behalf of government. This scheme is designed to operate with a small margin assuming the VAT relief is in place. Any money made from the Scheme goes back into disabled people’s mobility.
The Scheme’s structure is fully compliant with VAT law, with strong oversight from HMRC and DWP.
Changing VAT on leases
Without any changes to the Scheme’s features to reduce costs, introducing VAT for Scheme vehicles would raise costs and exclude people from the freedom and independence the Scheme provides.
A spokesperson for the Motability Scheme said:
“The Motability Scheme exists to enable freedom and independence for disabled people. Every pound of VAT relief is passed directly to disabled customers, many on low incomes, to make mobility affordable. Introducing VAT on leases risks making cars unaffordable for disabled people, leaving only the wealthiest able to access the Scheme – a result that would fundamentally undermine its purpose.”
If VAT was applied to the Motability Scheme, there are a range of ways in which it could be paid for. For example, the features of the Scheme could be changed to save money or up front Advance Payments could increase.
Based on the average price of a Scheme lease (for a petrol and diesel vehicle as of April 2025), costs to disabled people could range from £3,000 to £6,500. The enhanced mobility Personal Independence Payments (PIP) allowance is worth just over £4,000 a year.
The median household income of a disabled person using the Scheme is around £18,500 – about half the UK average (£36,700). This would immediately make the Scheme unaffordable for most disabled people, leaving only those on higher incomes able to participate.
Research also shows that a majority of disabled people using the Scheme will not replace the car purchase from an alternative route. A removal of the VAT zero-rating could therefore make it much harder for disabled people to access affordable mobility and any assumption that significant VAT revenue will be generated is misplaced.
The Scheme operates at scale, allowing bulk purchasing and strong manufacturer discounts. Removing the zero-rating would erode this efficiency and undermine the social purpose of enabling independence and affordable mobility. There would also be a knock-on impact to jobs in the automotive sector.
Contact information
Press Office
pressoffice@mo.co.uk
Media assetsApparently some disability organisations are going to fight this in the courts as it affects most vulnerable and also she never upped the tax allowance still set at £12570 which will affect low paid and pensioners who are not wealthy so bad all round.
Will the VAT exclusion be on Mobility Scooters as well on the scheme or VAT exempt if you buy or lease elsewhere.
Not that I am a BMW or Mercedes fan it seems that so called luxury cars with Mercedes that has a Renault engine cars some are being conned if buying or leasing these cars that are mutton dressed up as lamb.
Very strange that Renault has also been taken off scheme and as to buy british cars there are non only cars that maybe assembled in uk total nonsense.
Well said Andy Farty arge and tories left a mess although I still think all this has gone way too far and if basic A to B peddle cars are left it will not be fit for purpose is this a ploy my by chinese Uk Gov to get rid of Motability as it was very successful in making profits and also some dealers for these so call upmarket cars will lose out and more dealers could go bust as they are now.
I do think this is an agender that could be disastrous they are not saying just luxury they are saying premium models that could mean Peugeot Hybrids GT top of range models, that may have more standard equipment like heated seats park assist so it is very worrying why gov has got involved for first time since 1977, when motability was set up in meddling with the scheme which even though the press has for many years meddled and told lies it really needs a legal challenge as choice for disabled has been fought over for many years and it is just not right even though BMW Mercedes and others i’m not at all interested in it also as said will stop cars with features that are helpful for us.
Very strange if the tories were in this would look even worse as they wanted more cuts to disabled and as for reform they stated or Lee Anderson wanted a return to the three wheel plastic pig do any of them know there is a case of breaching the Equality act 2010 and even discrimination in much of this. I think all politicians need to live in the real world and try being disabled it’s not fun and as think it is not easy to get DLA or PIP and even ESA although being a pensioner glad to be off that benefit as it was to me very degrading.
VW Polo GTI why that 2ltr engine same as Mini 2ltr and VW are going through a very tough time but no it is not british although oh no we lost over 90 billion coming out the EU and we all have to pay for it.
Also on slightly different thing has anyone seen the BYD’s being destroyed in china due to major rust so bad they are falling apart within a year due to lack of Quality control in the factory one car I would not choose. Also a lot of software problems on chinese EVS Mg had the MG4 problems where you had to look underneath to see if the cars were damaged some have had bad dents. You cannot beat old school cars perhaps we should buy our own choice of cars that are reliable and simple to use.
Are they not going to cause availability problems unless Mini gets its finger out to produce orders quicker as lack of choice in some makes will cause longer waiting than there is now.
Believe it or not there are disabled motorcycle riders out there with missing limbs I know they are not on motability but due to not being the right wing newspapers leave them alone as they fund themselves.The disabled bikers Association did some time back want bikes put onto motability and that could mean 3 wheeler car licence automatics?
