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Here I was banging on about the sat nav and how good it was then today it took me through every village, every B road and a couple of roads that would be best described as as dirt tracks 😤😤😩😩 @Rene the white looks very nice indeed.
My friend had that issue on his Hyundai and we discovered that the Sat Nav option to use the shortest journey (by distance) was selected, rather than the fastest journey (by time). Once changed, that solved his issue. Of course, if the fastest route also happens to be one that uses narrow roads (as happened to me yesterday) then you will still be sent down them!
I do a day a week voluntary work @mitch and really enjoy it. It’s mentally challenging work (but that’s no bad thing as it keeps the grey matter active) and it’s nice to chat to lots of people from different backgrounds. With the combination of that, time with friends and family, hobbies and interests (all of which get me out of the house) plus the never ending jobs that need doing in the house and garden I am never bored!
Glad you’ve got it all sorted @mitch Police pensions these days are nowhere near as generous as they used to be (no doubt your BIL will be on the old scheme which was brilliant) plus, of course, unlike military pensions, they pay quite a bit towards them as well throughout their working life.
The contracted out thing affects millions of people, myself included. My private pension drops by about 7% when I get to 65 due to being contracted out, but my state pension won’t be affected by it. The drop was meant to coincide with starting my state pension, but that’s now not starting until I’m 67. It’s odd how it affects people differently.
It sounds as though you didn’t get a bumper redundancy payment, as most people dream of being made redundant just before retirement! If it’s your desire to continue working then I wish you well, although don’t rule out retirement if you can afford it. I retired at 54 and never looked back. You never hear anyone say “I wish that I’d retired later”!
Sorry to hear about your redundancy @mitch (assuming that it wasn’t a good thing for you, given your age and proximity to state pension?)
I agree that the 4 weekly payment system used (I think) for most benefits is irritating. Surely everyone manages their money monthly (standing orders etc)? A payment on the same day every month (like my private pension) would be much more sensible.
Just a thought, but your £878 every 4 weeks would indicate that you are not getting a full new state pension? Might be worth checking if that’s the case. If it’s down to you not having a full National Insurance history, HMRC will allow you to ‘buy’ those missing years and it’s a no brainer to do it, although you have to do it within so many years of the missing ones, and you probably have to do it before you start drawing the pension, so it might be too late. Still worth a look though.
Also, re the tax (you probably know this) but HMRC will reduce your tax code by the value of your state pension (as they do with other taxable benefits), so effectively its tax free (if, in total, the payments are less than your tax free allowance) which will have the effect of increasing the tax on any other taxable income, such as private pension. It all works out the same, but it’s just how they do it and it confuses many people. I’ve no idea how war pensions work though, so you may already be well aware of all this!
@gilders That all sounds very sensible. As for charging cables, the ones that @kezo and I use have a protector on the end that plugs into the car, but these came free with the car. As for aftermarket ones I’m afraid I have no idea, but @kezo is your man for anything electrical, so I’m sure will be along soon. Enjoy your new car!
To be clear, the X5 is my ideal daily car. If we weren’t eligible to join Motability, there isn’t a single car on the scheme that I would buy privately, therefore any car that we get via that route will always be a compromise.
The X5 ticks all but one box for me. Having driven hundreds of cars from most mainstream brands, my preferred brand of choice is BMW. Their balance of driver engagement, performance, economy, handling, refinement and quality suit what I look for in a car perfectly. The X5 delivers all of this, but in a large luxury car that also has the benefit of the high seating position that suits both my back and my wife’s disability (as we need a person hoist and it’s easier for me to manoeuvre her in and out in a higher car).
The one box that it doesn’t tick, and it’s a big one, is price. Even with VAT deducted, it’s still more than I would ideally want to pay. I would really want to hand back the Motability car and use the £4k a year sacrificed benefits (plus AP) towards it. That’s why I mentioned a second option, which would be to retain the Motability car as the daily driver and buy a second hand ‘fun’ car as a second car, just for me. However, my definition of fun isn’t a small cramped sports car that is difficult to get in and out of. Whilst their handling will undoubtedly be much better, I prefer luxury with good performance.
Having watched a number of YouTube reviews of the new X5 50e, I was surprised at the universally glowing reviews and the smiles on the faces of the reviewers as they exploited the near 500 bhp and their positive remarks on the sound of the 3.0 BMW six-cylinder engine. That’s more than enough fun for me these days, but I’d want more than the paltry 5% discount first mentioned (plus 15% VAT exemption) to tempt me!
Well I’ve just run an insurance quote for a BMW X5 50e M Sport. As it’s almost 500 bhp and group 50 insurance, and (embarrassingly) I had to declare an insurance claim from 4 years ago, so only had 3 years NCD, I was pleasantly surprised to see the cheapest quote came out at only £520 and there were plenty of other quotes for less than £650. Oh dear. I was sort of hoping that it would be thousands, in order to put me off the idea 😂
The issue that many are overlooking is that yes, the grant will be applied to eligible cars BUT there’s nothing to stop a manufacturer re-configuring the discount that it already gives to Motability.
For example, manufacturer previously gave Motability £10k discount on a particular EV. That car now gets a £3.5k govt grant. The manufacturer reduces its discount to £6.5k which, added to the grant, means the same £10k discount and no change to AP. The grant has been applied, but the winner is the manufacturer.
This exact same thing happened with house builders during the help to buy scheme. The winners were the house builders whose profits rocketed, at the tax payers expense!
Well at least we have a bargaining point if the car is on the list, as in “apply the grant to the ap or I’m off elsewhere” and also hope that come October we see some blanket reductions.
I think you’d soon be shown the door! The grant is not within the dealerships control. It’s applied to the manufacturer who may, or may not, decide to lower the AP or provide an offer (although, as I keep saying, Motability will have already negotiated deals way in excess of the grant level, so the two aren’t directly related). Any additional deal negotiated with a dealer would come off their margin, so a dealer funded discount of the same magnitude as a grant just isn’t going to happen. It would have to be funded by the manufacturer or group.
Motability have posted an article about the grant on their website. Link https://news.motability.co.uk/scheme-news/what-does-the-electric-car-grant-mean-for-me/ Looks like they are leaving it to manufacturers to make any offers in the next quarter from a cursory read.
Exactly as I thought. The two key quotes from the article are;
If a car qualifies and it’s available on the Motability Scheme, it’s up to the manufacturer to decide if they want to change the Advance Payment.
and
If a car becomes eligible for the grant, it will not necessarily mean the Advance Payment will change. This is subject to the manufacturer’s discretion. In many cases, as we update our prices every three months, the best possible deals have already been applied for Scheme customers and won’t change until they are reviewed again next quarter
In terms of what appeals if I go down the older car route. Aside from an Astra GTE 2.0i back in the 80s when I was in my very early 20s, I’ve never really been a ‘hot hatch’ sort of guy. Once I got to my 30s and beyond, the appeal was larger executive cars with decent poke. As examples, past cars included Rover 827 Vitesse 24v, Ford Granada Scorpio 2.9, Ford Scorpio 24v Cosworth, BMW 525i (3.0 litre), 530d, 750i Sport (4.4 litre 8 cylinder). Writing that list, it’s no wonder I feel that the Tucson is boring 😂
Over the years, dream cars (which I never owned) included the Jaguar XJR (back in the 80s and early 90s, when Jags looked like Jags) and, once I discovered how good BMWs were, the M5. Both of these could be options, but my concern would be maintenance costs. I should imagine that it would be easy to spend a small fortune if something major goes wrong!
One thing that I forgot to mention was that the big advantage of having the disabled person as the registered keeper is that the car then also qualifies for free road tax which, these days – especially with expensive cars – can be considerable. Also, once the car has been purchased VAT free, you get VAT of all servicing and maintenance costs as well.
It all sounds great, but the stumbling point is the crazy prices of new cars these days. The car that I’d like is a BMW X5. I considered one 5 years ago and they were £65k then (inc VAT). Fast forward 5 years and they are now £82k, so add a few options and even with the VAT knocked off they are still £70k. Dealer discounts aren’t great (5% has been suggested) so I still end up at around £65k. I wouldn’t need finance, but would lose interest on savings, so the true cost is even more. Much as I’d love one, I’m just not sure that I can convince myself to sink that sort of money into a car, when the most I’ve ever spent on a car was £30k (which was a £40k car that I negotiated a 25% discount on). Maybe a better solution is to keep the Motability car as a (boring) daily and get an older ‘fun’ car, but I’m not sure what to get. Ideas on a postcard 😂
It’s strange how all our likes/dislikes differ @mitch, for me I’ve just never liked Toyota, however they’re said to be great cars, the think it’s chr way to busy looking for me on the outside, best of luck in the search..
My wife had a Toyota RAV-4 2.0i Auto that we bought new in 2002. She absolutely loved it and I liked driving it too. We kept it just over 10 years, which was a first for us! However, since being with Motability we’ve looked at the RAV-4 each time that we’ve changed and found it very easy to dismiss them. I cannot get beyond the cheap and plasticy interiors and the fact that their infotainment systems are woeful compared to their competitors. It’s a shame, because their hybrid systems are amongst the best out there, but they need to improve interior quality substantially and change infotainment supplier for us to consider them again.
Here’s the (very small) list of vehicles that qualify, plus the EVs that manufacturers are offering their own discounts on. Obviously there’s zero guarantee that any of this will result in lower APs, as Motability will already be receiving discounts way in excess of these levels;
https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/electric-car-grant-which-models-qualify
@ChrisK The rules on scooters are the same. They don’t (in themselves) qualify the user to buy a VAT free car.
The only adaptation we have is a person hoist and that qualifies as it’s bolted in and connected to the cars electrics. I’ve spoken to an adaptations specialist and, once removed, a new buyer would be hard pressed to know that the car had anything. There would just be two small holes in the carpet and anything else is way under the glovebox so out of sight.
The lady that I spoke to could not have been more helpful. It’s worth anyone considering this route to call them and put their mind at ease, as I did re the personal use (not for my wife’s benefit) issue.
The other problem with accompanied test drives (and car sales people in general) is that sales people are often poorly informed about what comes as standard on certain models and what is an optional extra. Many demonstrators are loaded with extras and the sale people don’t always highlight that (if they even know). Some I’ve even had to correct about what is standard and what is optional, as I often find that, having done my research, I know more about the car than the people paid to sell them 🙄
@ajn Just another thought. I don’t know your financial situation, nor would I ask or assume, but if you absolutely love your current car and, if it wasn’t 5 years old, would happily have extended the lease further, is it worth leaving the scheme and buying the same car used? You’d get a car that you know that you’d be happy with and it would most likely work out a fair bit less than getting a brand new (lesser) car through Motability. Just a thought because, with hindsight, we might have been wiser to have done that ourselves last year!I believe quite a few models go live (as it were) today on the grant scheme. I’m not in anyway saying this will have a bearing on APs, merely highlighting an occurrence within the subject!
I‘ve not read them in full, as I’m not in the market for an EV, but a number of articles have been highlighting how few cars actually fulfil the rather complex qualifying criteria!
UPDATE – I have just spoken to an extremely helpful person at HMRC and managed to get definitive answers to my questions, which they are also putting in writing for me. As an aside, you have to call via the specific HMRC Charities Helpline and there is eventually an option for private individuals enquiring about VAT relief on new cars. Answers as follows;
1) Although my wife is the disabled person, can I buy the car with my money? – answer YES.
2) As my wife cannot drive (due to her disability), can I be the registered keeper? – answer NO. My wife has to be the registered keeper and I would be the nominated driver.
3) As I am the only driver and we therefore only need one car, is it acceptable for me to use the car on my own, for purposes that are of no direct benefit to my wife? – answer YES.
This last one was a pleasant surprise, as the guidance rather implies otherwise, but she said that the principle is that the car is permanently adapted so that on the occasions that my wife needs to use it she can but, as the nominated driver, I can use the car for my own purposes. I pressed her about scenarios such as visiting family and friends, day trips etc all of which could be on my own and without my wife, and she confirmed that all such journeys are absolutely fine. This now explains why I got exactly the same answer when I asked Motability all these questions when we retired (and went down to one car). The answers that Motability gave me are therefore in line with HMRC guidance. So, in summary, I could use the car for whatever purpose that I like and need not worry.
She stressed that you must make sure that the dealer applies the VAT exemption at source as it cannot be refunded if applied in error. She also said that dealers are not obliged to partake in the VAT exemption scheme and some Mercedes and BMW dealers are refusing to do so, trying to push people into Motability cars instead (she didn’t say, but I wonder if that’s to try to get their EV targets up?). As I would be looking at a car that was way above what is available on Motability hopefully I wouldn’t have this issue, but I’d need to check first. Thankfully I have a great contact at our local BMW dealers.
@ajn I had an accompanied test drive the other week, but it was a used car, I hadn’t pre-arranged it and it was in a town that I don’t live and the dealership use a predetermined route that covers fast dual carriageway, A & B roads and some town driving. As it was an expensive [£90k when new) used car with an advertised mileage, I felt that this was reasonable.
With every new car (Motability or private) however, I have always had unaccompanied test drives. Usually if pre arranged they have been full day tests, but if I’ve turned up unannounced they’ve usually been 1-2 hours. In the latter scenario, if I think the car is a definite possibility I will arrange a subsequent full day test. Every new car seems great over an hour or so, but it’s only when you have them for half a day or more that you start to discover things that are less good.
Thanks @kezo I’ve ordered a USB-C to Lightening cable and will see if a wired connection resolves the issue.
IT department (my IT literate daughters) contacted re USB stick. I like the sound of that, as long as the user interface is OK (searching for artists, tracks etc). Anything will be better than what I have now!
Unfortunately I am rather tied to Apple, having an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac. I’m able to get 33% off Apple products, hence the brand loyalty 😂 I think the easiest option will be to buy an older car that has a CD player 🤣
Thanks both. It does indeed sound like an issue with the interface between iOS and the car, although admittedly Amazon Music isn’t great. I only have it as it’s free with Amazon Prime 😂 . I just looked to see if I could connect the phone to the USB socket, but it’s a different type of USB socket to the type that charges the phone.
I admit that I’ve not tried to hard to understand the world of digital music, so it’s all a bit bewildering to me, hence my yearning for an in-car CD player. I’m sure that there are millions of older drivers in the same boat. Nowadays it’s digital or nothing, which would be fine if it was dead easy and worked every time 🙄
You raise a good point. My wife reminded me how difficult my 7 Series BMW was to park, not just the width but it stuck out of spaces.
Another, probably more practical option, is to stick with Motability for running my wife around (maybe even an EV) and me buying a ‘fun’ car that gives me more pleasure, but as I now only do 7-8k miles a year two cars seems a bit pointless. None of these thoughts would be going around my mind if the Tucson was as enjoyable to drive as the X1 was 🙄
@kezo I test drove a BMW X5 40d the other day. Nice car and very quiet, even with 22” alloys. It was a used one but still £50k. The guy tried to talk me into a new one, but even with the VAT knocked off it was still almost £70k. I just don’t do enough mileage these days to warrant that sort of outlay (decent cars are just ludicrously expensive these days). Another spanner in the works was that the 40d is more expensive than the new 50e X5 which, although a PHEV (which, as you know, I’m not keen on) has a realistic EV range of around 50 miles and it’s paired with the legendary BMW 3.0 six cylinder petrol engine, giving a combined power output of almost 500 bhp. I’ve since watched a number of YouTube reviews of the 50e and they all say that it’s absolutely superb. Back to the drawing board 😂
