I know quite a few forum members get their cars through Motability leases. I picked this up by accident and have only just received a letter from Motability. It seems to have sparked from totally inaccurate "reporting" in the Daily Mail. Take a chill pill if you plan on reading the bile that is spewing from the trolls against disabled people!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-New-rules-mean-35k-BMWs-disabled-drives.html
Anyway, main changes are the maximum price for a vehicle is now £25,000 and maximum advance payment we can make is now £2,000. While I agree that it was crazy to have the top end luxury cars on the scheme (admittedly for a very high cash payment up front) these changes have disadvantaged the disabled drivers who are obliged to drive automatics. My long awaited G Cmax would not be available to me on the new rules. The choice available if you are allowed to drive a manual is still pretty good but the additional premium for the automatic gearbox has decimated the choice. I am not clear whether this also means you cannot pay yourself to have additional features installed to make your life easier e.g. I am paying to have the pack with the power tailgate installed as it will save me balancing on a crutch on one side while holding the tailgate in place with my chin!
So, while I don't disagree in principle I do think this has been a knee jerk reaction and has not been well thought out. They have also changed who can be registered to drive the car which means many carers will no longer be able to drive the disabled persons car.
They are trying to stamp out abuses to the system but to me the root of the abuse is that fact the Government has not been medically examining everyone who applied for Disability Living Allowance since, if you don't get the Higher Rate Mobility Component, you don't qualify for the Motability leased car.
All existing orders will be honoured so anyone still caught in the waiting for delivery of your latest car it will still arrive.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-New-rules-mean-35k-BMWs-disabled-drives.html
Anyway, main changes are the maximum price for a vehicle is now £25,000 and maximum advance payment we can make is now £2,000. While I agree that it was crazy to have the top end luxury cars on the scheme (admittedly for a very high cash payment up front) these changes have disadvantaged the disabled drivers who are obliged to drive automatics. My long awaited G Cmax would not be available to me on the new rules. The choice available if you are allowed to drive a manual is still pretty good but the additional premium for the automatic gearbox has decimated the choice. I am not clear whether this also means you cannot pay yourself to have additional features installed to make your life easier e.g. I am paying to have the pack with the power tailgate installed as it will save me balancing on a crutch on one side while holding the tailgate in place with my chin!
So, while I don't disagree in principle I do think this has been a knee jerk reaction and has not been well thought out. They have also changed who can be registered to drive the car which means many carers will no longer be able to drive the disabled persons car.
They are trying to stamp out abuses to the system but to me the root of the abuse is that fact the Government has not been medically examining everyone who applied for Disability Living Allowance since, if you don't get the Higher Rate Mobility Component, you don't qualify for the Motability leased car.
All existing orders will be honoured so anyone still caught in the waiting for delivery of your latest car it will still arrive.