Motability Car Grant Question

Annieuk75

P4ula wrote: »

Just thinking about this, it is really a shame that there is not a similar scheme for those of us who receive DLA High Mobility and need an automatic car and have to pay more for the 'privelidge'.

I am not saying the war pensioners don't need this allowance, but they get cars with a cheaper deposit than DLA (I know they end up paying the same longterm) but is it discrimination to treat one group of disabled people more fairly than another group? I know there are grants to help with deposits etc but having to go through a means test when another group of disabled people do not seems unjust.

It could be classed as a reasonable adjustment surely to make this allowance available to DLA HRM recipients who NEED an automatic car.

What do other people think? (although there is probably no chance of this uneven playing field ever being levelled) but I feel it is a pretty unfair system.

Paula

I have to agree with you. My husband is disabled and I am his nominated driver. I only have an automatic licence so am restricted with which car I can drive. We are hoping to get higher rate mobility soon (due to my disability) and would only be able to get an automatic car, I would have no choice.

hilstep2000

I've got a new Fiesta. I had to have an automatic, but I didn't pay any more for it. I paid £350 in the end, which was £200 for the Titanium (Top of the range) and £150 for the paint job. (I wanted the new colour Hot Magenta), but not because it was automatic.

SEE

vanilla wrote: »

There is a grant available, as i'm in the middle of appling for it. It states on the form that it is for help towards advance payments, adaptations or driving lessons. I found it on the mobility site as the advance payments have shot up so much this last while.

I was told not to put a deposit down on any car until they had come to a dicision and that a decision should be made in 4-6 weeks. They also go by the least expensive car that will meet your mobility needs you are expected to pay something towards the car and there is no guarantee that you will get any help at all but the worst they can say is no.

This grant is available to anyone on motability as i'm appling for my child, i even spoke to someone on the phone just to make sure i got it right. HTH

Grants helpline number is 0844 800 0900

Dealers are struggling for business at the moment, and if you ring around and say that such and such a dealer wants £500 deposit can you do better, you will find they will, and sometimes slash the other dealer in half:T

vanilla

SEE wrote: »

Dealers are struggling for business at the moment, and if you ring around and say that such and such a dealer wants £500 deposit can you do better, you will find they will, and sometimes slash the other dealer in half:T

Thanks, lucky enough we managed to get a grant towards a car and are hopefully going to pick it up on wednesday.:j:j:j

Zebra

Apologies for hijacking the thread.

A close friend of mine has Huntington's Disease and purchased a car through the motability scheme.

She still has 2 years left to pay for the car, but realises now that she is no longer able to drive, and won't be able to do so again in the future.

The car is registered in her name, but she is worried that if she sells it, her allowance will stop - is it ok for her to sell the car now, or does she have to keep it for another couple of years until it is paid for?

It is geting to the stage now, where I am having to take on more of her financial matters, and I've never had any experience of state benefits in general or disability benefits in particular.

Thanks in advance.

Tally-Ho_2

Hi,

She needs to speak with Motability.

I take it form what you have said, she is getting it on Motability HP (as opposed to leasing). Either way, provided there is a good reason like it sounds in her case, Motability will usually early terminate a contract. She may have to pay any 'loss' on the sale of the car though. If she was leasing, she would have just been able to return it without further payment.

It will not affect her benefit from the DWP, once the car has been returned (and any deficit paid).

Tally

Zebra

Thanks Tally.

So it isn't hers to sell even though it is registered in her name?

What if she just keeps it garaged until the end of the three years?

daska

If it's leased then no, she doesn't own the car. But regardless of whether she's buying or leasing, if she keeps it garaged then she won't benefit from the car or from her weekly mobility allowance that is currently being used to pay for the car. If she can give up the contract early, even if she has to pay a penalty to do so, there is a chance that she will be financially better off by £46+/week... She just needs to ask Motability to do the sums and let her know what they can do for her.

dmg24

Before anybody takes the time to respond to the OP - this thread is a year old, it seems to have been added to by somebody who fancied a rant!

Oscar_The_Grouch

dmg24 wrote: »

Before anybody takes the time to respond to the OP - this thread is a year old, it seems to have been added to by somebody who fancied a rant!

That's good, as I was about to tell OP that there were 47 automatic cars available on the scheme with no deposit, ranging from a little Kia, through to a Fiesta and a 308 diesel that does 63 MPG!!!! I might just have a look at that one myself!!!!