Motability good value?

Equinox1000

Even though over 530,000 customers currently choose Motability for their mobility needs, there doesn't seem to be an MSE article or even a forum thread to advise people whether Motability represents good value compared to going it alone or what those thinking of going down this route should watch out for. This is especially surprising now that there is a disability forum.

It would be nice to put the collective knowledge of forum members in one place and, hopefully, to persuade Martin to put together an article.

[Deleted User]

I dont see the problem tbh,every 3 years in exchange for £47 you get a brand new car which all you have to do is put petrol in,seems extremely good value

sunnyone

woodbine wrote: »

I dont see the problem tbh,every 3 years in exchange for £47 you get a brand new car which all you have to do is put petrol in,seems extremely good value

Nearly £50 now and more in April.

Its horses for courses and I have bought 4 new cars zero rated VAT but my current car is motability after I worked it out in pounds and pence what was the best deal for me.

Indie_Kid

woodbine wrote: »

I dont see the problem tbh,every 3 years in exchange for £47 you get a brand new car which all you have to do is put petrol in,seems extremely good value

Some people do have to pay to have their car adapted.

456789

It is definitely a lot less hassle as insurance, servicing, repairs, roadside assistance etc. is all included

If you look in the Motoring, Public Transport & Cycling section you will find more topics on it

G-MIKI

It really depends on your circumstances. If you are a young driver (ave insurance premium ~ £1200??) and running a small car then it must be good value but I have never found the sums worked for me.

I need a bigger car for carrying the chair and the AP would be in the region of £3-3500. My insurance on a 150PS Zafira is £205.

Prior to the VAT-free car scheme I always found it better to buy a used car 2-3 years old and run it for 5 years rather than use Motability. With the introduction of the VAT exemption the sums have swung towards buying and owning one from new but you do need to be able to afford to lay out the money up front, which not everybody can afford to do.

I stick to Zafira's as I can refit the hand-control and you can string lots of discounts together.

If your employer is a "Vauxhall Partner" you qualify for 13% discount and a Finance Deposit Allowance of £2,750 (varies). It costs around £500 to srvice the loan but you are still quids in.

Take out a GM credit card and you get £100 in points to deduct from the price of the new car the first time you use it, then 3% of anything you spend gets accrued as points. When you redeem the points against a new car, a month or two later you find another 200 thank you points have been added to your statement.

They were recently offering a loyalty bonus of £1,500 if you already owned a Vauxhall in addition to the above..... and then 0% VAT.

It all adds up to making a deal than no other manufacturer can get close to for the sort of car I am after.

[Deleted User]

sh1305 wrote: »

Some people do have to pay to have their car adapted.

very true,but if they wanted a non motability car they would have to pay that extra anyway

TOBRUK

I have never gone down the motability route, I bought a second hand car (it was around 18 month old ex mobility) in 1997 and had it adapted. I still have the car (14 years old last month) which has just passed the MOT (first time ... phew!!) and has still only 38000 miles on the clock. I like the idea of owning the car and really don't care about having a new car! I also have managed to save enough for another second hand car with the DLA when I need to change it.

wazza

Used to have a 11 year old car before i got a car on the mobility scheme. For my needs i found that i was roughly £600 worse off over three years when i take into account of breakdown cover, mot, servicing, maintenance if i compared it to buying a 5+ year old car with high mileage at around £4k. True with mobility the car is not yours but you have a worry free motoring and a new car to keep the kids happy. It all depends on your needs, the mileage, and the AP you have to pay. Mine was for £300.

Then again at my age (over 40) enjoy a the benefit of having a new car.

sheeps68

I chose against motability for insurance reasons. Should I improve health wise and no longer qualify for dla if I'd been on motability scheme I would lose my current no claims bonus I currently have.

hilstep2000

I'd always just had the free tax and an old car, but got a motability one last year. I love having a new car, and only having to pay for petrol. I'm not worried about breakdowns or paying for insurance MOT's and repairs. But it is a personal choice. I paid £350 for mine, but that's because I had a top of the range fiesta with all the extras. If I'd wanted a basic model it wouldn't have cost me anything.