Mobility car. Who can use it...?

MECFS_2

I have a motability car. The insurance covers me and one other person for social and commuting purposes. This doesn't effect me as I don't work or have a partner. My carer uses it to do my shopping, take me to routine hospital appoimntments etc. If I had a partner they would be able to use it to go to work under the scheme. A problem would only occur if the cars sole purpose was for someone to use it for business/work who wasn't the disabled person. Sole purpose is the key phrase here.

spanish_Al

having been recently diagnosed with epilepsy I have had to surrender my driving license, but i have my 18 year old daughter as a named driver on my motability car. After consulting with motability and 'ask mo', a named driver can use the disabled car without the disbled person being in it. Even if my daughter is driving to and from work, this is classed as helping me as she is using the car to avail her to earn a living, and is within the acceptable terms of the agreement.

jAYkROW

From the Motability website (a good place to find answers I may add)

Mo says:
The Motability car may only be used by, or for the benefit of the disabled person. The disabled Person does not need to present when it is used. The car may be used by any named driver without the Disabled Person, e.g.. the customers spouse may use the car to travel to work, go shopping and other routine activities from which the disabled person derives an identifiable benefit. :T

cyclonebri1

Stuart's gone quite, :T

kusadasi040667

Hi hopefully I can be of some help in this matter as I am a wheelchair user who has a motability car and also I until recently worked for the DWP in the benefits section . You can have two named drivers plus a third for a fee also under 25's may have restrictions placed upon them,the disabled person does not have to be one of the named drivers and they can be anyone that they choose. Obviously the main objective of the car being provided is so that those needs of the disabled person are met be they of a medical ,social use or any that the said person deems to be so. Secondly they can be used for the good of the customers family i.e outings shopping etc this would also include for the persons spouse using it to get to work and back which is totally ok,what would not be within guide lines is for the spouse to use it within work to use in business matters e.g delivery,sales,taxi etc etc. So as long as the disabled persons needs are met and the car-driver are at their disposal then that is considered of appropriate use. On the road tax front the advice we were instructed was that the tax disc is for the car and its uses not against one indivudual.
Hope this helps at least a little K

dee60_2

I am in the Midlands and a friend of my moms was using the car to go to his fathers (who had cancer) he lives around 5 miles away so always used the car to commute between his home and his fathers. He was pulled up by the police as he had a faulty brake light. When they did a check and found the car was registered to his father as a disability car, the son was told that he was breaking the law and the car was being used fraudulently, he explained about his father to the police.

Cutting a long story short both the car and blue badges were taken off his father for improper use.

kusadasi040667

dee60 wrote: »

I am in the Midlands and a friend of my moms was using the car to go to his fathers (who had cancer) he lives around 5 miles away so always used the car to commute between his home and his fathers. He was pulled up by the police as he had a faulty brake light. When they did a check and found the car was registered to his father as a disability car, the son was told that he was breaking the law and the car was being used fraudulently, he explained about his father to the police.

Cutting a long story short both the car and blue badges were taken off his father for improper use.

I am really shocked at that I have only known of three people who have had the car removed before the contract has ended. One was because it was a young lad who had the car and never used it for his disabled family member but constantly raced in it & eventually neighbours complained to DLA , he was monitered and after it was confirmed the customer poor soul never saw never mind benefited from the car it was with drawn . Secondly was a tragic event someone I knew who had a child with special needs died suddenly & the car could not be used after midnight of that day as harsh as that sounds it is a cut off rule that they have to adhere to.Thirdly the disabled person was found to be healthy and no disabilities. Obviously your friends father had cancer and possibly even was granted it under the special needs criteria if he was terminally ill (hope not on that one). As I mentioned earlier I until fairly recently I worked for DWP benefits section & can't see their grounds for this action but must stress I'm not suggesting any of the above situ's were the same as your friends . Shame that more upset was stacked upon an already sad situation . Take care .... K

poohbear59

I have a mobility car and have my husband and son on the insurance. I only ever allow them to use it to either drive me somewhere or if going shopping etc for me.
Since having read that the car can be used for my spouse to go to and from work, as that is a direct benefit to me, I have still not 'allowed' him to do so. That is because if I needed to get anywhere I would not then have my vehicle available.

I frequently make use of the service whereby one can change the insured driver temporarily, sometimes for a couple of hours, sometimes for a day. This service means that I can get a friend or family member to drive me to the shops and I get to travel in comfort in my own car, not in one I struggle to get in and out of, or one that seems to jolt me over every bump in the road. Basically this means that anyone who holds a full driving licence may drive a Motability car if it is for the benefit of the Motability car leaseholder.

ETA To change drivers means taking one driver off the insurance temporarily and exchanging for the new driver.

Swirley

I rang DLA about the car tax a couple of years ago, asking if my husband could use our normal car but with disabled tax for work. The answer was a resounding NO! I was told that I didn't have to be in the car, but it had to be being used for something for me (shopping, picking up prescription etc). I argued that him going to work was benefiting me, as without work he wouldn't bring in a wage that we used for food, bills etc. DVLA also confirmed this. In the end, we left the normal tax on as we didn't want to get caught.

After I got worse, hubby gave up work to care for me so we got the tax.

My friend wanted to get a Mobility car earlier this year, but wanted her husband to be able to go to work in it. We found out that even though Mobility would allow it, the disabled tax on it wouldn't. We were also told that she couldn't get the car without the disabled tax on it. In the end she decided not to bother with Motability, got a car loan and uses her DLA to pay that off.

Perosnally, I can't see why a spouse etc can't use the car for work.

cyclonebri1

Swirley wrote: »

I rang DLA about the car tax a couple of years ago, asking if my husband could use our normal car but with disabled tax for work. The answer was a resounding NO! I was told that I didn't have to be in the car, but it had to be being used for something for me (shopping, picking up prescription etc). I argued that him going to work was benefiting me, as without work he wouldn't bring in a wage that we used for food, bills etc. DVLA also confirmed this. In the end, we left the normal tax on as we didn't want to get caught.

After I got worse, hubby gave up work to care for me so we got the tax.

My friend wanted to get a Mobility car earlier this year, but wanted her husband to be able to go to work in it. We found out that even though Mobility would allow it, the disabled tax on it wouldn't. We were also told that she couldn't get the car without the disabled tax on it. In the end she decided not to bother with Motability, got a car loan and uses her DLA to pay that off.

Perosnally, I can't see why a spouse etc can't use the car for work.

I really thought this one had been put to bed but if even the DWP, well, their tele operators that is, etc cannot be definate what chance of clear guidelines.

Anyone wanting to get anything from this thread will have to read the lot. See what peeps have been told by Motability, the Police, DLA or DWP and then read the info at direct.gov.org, it brings it all together.