Motability is it worth it are there any pitfalls

sitcom321

I have been awarded higher rate pip mobility and am thinking of getting a car via the motability scheme, ours is on its last legs. is the motability scheme worth it, I have had a look on website and it looks like its a great idea but I am not well up on it and wondered if the peeps on here with more knowledge could advise of any pitfalls i should be looking out for etc

thanks

colin13

imo,its great,,get a new car every 3 years insurance aa,and tyres all included,,as well as servicing mot,and any repairs it needs,,,some people say it is an expensive way of getting a car,,but peace of mind etc is worth it weight in gold

mrcol1000

We had a succession of cheap cars that went wrong and cost us a fortune to fix. Without the car I could not go out. After our car went in the garage twice in the same week we decided to get mobility.

We got a Nissan Juke. Quite a good spec and did not have to pay any advance payment. Got to choose the colour and it was a diesel. Get a brand new car without having to pay insurance or for servicing or repairs. Only pay for the fuel. Plus as it is a new car, it uses a lot less fuel so saves money.

Losing part of my DLA did seem a bit worrying as I can not work but saving money on fuel and all the costs of running a car so its about the same financially. Also do not get a sickening feeling that got everytime our old car made a funny noise or there was liquid underneath it.

We use our car a lot so went for the top one we liked and could without having to pay extra. If you don't use it so much there are smaller cars you can get without using your whole mobility allowance. You can pay a few hundred pounds advance payment to get a bigger or better car if you so wish.

There also is nothing on the car to say it is mobility. We just tell people we lease it (which is technically what mobility is). The garage treated us no different to anyone else buying a new car.

Although it does seem a bit scary at first, it is the best decision we made. With all the stress and problems of having a long term disease, it is nice not to have to worry about the car and having to pay for MOT, Insurance, servicing and repairs etc.. If you could only ever afford cheapo old cars like us then you will probably save money in the long run.

Like Colin said you get another new car after 3 years. Plus if the car is in good condition they give you £250. Just have a lot at what garages offer mobility (as not all of them do and some only do it on certain makes) and go and see them.

sitcom321

Thanks for replies and advice think I am going to give it a go

rogerblack

The upsides have been mentioned above.
The major downside is that if there is a problem with your PIP claim, then you rapidly need to return the car - even if you can still fund it.

You are paying 3000 pounds a year for a car on motability.
Find a reliable small car for 2000 pounds, and you have 1000 pounds to spend on repairs and other costs a year, and then you have several thousand pounds extra in the next couple of years.
There are even places offering aftermarket warranties if you want to be sure of the costs.

Insurance costs for some will break this saving though, as that's paid for by motability usually.
If you're paying 1500 quid a year insurance - it's unlikely to be sensible.

Tigsteroonie

We live in an area where insurance costs are high, so the Motability car is good value. In terms of the feeling of "losing" the money, we made the decision immediately after our son's award so we never really had the money in the first place.

Horseunderwater

Be aware too on the usage restrictions - such as mileage, use by a driver on their own without the disabled person in the car, what happens in an accident, parking offence, speeding offence etc. Read all terms before you sign. Also if you go into hospital for 28 days or more car has to go back regardless now. No discretion. Hence I will never have one, I'd rather get an older car that I own - £227 every 4 weeks ought 2 be enough cash to buy a decent 2nd hand used car with a full history.

mrcol1000

Horseunderwater wrote: »

Be aware too on the usage restrictions - such as mileage, use by a driver on their own without the disabled person in the car, what happens in an accident, parking offence, speeding offence etc. Read all terms before you sign. Also if you go into hospital for 28 days or more car has to go back regardless now. No discretion. Hence I will never have one, I'd rather get an older car that I own - £227 every 4 weeks ought 2 be enough cash to buy a decent 2nd hand used car with a full history.

To be fair the millage is 20,000 miles a year. We do a 500 mile round trip 4 or 5 times a year and lots of other long journeys and have never even got near that.

The car can be used by any person who is nominated in advance to drive it and the disabled person does not necessary have to be in the car like you do when using a blue badge. As long as the car is mostly used for the benefit of the disabled person.

Having a mobility car has some restrictions that you don't get when you own your own car. However there are many benefits to not owning a car.

While you could get a decent second hand car for £200 a month. When you add on insurance, servicing, MOT, tires and repairs suddenly mobility looks much better financially viable. Do not forget you do not have to worry about all the pitfalls of buying a second hand car either. The owed fiance, finding out it is stolen, needing £2000 of repairs a few weeks after you buy it etc.. Not forgetting the stress of it all on top of dealing with your disability.

Indie_Kid

Horseunderwater wrote: »

Also if you go into hospital for 28 days or more car has to go back regardless now. No discretion.

Does it? I thought that DLA mobility only stopped if you had the cash rather than the car and went into hospital/

mrcol1000

Indie_Kid wrote: »

Does it? I thought that DLA mobility only stopped if you had the cash rather than the car and went into hospital/

It changed recently. Although when I checked with mobility they said that they would deal with each case individually so you would not necessarily lose the car.

kaya

I did the sums and decided against it, I would never hire a car so why use motability? At £3000 a year and after ten years I would have handed over £30,000 for what is little more than a cheap taxi that comes without a driver and had nothing to show for it afterwards, would you hand over £30,000 for a car you can drive around in but have to give back? That's probably a worse investment than buying diamonds new from a retailer for £30,000 where at least you have something to show for your investment , it's just your ego telling you how much better you will fell for driving about in a new cheap car. Buy your own car and keep the £3000 PA for running costs and maybe a nice fortnight away by the coast every year