Pro's Con's for a Mobility Car

HillStreetBlues

MouldyOldDough said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Depends if it's worth giving up the mobility component for minimum 3yrs, whether your son needs anything that your current vehicles don't provide, and whether a car that would be used solely for his benefit would be helpful.

If you decide not to go for a motability car, one of your current cars can be exempt from tax if it's used only for his benefit https://www.gov.uk/financial-help-disabled/vehicles-and-transport

Off the top of my head -
Pros: no insurance cost, no tax, no MOT, no servicing costs (I believe), you only pay for fuel or electricity to charge it, helpful if he needs adaptations to drive.

Cons: expensive (plus upfront payments, not just the ongoing cost of the mobility component), if his PIP is denied upon review then you'll lose the car, can only be used for his benefit, there's a mileage limit.


Personally if I were well enough to drive, or even well enough to go out a couple of times a week, I would have considered it.  But I've never liked the idea of paying for something in installments and especially when it's for something I won't even own at the end, I always buy outright where that's an option.

However other people find the convenience of it to be worth the cost, particularly if they are already leasing or considering leasing a car (or just have a higher budget for cars than I've ever had!).  And for most people who need extensive adaptations it is by far the most economical option.

You forgot a major Pro - peace of mind, knowing that everything is covered - no worries about costs in breaking down, even replacement tyres, windscreen, servicing costs etc etc - ALL that you have to pay for is fuel !

I looked into getting a Mobilty car, and  for me not worth it, but I do think it's a great for those who benefit.
I never worry about if my car breaks down, no more than I would worry about a hire car getting damage that I would have to pay for.
In the just over two years I've had my car, if I had joined Mobilty I would be about  £5k down  and that's increasing every week.  If my car doesn't need any work in the next year this would increase to £8.5k  So at the end of Mobilty I would have spend £8.5k more than I have and no car unless I renew.

The money I have saved allows be to buy more other stuff with the peace of mind I don't have to worry about the money, whereas, if I would have next to no savings if I had joined.

The OP needs to give are more information for posters to give a tailored reply. 

Savvy_Sue

elsien said:

Is your son likely to be moving out at any point? I’m aware of people who had a mobility car while living with parents, but when they moved into supported living because they could use public transport and the occasional taxi, keeping the mobility  car just made their budget too tight for  the other things that they wanted to do.
That’s obviously depends on individual need, but it’s still a factor. Sometimes convenience is not affordable. 

A friend's adult child has moved into supported living and taken the mobility car with them: some of the care staff are able to drive it and that is the most useful place to have it. 

It meant my friend had to buy her own car to replace it, which is fine. 

I agree we need more information before we can usefully add to the discussion, we've covered the main pros and cons! 

Albermarle

Savvy_Sue said:

elsien said:

Is your son likely to be moving out at any point? I’m aware of people who had a mobility car while living with parents, but when they moved into supported living because they could use public transport and the occasional taxi, keeping the mobility  car just made their budget too tight for  the other things that they wanted to do.
That’s obviously depends on individual need, but it’s still a factor. Sometimes convenience is not affordable. 

A friend's adult child has moved into supported living and taken the mobility car with them: some of the care staff are able to drive it and that is the most useful place to have it. 

It meant my friend had to buy her own car to replace it, which is fine. 

I agree we need more information before we can usefully add to the discussion, we've covered the main pros and cons! 

Regarding the comment in bold. Just for general info ( although all situations and LA's are different).
We discovered that if the disabled person has a Motability vehicle ( whether they drive it themselves or not), then social services expect that vehicle to be used for all necessary journeys ( such as to day centre etc) . However if there is no Motability vehicle, they will pay for transport, even if a non Motability vehicle is available and the person would be eligible for a Motability vehicle if they wanted one.
At least that is how I understand it.
On the other side as you say if you have a Motability vehicle, then the insurance cover allows for carers to drive it, without having to keep informing them of who specifically is driving. I think would be very difficult to get similar open ended cover with a normal insurer for a non Motability vehicle. 

elsien

Albermarle said:

Savvy_Sue said:

elsien said:

Is your son likely to be moving out at any point? I’m aware of people who had a mobility car while living with parents, but when they moved into supported living because they could use public transport and the occasional taxi, keeping the mobility  car just made their budget too tight for  the other things that they wanted to do.
That’s obviously depends on individual need, but it’s still a factor. Sometimes convenience is not affordable. 

A friend's adult child has moved into supported living and taken the mobility car with them: some of the care staff are able to drive it and that is the most useful place to have it. 

It meant my friend had to buy her own car to replace it, which is fine. 

I agree we need more information before we can usefully add to the discussion, we've covered the main pros and cons! 

Regarding the comment in bold. Just for general info ( although all situations and LA's are different).
We discovered that if the disabled person has a Motability vehicle ( whether they drive it themselves or not), then social services expect that vehicle to be used for all necessary journeys ( such as to day centre etc) . However if there is no Motability vehicle, they will pay for transport, even if a non Motability vehicle is available and the person would be eligible for a Motability vehicle if they wanted one.
At least that is how I understand it.
On the other side as you say if you have a Motability vehicle, then the insurance cover allows for carers to drive it, without having to keep informing them of who specifically is driving. I think would be very difficult to get similar open ended cover with a normal insurer for a non Motability vehicle. 

Certainly doesn’t work like that in my area. In supported living people cover all day today cost themselves the local authority part of the budget is for the staffing element,

So someone who doesn’t have a Motability car would use their DLA to pay for taxis or public transport instead. The local authority would not cover any journeys whether they were considered necessary or not.

atlantis187

My son is only 16 and has no plans or moving out anytime soon.
I am keen to know a bit more about the grants they give for driving lessons which he will be looking at doing.

poppy12345

atlantis187 said:

My son is only 16 and has no plans or moving out anytime soon.
I am keen to know a bit more about the grants they give for driving lessons which he will be looking at doing.

As I advised in my other comment earlier in the thread he needs to be a Motability customer and expect delivery of vehicle within the next 4 months. 

You will need to contact Motability grants and apply. They will send you a form through email to fill in and return. If he's still a non dependent then the grant will be based on your circumstances and you must be claiming a qualifying means tested benefit. 

Once the application is received it will be sent to a decision maker to take a look. They may ring you before making a decision. If he's given the grant they will find a driving instructor in your area and will contact them on your behalf. Motability pay the instructor their self rather than send you the money. Some details here.https://www.motabilityfoundation.org.uk/charitable-grants/access-to-mobility-grants/driving-lessons/

He can also learn to drive at 16 because he's claiming Enhanced mobility PIP. https://www.gov.uk/driving-lessons-
learning-to-drive

As he's planning on learning to drive if you do order a vehicle you will need to make sure that it's suitable for under 25's. There will be some vehicles he will not be able to drive. The down side to this of course is it means you're quite restricted on the vehicles.

Albermarle

elsien said:

Albermarle said:

Savvy_Sue said:

elsien said:

Is your son likely to be moving out at any point? I’m aware of people who had a mobility car while living with parents, but when they moved into supported living because they could use public transport and the occasional taxi, keeping the mobility  car just made their budget too tight for  the other things that they wanted to do.
That’s obviously depends on individual need, but it’s still a factor. Sometimes convenience is not affordable. 

A friend's adult child has moved into supported living and taken the mobility car with them: some of the care staff are able to drive it and that is the most useful place to have it. 

It meant my friend had to buy her own car to replace it, which is fine. 

I agree we need more information before we can usefully add to the discussion, we've covered the main pros and cons! 

Regarding the comment in bold. Just for general info ( although all situations and LA's are different).
We discovered that if the disabled person has a Motability vehicle ( whether they drive it themselves or not), then social services expect that vehicle to be used for all necessary journeys ( such as to day centre etc) . However if there is no Motability vehicle, they will pay for transport, even if a non Motability vehicle is available and the person would be eligible for a Motability vehicle if they wanted one.
At least that is how I understand it.
On the other side as you say if you have a Motability vehicle, then the insurance cover allows for carers to drive it, without having to keep informing them of who specifically is driving. I think would be very difficult to get similar open ended cover with a normal insurer for a non Motability vehicle. 

Certainly doesn’t work like that in my area. In supported living people cover all day today cost themselves the local authority part of the budget is for the staffing element,

So someone who doesn’t have a Motability car would use their DLA to pay for taxis or public transport instead. The local authority would not cover any journeys whether they were considered necessary or not.

Our adult son has a social services 'package' and it includes the cost of transport to and from day services, and respite care. They pay us, and we have a contract with a transport provider who provide Wheelchair Accessible vehicles and regular drivers.
He gets full mobility DLA, which we choose to use to privately fund a WAV for leisure/weekend use, and occasionally to fill in when the transport provider has problems.
A couple of the social workers have said if he/we had a Motability WAV, they would want us to use that rather than they pay for transport. Although in reality they would have to pay for carers/drivers ( the distances involved are quite long so would be impractical for us to do it regularly) so might not actually save that much.

elsien

That may be part of the difference - living at home rather that in supported living?

Jossmer

Just to add. There are some dedicated, independent Web sites and forums, just about Motability scheme  and car discussions. I am not sure if we can post links, so for now Just search on the web.